Introduction to Windows Forms

Introduction to Windows Forms

Windows forms is a new form package that allows developers to create windows-based applications.ProgramTo take full advantage of the rich user interface features in Microsoft Windows. Windows Forms is part of the new Microsoft. NET Framework. It uses many new technologies, including a public application framework, a controlled execution environment, integrated security, and object-oriented design principles. In addition, Windows Forms fully supports fast and easy connection to XML network services and the creation of rich data-aware applications based on the ADO. NET data model. Using the new shared development environment in Visual Studio, developers can use any language that supports the. NET platform, including Microsoft Visual Basic and C #, to create Windows Forms applications.

Create a Windows Forms Application

Developers can create Windows Forms applications as they create visual basic-based forms today (despite using Windows Forms, they can create windows forms in all languages in Visual Studio, instead of just getting the same productivity in Visual Basic ). In the image below, you can see that the design surface is used to visually arrange the layout of the form with various controls. To editSource code, Developers only need to double-click a control, and then the sourceCodeThis allows you to quickly access all the event models of controls and forms.

Figure 1. Create a Windows form

Visual inheritance)

Visualization set inheritance is an important new feature in Windows Forms. It increases developers' productivity and promotes code reuse. For example, an organization can define a standard basic form that contains projects such as a company logo and a public toolbar. This form can be inherited and extended by developers to meet the needs of specific applications, while using a public user interface within the Organization. The creator of the basic form can specify which elements can be extended and which elements must be used as they are, so that the form can be properly reused.

Precise Form Design

When developers design the appearance and feeling of a Windows Forms Application, they will have unprecedented levels of control and productivity. The Menu Designer, control anchoring, control docking, and other features allow developers to create windows-based user interfaces more accurately.

With the Menu Designer, developers can quickly and easily add menus to the form, modify menus, and view the menu appearance without allowing applications. By using controls, controls on the form are more effective, so that the form can be automatically adjusted when the user adjusts the size of the form. With the control docking feature, controls can be docked on any side of the form, providing greater flexibility in layout.

Figure 2. Control anchoring)

You can use existing ActiveX controls and run them on any form to protect your investment in existing technologies.

New Controls-including link label, tray icon, and print preview-provide additional general functions for developers. Link label provides HTML-like links to specific URLs. The text displayed with this control is underlined, and when you move the mouse over it, the cursor turns into a hand. When you click it, an action event is triggered. The tray icon allows developers to create applications running on Windows pallets, similar to Microsoft SQL Server Service Manager ). Windows Forms also provides a printing framework that makes definition very simple. It includes a print preview window with the print preview control.

Developers can use Windows Forms to create applications that support the widest range of user groups. The Windows Forms control implements the Microsoft Active accessibility programming interface, which allows you to directly create applications that support auxiliary functions such as screen reader.

Powerful graphic functions

The Windows Forms Application uses GDI + to provide more graphic controls, including support for more graphic formats. Developers can easily use high-end graphics features, such as alpha mixing supported by Windows 2000, manipulating gradients consistency, and onpaint event dual buffering, and transparent hierarchical window. With these features, developers can create a richer and more complex graphic application with the performance required by customers.

Lower total cost of ownership

Windows Forms not only provides an important way to create a variety of Windows-based applications. Developers will also benefit from easy deployment capabilities and integrated application security models. Windows Forms utilizes versioning and deployment features on the Microsoft. NET platform to provide lower deployment costs and higher Application robustness. This greatly reduces the maintenance cost (total cost of ownership) of applications written in Windows Forms ).

To use a Windows Forms Application, you do not need to deploy the application on the end user's desktop. You can call this application by entering a URL in your browser. The application will be downloaded to the client machine, run in a secure execution environment, and then deleted after completion.

For organizations that want to physically deploy applications on the desktop, there is no need to go through the resource-consuming installation process. Simply copy the application to the desktop and then it will work. Windows Forms provides the required flexibility to enable applications to be used by end users in a way that suits your business.

Conclusion

Windows Forms provides developers with a variety of technologies required to create windows-based applications. Not only are new controls and features used to adjust the user interface, Windows Forms also provides flexible deployment and integrated security. For developers who create windows-based applications, using Windows Forms will be more productive than ever before.

Extracted from: http://www.microsoft.com/china/msdn/archives/others/vstudio/winforms.asp