book

Programming .NET Windows Applications

by Jesse Liberty, Dan Hurwitz

October 2003

Intermediate to advanced

1248 pages

35h 6m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Programming .NET Windows Applications
A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
Copyright
Preface
About This Book
How the Book Is Organized
Who This Book Is for
Conventions Used in This Book
Version Support
Support: A Note From Jesse Liberty

We'd Like to Hear from You
Acknowledgments
1. Windows Forms and the .NET Framework
1.1. The .NET Framework
1.2. Windows Forms
1.2.1. Languages: C# and VB.NET1.2.2. Visual Studio .NET
2. Getting Started
2.1. System Requirements
2.2. Hello World
2.2.1. Using a Text Editor2.2.1.1. Hello World as a console application2.2.1.2. Compiling the program2.2.1.3. Hello World as a Windows application2.2.1.4. Hello World Windows application with a button2.2.2. Using Visual Studio .NET2.2.2.1. Hello World as a console application2.2.2.2. Hello World as a Windows application2.2.2.3. Hello World Windows application with a button
3. Visual Studio .NET
3.1. Overview
3.2. Start Page
3.3. Projects and Solutions
3.3.1. Solutions3.3.2. Projects3.3.2.1. Templates3.3.2.2. Project names
3.4. The Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
3.4.1. Layout3.4.2. Menus and Toolbars3.4.2.1. File menuNew...Open...Add New Item...(Ctrl+Shift+A)Add Existing Item...(Shift+Alt+A)Add ProjectOpen SolutionClose SolutionAdvanced Save Options...Source Control3.4.2.2. Edit menuCycle Clipboard Ring (Ctrl+Shift+V)Find and Replace → Find in Files (Ctrl+Shift+F)Find and Replace → Replace in Files (Ctrl+Shift+H)Find and Replace → Find Symbol (Alt+F12)Go To...Insert File As Text...AdvancedIncremental search (Ctrl+I)BookmarksOutliningIntelliSense3.4.2.3. View menuOpen/Open With...Solution Explorer (Ctrl+Alt+L)Properties Windows (F4)Server Explorer (Ctrl+Alt+S)Class View (Ctrl+Shift+C)Other Windows3.4.2.4. Project menuAdd... Menu ItemsExclude From ProjectAdd Reference...Add Web Reference...Set as StartUp ProjectProject Dependencies... / Project Build Order...3.4.2.5. Build menu3.4.2.6. Debug menu3.4.2.7. Data menu3.4.2.8. Format menu3.4.2.9. Tools menuConnect to Device...Connect to Database...Connect to Server...Add/Remove Toolbox Items...Build Comment Web Pages...MacrosExternal Tools...Customize...Options...3.4.2.10. Window menu3.4.2.11. Help menuDynamic Help (Ctrl+F1)Contents... (Ctrl+Alt+F1)/Index... (Ctrl+Alt+F2)/Search... (Ctrl+Alt+F3)Index Results... (Shift+Alt+F2)Search Results... (Shift+Alt+F3)Edit Filters...Check for Updates
3.5. Building and Running
4. Events
4.1. Publish and Subscribe
4.1.1. Events and Delegates4.1.2. Event Arguments4.1.3. Control Events4.1.4. Implementing an Event4.1.4.1. In C#Double-click the controlUse the lightning bolt icon in the Properties window4.1.4.2. In VB.NETDouble-click the controlUse the drop-down lists at the top of the code windowDynamic event implementation
4.2. Performance
4.3. Some Examples
4.3.1. Keyboard Events4.3.2. TextBox Validation
5. Windows Forms
5.1. Web Applications Versus Windows Applications
5.2. The Forms Namespace
5.2.1. The Control Class5.2.1.1. Ambient properties5.2.1.2. The Control inheritance hierarchy5.2.2. The Form Class5.2.3. Component Classes5.2.4. CommonDialog Classes
5.3. Form Properties
5.4. Forms Inheritance
5.4.1. Programmatic Inheritance5.4.2. Visual Inheritance
5.5. User Interface Design
5.5.1. UI Principles5.5.2. Interface Types5.5.2.1. SDI5.5.2.2. MDI5.5.2.3. Tabbed interface5.5.2.4. Explorer style5.5.3. Input5.5.3.1. Mouse input5.5.3.2. Keyboard input5.5.3.3. Keyboard shortcuts
6. Dialog Boxes
6.1. Modal Versus Modeless
6.2. Form Properties
6.3. DialogResult
6.4. Termination Buttons
6.5. Apply Button
6.6. CommonDialog Classes
6.6.1. FileDialog6.6.1.1. OpenFileDialog6.6.1.2. SaveFileDialog6.6.2. ColorDialog6.6.3. FontDialog6.6.4. PageSetupDialog6.6.5. PrintDialog6.6.6. Print Preview Dialog
7. Controls: The Base Class
7.1. Control Class
7.1.1. Class Hierarchy7.1.2. Common Features7.1.2.1. Parent/child relationship7.1.2.2. Z-order7.1.2.3. Changing the z-order7.1.2.4. Ambient properties7.1.2.5. Font7.1.2.6. Size and location7.1.2.7. Dynamically setting size and locationDynamically controlling sizeDynamically controlling location7.1.2.8. AutoScale7.1.2.9. Anchoring7.1.2.10. Docking7.1.2.11. Painting the control7.1.2.12. Tag property7.1.2.13. Tabbing7.1.2.14. Keyboard interactionInput focusNavigation7.1.2.15. ImageLists
8. Mouse Interaction
8.1. SystemInformation Properties
8.2. Mouse Events
8.2.1. Mouse Properties
9. Text and Fonts
9.1. Text
9.2. Fonts
9.2.1. Typographical Stuff9.2.2. Font Class9.2.2.1. Font properties9.2.2.2. Constructors9.2.2.2.1. Constructor based on existing font and FontStyles9.2.2.2.2. Constructor based on FontFamily and size9.2.2.2.3. Constructor based on FontFamily, size, and FontStyles9.2.2.2.4. Constructor based on FontFamily, size, and GraphicsUnit9.2.2.2.5. Constructor based on FontFamily, size, FontStyles, and GraphicsUnit9.2.2.3. Line spacing9.2.3. Drawing Strings9.2.3.1. DrawString( )9.2.3.2. Brush and brushes9.2.3.3. Formatting and alignment9.2.4. Measuring Strings
10. Drawing and GDI+
10.1. The Drawing Namespace
10.1.1. The Graphics Class10.1.1.1. Coordinates10.1.1.2. Transforms introduced10.1.2. Graphics Methods10.1.3. Obtaining a Graphics Object10.1.4. Color Structure10.1.5. Geometric Structures—Points, Rectangles, and Sizes10.1.6. Brush and Brushes10.1.7. Pen and Pens10.1.8. Paint Event10.1.8.1. Overriding the OnPaint method10.1.8.2. Forcing a paint event—the Invalidate method
10.2. The Analog Clock Project
10.2.1. Drawing the Clock Face10.2.1.1. Color10.2.1.2. OnPaint10.2.1.3. Transforming the coordinates10.2.1.4. World transforms10.2.2. Adding the Hands10.2.2.1. Creating the timerImplementing OnTimer10.2.2.2. DrawTime method10.2.2.3. Drawing the handsDeleting the existing line10.2.2.4. RotateTransform10.2.2.5. FillElipse10.2.2.6. Drawing the new time10.2.2.7. Implementing the 24 hour clock button10.2.3. Drawing the Animated Date10.2.3.1. Animating the string10.2.3.1.1. The LtrDraw class10.2.3.1.2. The StringDraw class10.2.3.1.3. New member variables10.2.3.1.4. Modifying the constructor10.2.3.2. Resetting the center
11. Labels and Buttons
11.1. Label
11.1.1. Using labels to provide access keys11.1.2. LinkLabel
11.2. Button Classes
11.2.1. Button11.2.1.1. DialogResult property11.2.1.2. PerformClick method11.2.1.3. Access keys11.2.1.4. Form Button properties11.2.2. CheckBox11.2.3. RadioButton
12. Text Controls
12.1. Text
12.2. Editable Text Controls: TextBoxBase
12.2.1. Properties and Methods12.2.2. Events
12.3. RichTextBox
12.3.1. RichTextBox Methods and Events
13. Other Basic Controls
13.1. Containers
13.2. Tabbed Pages
13.2.1. Tabbed Pages Using Visual Studio .NET
13.3. PictureBox
13.4. ScrollBar
13.4.1. As a Positioning Device13.4.2. As a Parameter Adjuster
13.5. TrackBar
13.6. Up-Down Controls
13.6.1. NumericUpDown13.6.2. DomainUpDown
13.7. ProgressBar
14. TreeView and ListView
14.1. Class Hierarchy
14.2. Splitter
14.2.1. Splitters in Visual Studio .NET
14.3. TreeView
14.3.1. Code Analysis14.3.1.1. The constructor14.3.1.2. Populating the Tree14.3.1.3. Look Ma, no recursion14.3.1.4. TreeView events
14.4. ListView
14.4.1. Windows Explorer Clone14.4.1.1. Creating the form14.4.1.2. Setting events14.4.1.3. Creating the menus14.4.1.4. Populating the ListView14.4.1.5. Adding SubItems to the ListView14.4.1.6. Activation14.4.1.7. Sorting by Text property14.4.1.8. Sorting by clicking on a column14.4.2. Editing the Labels14.4.3. Complete Code Listings
15. List Controls
15.1. Class Hierarchy
15.2. ListControls
15.2.1. Filling a ListControl15.2.1.1. Filling a ListControl via the Items collection15.2.1.2. Filling a ListControl using a DataSource15.2.2. Retrieving Item Text15.2.3. ListControl Events15.2.4. ListBox15.2.4.1. CheckedListBox15.2.5. ComboBox
16. Date and Time Controls
16.1. Class Hierarchy
16.2. Date and Time Values
16.2.1. DateTime Structure16.2.2. TimeSpan Structure16.2.3. Date and Time Format Strings
16.3. DateTimePicker
16.4. MonthCalendar
16.5. Timer Component
17. Custom Controls
17.1. Specializing an Existing Control
17.1.1. Testing the Control17.1.2. Adding Properties
17.2. Creating a User Control
17.2.1. Teeter Totter Analysis17.2.2. Properties17.2.3. Handling Internal Events17.2.4. Publishing Events17.2.5. Testing the User Control17.2.5.1. Creating the Teeter Totter tester project17.2.5.2. Interacting with properties17.2.5.3. Handling events17.2.5.4. Handling the event in C#17.2.5.5. Handling the event In Visual Basic .NET17.2.5.6. Populating the listbox
17.3. Creating Custom Controls from Scratch
17.3.1. Testing the custom control
18. Menus and Bars
18.1. Creating Your First Menu
18.2. The MainMenu Object
18.2.1. Adding Menu Items18.2.2. Responding to Events18.2.2.1. Adding MDI Windows18.2.3. Option Menu Items18.2.4. Shared Event Handlers18.2.4.1. Handling radio button options18.2.5. Menu Navigation18.2.5.1. Shortcut keys18.2.6. Creating Menus by Hand18.2.6.1. Analysis18.2.6.2. Creating the options menu18.2.6.3. The options menu item event handler18.2.7. Merging Menus18.2.7.1. Merging menus by hand18.2.8. OwnerDraw Menus18.2.8.1. Create the bitmaps18.2.8.2. Set the OwnerDraw property18.2.8.3. Implement the event handlers18.2.9. Context Menus
18.3. Toolbars
18.3.1. Creating the ImageList18.3.1.1. Adding the toolbar18.3.1.2. Adding event handlers18.3.1.3. Tool tips18.3.1.4. Altering the appearance18.3.1.5. Adding a combo box to the Toolbar
18.4. Writing It by Hand
18.4.1. Creating the Toolbar by Hand: Analysis18.4.1.1. Adding ToolTips and setting their properties18.4.1.2. Setting properties of the Toolbar18.4.1.3. Handling ToolBar button clicks
18.5. Status Bars
18.5.1. Analysis18.5.1.1. Setting the timer18.5.1.2. Updating the status bar based on menu information18.5.1.3. Handling status bar events18.5.1.4. Adding a context menu
19. ADO.NET
19.1. Bug Database: A Windows Application
19.1.1. Preliminary Design Considerations19.1.2. The Bug Database Design
19.2. The ADO.NET Object Model
19.2.1. The DataSet Class19.2.1.1. The DataTable class19.2.1.2. The DataRow class19.2.2. DBCommand and DBConnection19.2.3. The DataAdapter Object
19.3. Getting Started with ADO.NET
19.3.1. Using the Wizards19.3.2. Command and Control Objects
19.4. Managed Providers
19.5. Binding Data
19.6. Data Reader
19.7. Creating a DataGrid
19.7.1. Controlling Column Headings19.7.2. Displaying Parent/Child Relationships19.7.3. Creating Data Objects by Hand19.7.4. Creating the DataSet by Hand19.7.4.1. Setting column properties19.7.4.2. Setting constraints19.7.4.3. Adding data to the table19.7.4.4. Adding additional tables to the DataSet19.7.4.5. Adding rows with an array of objects19.7.5. Creating Primary Keys19.7.6. Creating Foreign Keys19.7.7. Creating Data Relations
20. Updating ADO.NET
20.1. Updating with SQL
20.2. Updating Data with Transactions
20.2.1. The ACID Test20.2.2. Implementing Transactions20.2.2.1. Database transactions20.2.2.2. Filling in the ListBoxes20.2.3. DataBase Transactions20.2.4. Connection Transaction
20.3. Updating Data Using DataSets
20.3.1. The DataSet and the DataAdapter20.3.2. Steps for Updating the Database20.3.2.1. Creating and displaying a DataSet20.3.2.2. Updating the records in the DataSet20.3.2.3. Updating the DataSet20.3.3. Updating the Database from the Dataset20.3.3.1. The delete command20.3.3.2. The Update command20.3.3.3. The Insert command20.3.3.4. Adding transaction support20.3.3.5. Calling the Update method
20.4. Multiuser Updates
20.4.1. Lock the Records20.4.2. Compare Original Against New20.4.3. Handle the Errors
20.5. Command Builder
21. Exceptions and Debugging
21.1. Bugs Versus Exceptions
21.2. Exceptions
21.3. Throwing and Catching Exceptions
21.3.1. The Throw Statement21.3.2. The Try and Catch Statements21.3.2.1. The finally statement
21.4. Bugs
21.5. Debugging in Visual Studio .NET
21.5.1. Finding Syntax Errors21.5.2. Debug Versus Release Mode21.5.3. The Debug Toolbar21.5.4. Breakpoints21.5.4.1. Setting a breakpoint21.5.4.2. Breakpoint window21.5.4.3. Breakpoint properties21.5.4.3.1. Condition21.5.4.3.2. Hit count21.5.4.4. Breakpoint icons21.5.4.5. Stepping through code21.5.4.6. Examining variables and objects21.5.4.7. Immediate window21.5.5. Examining Objects21.5.5.1. Autos window21.5.5.2. Locals window21.5.5.3. This/Me window21.5.5.4. Watch window21.5.5.5. Threads window21.5.5.6. Modules window21.5.5.7. Disassembly window21.5.5.8. Registers window21.5.5.9. Memory windows
21.6. Assert Yourself
21.6.1. Side effects21.6.1.1. Trace versus Debug21.6.1.2. Trace and Debug methods21.6.2. Listeners
22. Configuration and Deployment
22.1. Class Hierarchy
22.2. Configuration
22.2.1. Hierarchical Configuration22.2.2. Configuration File Format22.2.3. Configuration Section Handler Declarations22.2.4. Configuration Sections22.2.4.1. appSettings22.2.4.2. system.diagnostics22.2.4.3. system.net22.2.4.4. system.web22.2.4.5. system.windows.forms22.2.4.6. system.runtime.remoting22.2.5. Custom Configuration22.2.5.1. Name/Value pairs22.2.5.2. Objects22.2.6. .NET Framework Configuration Tool (mscorcfg.msc)
22.3. Assemblies
22.3.1. Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL)22.3.1.1. ILDASM22.3.2. Modules22.3.3. Manifests22.3.4. Single- and Multimodule Assemblies22.3.4.1. Single-file assemblies22.3.4.2. Multimodule assemblies22.3.4.2.1. Preparing the source files22.3.4.2.2. Compiling the modules22.3.4.2.3. Linking the modules into an assembly22.3.5. Versioning22.3.6. Private Versus Shared Assemblies22.3.7. Strong Names22.3.7.1. Creating a strong name, step by step22.3.7.2. Delayed signing22.3.8. Global Assembly Cache (GAC)22.3.8.1. GacUtil.exe22.3.9. Resolving and Binding Assemblies
22.4. Build Configurations
22.5. Deployment
22.5.1. Private (XCOPY) Installations22.5.2. Windows Installer22.5.3. Using Visual Studio .NET22.5.3.1. Using the wizard to create a debug version22.5.3.2. Creating a release version22.5.3.3. Further customizations22.5.3.3.1. File System22.5.3.3.2. Registry22.5.3.3.3. File Types22.5.3.3.4. User Interface22.5.3.3.5. Custom Actions22.5.3.3.6. Launch Conditions22.5.4. Internet Deployment22.5.4.1. Auto deployment via Cabinet (CAB) files22.5.4.2. Auto deployment via URL22.5.4.3. Auto deployment via calling program22.5.5. .NET Runtime Redistributable
A. Characters and Keys
About the Authors
Colophon
Copyright

Content preview from Programming .NET Windows Applications

User Interface Design

The user interface (UI) is one of the keys to a successful application. An application will be a failure if people can't use it easily and effectively, just as surely as if the application were too buggy to run. A good UI is elegant and efficient, exposing the functional requirements to the users clearly and intuitively.

For a program running in the Windows world, the Windows UI provides a foundation of expectations and capability. For example, most people today expect their applications to be Windows applications, as opposed to console, or DOS-style, command-line applications. The .NET Framework and the underlying Windows API provide the capability to satisfy these expectations. The Windows environment also shapes the way Windows applications look and feel. Windows applications look and feel different from, for example, Macintosh applications. For that matter, the Windows 98 UI is significantly different from Windows XP. On the other hand, all these graphical user interfaces (GUIs) share common design elements, such as windows, scrollbars, buttons, text boxes, tree views, and hyperlinks.

In a Windows application, you will find several broad categories of UI design: single-document interface (SDI), multiple-document interface (MDI), Explorer-style interface, and dialog boxes. The first three categories will be covered in this chapter. Dialog boxes will be covered in the next chapter.

UI Principles

Good UI design is both an aesthetic and a technical endeavor. Although ...

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Programming .NET Windows Applications

by Jesse Liberty, Dan Hurwitz

User Interface Design

UI Principles

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