WinForms UI Controls

The controls on this page are my personal controls that I have created and use in my applications. If you use any of these controls in a commercial environment then all I ask is that you link back to this site.

All these controls are written in my primary language of VB using Visual Studio 2008. If you want the code in C# then just paste the code it into any online converter like this one... Devleoper Fusion

If you're new to custom programming then my hope is that you take a close look at the OnPaint() function and see how these controls are built. It is very easy to inherit from existing controls or to even build one from scratch.

In order to use these control just add the class to your project and recompile. It will then show up under the projects components in the toolbox. Then just drag and drop onto your form.

If you have a control you wish to submit just email it to me and I will give you full credit.

If you have a simple control you would like written then email me and I will see if I have time.

Sample Application

I was recently asked if I had any sample applications showing how I setup the controls to get the desired look so I decided to put all the controls onto one project so you can see how I setup the controls. This sample app contains all the controls on this page so you don't have to download them individually.

Download Sample Application Source

RoundedGroupBox

I created this control due to a lack of good grouping controls in Visual Studio. I was tired of the usual single line frame control that's been around for years so I came up with this replacement. The standard Label control also lacks the ability to change the border color so this is an excellent replacement when you need to spice up a page. This is my most heavily used control and I think you will find many uses for it like I have.

Download Source (1.1)

Version 1.1 (7/21/2011)

Ater using this control quite a bit building a Programmer utilty, I found I needed to add a few features to it. One issue that came up was a problem with Tabbing. You couldn't Tab out of the control. It would just cycle back to the first control in the box. This was brought to my attention by Tony who stopped by the site. The only way I could fix this was to inherit from the stock groupbox. I later ran into a case where the stock groupbox had flicker problems when resizing the form. I only noticed this when a stock groupbox has a transparent background. This gave me the idea to allow my group box to use the built in drawing of the stock groupbox and it magically fixed the Flicker problem. So, I added a GroupBoxStyle property so you can toggle between Standard and Extended views.

Here is a screen shot of my programming utility. This uses the groupbox quite a bit along with the ribbon control.
View Screenshot...

whats new...

CaptionOrientation - This property allows you move the caption area so it docks on the Top, Left, Righ, or Bottom.
CaptionPadding - This allows you to add some spacing so you can fine tune the positioning of the Caption Text. Be sure to check these values when changing the Orientation to Left or Right.
GroupBoxStyle - This property allows you to toggle between the standard and extended drawing teniques of the groupbox. I ran into a case where the stock groupbox had flicker problems but mine didn't.
Added two new gradient options called HorizontalGlow and VerticalGlow. This draws the gradient from the center outwards in the direction specified.
Fixed Tabbing issue by inheriting from GroupBox instead of UserControl.
Fixed a couple minor bugs here and there in the drawing function.

Version 1.0 (2/11/2010)

The Group Box supports many properties to adjust the Visual layout...

BackgroundColor / BackgroundColorGradient - This property allows you to create a gradient pattern inside the frame by blending one color to the other.
BackgroundGradientMode - Sets the type of gradient to use (Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal, None)
Caption - The text to appear in the caption area
CaptionAlignment - Set the Justification of the caption text (Left, Right, Center)
Corners - This property allows you so specify which corners to round. You can specify any variation you like
CornerRadius - Set the size of the corner radius
CaptionBackColor - Sets the background color of the caption bar
CaptionHeight - Sets the height of the caption bar
CaptionVisible - Shows or hides the caption bar
DropShadowThickness - The thickness of the drop shadow
DropShadowVisible - Shows or hides the drop shadow

Bindable ImageListbox

Download Source

One thing that has always frustrated me about the stock Listbox control is that you can't change anything about the selected item style. I hate that blue background highlight color, and so, I had to build one myself. I also needed to be able to specify an image so this became a multi-purpose control rather quickly. To use this as a standard listbox just leave the ImageMember field blank. This control also allows you to scale the image to any size you like. The ImageSize property controls the display size of the image. If the image size differs, it will be scaled.

3/1/2010
After some serious testing of my application I found this control suffered from the notorious "Listbox flicker" whenever the control was resized or scrolled. This is due to the control always painting the entire background prior to calling the OnPaint(). This means that it never took advantage of the "OptimizedDoubleBuffer" style for smooth painting. So, to get around this, I had to ignore all WM_ERASEBKGND messages and simply paint the background myself in the OnPaint(). I also ran across a situation where I needed to bold the selected item so I had to add a new SelectedFont property. I decided to add a SelectedForeColor property while I was at it. I also discovered that I wasn't dithering the items when the control is disabled so this was fixed.

Ver 1.1 (3/1/2010)

SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row.
SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row.
RowHeight - I removed this property since the stock ItemHeight property worked just as good. Just replace it with the ItemHeight propery.
Control will now dither all items when the control is disabled.
Fixed the "Listbox flicker" problem when scrolling or resizing.
Fixed bug in Paint event that cause error when using the control in unbound mode.
Added ability to bind the image to either an Image field or a binary field (sql 2000).

Ver 1.0 (2/12/2010) - Inital release

ImageMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the image.
ImageSize - Specifies the size the image will be scaled to.
RowHeight - Allows you to manually set the row height.
RowDividerVisible - Turns on or off the row dividers.
RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers
RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other.
SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row
SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row
SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners

Bindable CheckListBox

Download Source

This control is almost identical to the ImageListBox control above. You can bind the checkbox to a database field to control the check state of each item. The field can be a boolean, bit, or any field that contains a value. If the field is null or a zero then the checkbox is unchecked. Any other value and the checkbox is checked.

Ver 1.0 (3/1/2010) - Inital release

CheckboxPadding - Specifies the left and right padding on each side of the checkbox.
CheckValueMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the checkbox value.
RowDividerVisible - Turns on or off the row dividers.
RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers
RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other.
SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row
SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row
SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners
SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row.
SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row.
CheckChanged() - This event is raised when the check state - This event is raised when the check state of an item is changed.

ImageButton

Download Source

This is an image button that duplicates the button on the Ribbon control. I needed a button that looks and functions like the Ribbon but was not a part of the Ribbon. This is completely configurable in all respects so its not simply a button replacement. This is also a good example of how to implement complex properties using TypeConverter.

Ver 1.1 (1/28/2015)

This has become my primary button for most applications. You have complete control of every aspect of its appearance. StandardButtonStyle, PressedButtonStyle, HoverButtonStyle, CheckedButtonStyle. Each style has multiple color options so you can create Glossy effects if you desire.

New Stuff...

TextImageRelation - Allows the ability to position the image and text in various arrangements.
TextAlignment - Added the TextAlignment property to give more control over where the text is positioned based on the various positions of the image

Ver 1.0 (4/28/2011) - Inital release

CheckboxPadding - Specifies the left and right padding on each side of the checkbox.
CheckValueMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the checkbox value.
RowDividerVisible Turns on or off the row dividers.
RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers
RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other.
SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row
SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row
SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners
SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row.
SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row.
CheckChanged() - This event is raised when the check state of an item is changed.

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WinForms UI Controls The controls on this page are my personal controls that I have created and use in my applications. If you use any of these controls in a commercial environment then all I ask is that you link back to this site. All these controls are written in my primary language of VB using Visual Studio 2008. If you want the code in C# then just paste the code it into any online converter like this one... Devleoper Fusion If you're new to custom programming then my hope is that you take a close look at the OnPaint() function and see how these controls are built. It is very easy to inherit from existing controls or to even build one from scratch. In order to use these control just add the class to your project and recompile. It will then show up under the projects components in the toolbox. Then just drag and drop onto your form. If you have a control you wish to submit just email it to me and I will give you full credit. If you have a simple control you would like written then email me and I will see if I have time. Sample Application I was recently asked if I had any sample applications showing how I setup the controls to get the desired look so I decided to put all the controls onto one project so you can see how I setup the controls. This sample app contains all the controls on this page so you don't have to download them individually. Download Sample Application Source RoundedGroupBox I created this control due to a lack of good grouping controls in Visual Studio. I was tired of the usual single line frame control that's been around for years so I came up with this replacement. The standard Label control also lacks the ability to change the border color so this is an excellent replacement when you need to spice up a page. This is my most heavily used control and I think you will find many uses for it like I have. Download Source (1.1) Version 1.1 (7/21/2011) Ater using this control quite a bit building a Programmer utilty, I found I needed to add a few features to it. One issue that came up was a problem with Tabbing. You couldn't Tab out of the control. It would just cycle back to the first control in the box. This was brought to my attention by Tony who stopped by the site. The only way I could fix this was to inherit from the stock groupbox. I later ran into a case where the stock groupbox had flicker problems when resizing the form. I only noticed this when a stock groupbox has a transparent background. This gave me the idea to allow my group box to use the built in drawing of the stock groupbox and it magically fixed the Flicker problem. So, I added a GroupBoxStyle property so you can toggle between Standard and Extended views. Here is a screen shot of my programming utility. This uses the groupbox quite a bit along with the ribbon control. View Screenshot... whats new... CaptionOrientation - This property allows you move the caption area so it docks on the Top, Left, Righ, or Bottom. CaptionPadding - This allows you to add some spacing so you can fine tune the positioning of the Caption Text. Be sure to check these values when changing the Orientation to Left or Right. GroupBoxStyle - This property allows you to toggle between the standard and extended drawing teniques of the groupbox. I ran into a case where the stock groupbox had flicker problems but mine didn't. Added two new gradient options called HorizontalGlow and VerticalGlow. This draws the gradient from the center outwards in the direction specified. Fixed Tabbing issue by inheriting from GroupBox instead of UserControl. Fixed a couple minor bugs here and there in the drawing function. Version 1.0 (2/11/2010) The Group Box supports many properties to adjust the Visual layout... BackgroundColor / BackgroundColorGradient - This property allows you to create a gradient pattern inside the frame by blending one color to the other. BackgroundGradientMode - Sets the type of gradient to use (Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal, None) Caption - The text to appear in the caption area CaptionAlignment - Set the Justification of the caption text (Left, Right, Center) Corners - This property allows you so specify which corners to round. You can specify any variation you like CornerRadius - Set the size of the corner radius CaptionBackColor - Sets the background color of the caption bar CaptionHeight - Sets the height of the caption bar CaptionVisible - Shows or hides the caption bar DropShadowThickness - The thickness of the drop shadow DropShadowVisible - Shows or hides the drop shadow Bindable ImageListbox Download Source One thing that has always frustrated me about the stock Listbox control is that you can't change anything about the selected item style. I hate that blue background highlight color, and so, I had to build one myself. I also needed to be able to specify an image so this became a multi-purpose control rather quickly. To use this as a standard listbox just leave the ImageMember field blank. This control also allows you to scale the image to any size you like. The ImageSize property controls the display size of the image. If the image size differs, it will be scaled. 3/1/2010 After some serious testing of my application I found this control suffered from the notorious "Listbox flicker" whenever the control was resized or scrolled. This is due to the control always painting the entire background prior to calling the OnPaint(). This means that it never took advantage of the "OptimizedDoubleBuffer" style for smooth painting. So, to get around this, I had to ignore all WM_ERASEBKGND messages and simply paint the background myself in the OnPaint(). I also ran across a situation where I needed to bold the selected item so I had to add a new SelectedFont property. I decided to add a SelectedForeColor property while I was at it. I also discovered that I wasn't dithering the items when the control is disabled so this was fixed. Ver 1.1 (3/1/2010) SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row. SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row. RowHeight - I removed this property since the stock ItemHeight property worked just as good. Just replace it with the ItemHeight propery. Control will now dither all items when the control is disabled. Fixed the "Listbox flicker" problem when scrolling or resizing. Fixed bug in Paint event that cause error when using the control in unbound mode. Added ability to bind the image to either an Image field or a binary field (sql 2000). Ver 1.0 (2/12/2010) - Inital release ImageMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the image. ImageSize - Specifies the size the image will be scaled to. RowHeight - Allows you to manually set the row height. RowDividerVisible - Turns on or off the row dividers. RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other. SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners Bindable CheckListBox Download Source This control is almost identical to the ImageListBox control above. You can bind the checkbox to a database field to control the check state of each item. The field can be a boolean, bit, or any field that contains a value. If the field is null or a zero then the checkbox is unchecked. Any other value and the checkbox is checked. Ver 1.0 (3/1/2010) - Inital release CheckboxPadding - Specifies the left and right padding on each side of the checkbox. CheckValueMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the checkbox value. RowDividerVisible - Turns on or off the row dividers. RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other. SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row. SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row. CheckChanged() - This event is raised when the check state - This event is raised when the check state of an item is changed. ImageButton Download Source This is an image button that duplicates the button on the Ribbon control. I needed a button that looks and functions like the Ribbon but was not a part of the Ribbon. This is completely configurable in all respects so its not simply a button replacement. This is also a good example of how to implement complex properties using TypeConverter. Ver 1.1 (1/28/2015) This has become my primary button for most applications. You have complete control of every aspect of its appearance. StandardButtonStyle, PressedButtonStyle, HoverButtonStyle, CheckedButtonStyle. Each style has multiple color options so you can create Glossy effects if you desire. New Stuff... TextImageRelation - Allows the ability to position the image and text in various arrangements. TextAlignment - Added the TextAlignment property to give more control over where the text is positioned based on the various positions of the image Ver 1.0 (4/28/2011) - Inital release CheckboxPadding - Specifies the left and right padding on each side of the checkbox. CheckValueMember - Identical to the DisplayMember and ValueMember fields, This specifies the column name in the database for binding the checkbox value. RowDividerVisible Turns on or off the row dividers. RowDividerWidth - Specifies the width for the row dividers RowDividerColor/RowDividerColorGradient - Allows you to create a gradient pattern for the divider line by blending one color to the other. SelectedBackColor - Sets the background color of the selected row SelectedBorderColor - Sets the border color for the selected row SelectedCornerRadius - Sets the corner radius for the selected row so you can have rounded corners SelectedFont - Sets the font attributes for the selected row. SelectedForeColor - Sets the forecolor of the selected row. CheckChanged() - This event is raised when the check state of an item is changed. More controls comming soon...
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Carbisoft LLC Developer Site

WinForms UI Controls

Sample Application

RoundedGroupBox

Bindable ImageListbox

Bindable CheckListBox

ImageButton

More controls comming soon...