C#: Changing Button BackColor has no effect - c#

I'm having a problem with C# buttons in Windows Forms.
I've create a number of buttons programmatically and add them to a form afterwards.
Interestingly, every modification to those buttons (location and size) except for the modification of the BackColor is readily executed. Only the button's color remains unchanged.
The code looks something like this:
public class SimpleSortAlgDisplayer : ISortAlgDisplayer
{
#region ISortAlgDisplayer Member
void ISortAlgDisplayer.Init(int[] Data)
{
this.DataLength = Data.Length;
this.DispWin = new CurrentSortStateWin();
this.DispWin.Show();
this.DispWin.Size = new Size(60 + (10 * this.DataLength), 120);
this.myArrayElements = new Button[this.DataLength];
for (int i = 0; i < this.DataLength; i++)
{
this.myArrayElements[i] = new Button();
//begin of series of invoked actions
this.myArrayElements[i].Size=new Size(5,(int)(((80)*(double)Data[i])/1000));
this.myArrayElements[i].Location = new Point(30 + (i * 10), 90-(this.myArrayElements[i].Size.Height));
this.myArrayElements[i].Enabled = true;
this.myArrayElements[i].BackColor = Color.MidnightBlue;
this.myArrayElements[i].UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;
this.DispWin.Controls.Add(this.myArrayElements[i]);
this.myArrayElements[i].Refresh();
}
}
Ideas anyone?
A similar question was asked here but the answers to it were not very helpful:
Trying to use Invoke gives me the run-time error that DispWin is not yet created.
Setting UseVisualStyleBackColor to false changes nothing.
Setting BackColor and ForeColor or Showing DispWin only after adding and formatting the Buttons also had no effect.
Where am I going wrong?

You are trying to set up the color, but then you override it saying UseVisualStyleBackColor = true
if you want to use your custom color, you need to set UseVisualStyleBackColor to false or the color will only be applied to the button upon mouse over.
a simple test uploaded to GitHub
public partial class mainForm : Form
{
Random randonGen = new Random();
public mainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void mainForm_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
populate();
}
private void populate()
{
Control[] buttonsLeft = createButtons().ToArray();
Control[] buttonsRight = createButtons().ToArray();
pRight.Controls.AddRange(buttonsRight);
pLeft.Controls.AddRange(buttonsLeft);
}
private List<Button> createButtons()
{
List<Button> buttons = new List<Button>();
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++)
{
buttons.Add(
new Button()
{
Size = new Size(200, 35),
Enabled = true,
BackColor = GetColor(),
ForeColor = GetColor(),
UseVisualStyleBackColor = false,
Left = 20,
Top = (i * 40),
Text = String.Concat("Button ", i)
});
}
return buttons;
}
private Color GetColor()
{
return Color.FromArgb(randonGen.Next(255), randonGen.Next(255), randonGen.Next(255));
}
}
result

If FlatStyle for button is set to System, it will not show any backcolor rather use backcolor from template of system colors.

Make sure you do not have a BackgroundImage set. This overrides the BackColor.

In the properties window for Button. Look for 'FlatStyle' property and change it from 'System' to 'Flat', 'Standard' or 'Popup' and you will be able to see the button color change. I just fixed my issue with this.

Related

AutoScroll problem when using Left Dock - C# Telerik Winforms

Here is my code:
RadScrollablePanel panel = new RadScrollablePanel() { AutoScroll = true, Dock = DockStyle.Fill};
pnlclp.PanelContainer.Controls.Add(panel);
foreach (var date in dates)
panel.Controls.Add(new ucDetails() { Dock = DockStyle.Left });
I'm adding some controls inside a RadScrollablePanel and then adding it into a PanelContainer.
Everything works great. If I add so many controls inside the RadScrollablePanel which is not visible in first look, the scroll bar will be shown as well.
But If I change the DockStyle.Left to DockStyle.Right in foreach loop, after loading the controls, it will not show the scroll bar and it is strange and I can not find any reason or solution to solve this issue.
I even try to change the RightToLeft property of RadScrollablePanel. but no success :(
Any suggestion?
Following the provided information, I have prepared a sample project to test the behaior in RadScrollablePanel.
I have logged it in our feedback portal by creating a public thread. You can track its progress, subscribe for status changes and add your comments on the following link: https://feedback.telerik.com/winforms/1453253-radscrollablepanel-missing-scrollbar-when-there-is-no-enough-space-to-display-the-content-controls
I hope this information helps.
To work around this problem of the standard Microsoft WinForms Panel, I can suggest docking all the UserControls to the Left and use an empty Panel that occupies all the available space on the left of the form, so exactly the same behavior as all UserControls are docked to the Right. When the size of the form is changed adjust the width of the empty panel. The described approach is illustrated with the code below:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
UserControl1[] userControls;
RadScrollablePanel parentPanel;
Panel spacePanel;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
new Telerik.WinControls.RadControlSpy.RadControlSpyForm().Show();
}
protected override void OnLoad(EventArgs e)
{
base.OnLoad(e);
this.parentPanel = new RadScrollablePanel();
this.parentPanel.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
this.parentPanel.BackColor = Color.Yellow;
this.Controls.Add(this.parentPanel);
this.parentPanel.AutoScroll = true;
int count = 10;
this.userControls = new UserControl1[count];
for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
{
this.userControls[i] =
new UserControl1()
{
Dock = DockStyle.Left,
BackColor = Color.FromKnownColor((KnownColor)(i + 50))
};
this.parentPanel.Controls.Add(this.userControls[i]);
}
this.spacePanel = new Panel();
this.spacePanel.Dock = DockStyle.Left;
this.parentPanel.Controls.Add(this.spacePanel);
}
protected override void OnSizeChanged(EventArgs e)
{
base.OnSizeChanged(e);
if (this.spacePanel != null)
{
int lastPanelWidth = this.parentPanel.Width;
foreach (Control control in this.parentPanel.PanelContainer.Controls)
{
if (control.Dock == DockStyle.Left && control != this.spacePanel)
{
lastPanelWidth -= control.Width;
}
}
if (lastPanelWidth < 0)
{
lastPanelWidth = 0;
}
this.spacePanel.Width = lastPanelWidth;
}
}
}

How do you make AutoSize happen immediately?

The problem
I'm dynamically adding Buttons to the WinForm. As I do so, I'm repositioning existing Buttons to prevent overlap. The AutoSize property is being used to automatically set Width.
For longer text (that pushes Buttons beyond their default Width), the below code doesn't work.
For example:
b.Width is 75 before AutoSize is set
b.Width is 75 after AutoSize is set
When shifting other Buttons, it shifts them by b.Width + buffer = 83
However after addButton()completes, the AutoSize kicks in and sets the width to 150, overlapping the next Button which is only 83 pixels away instead of 158.
AutoSize appears to change the size of the control too late for it to be of use. How can I make it happen immediately?
Attempt 1 - Code
public void addButton(string text)
{
const int buffer = 8;
//Construct new button
Button b = new Button();
b.Text = text;
b.AutoSize = true;
b.Location = new Point(0, 0);
//Shift over all other buttons to prevent overlap
//b.Width is incorrect below, because b.AutoSize hasn't taken effect
for (int i = 0; i < Controls.Count; i++)
if (Controls[i] is Button)
Controls[i].Location = new Point(Controls[i].Location.X + b.Width + buffer, Controls[i].Location.Y);
Controls.add(b);
}
Attempt 2
Searched Google and StackOverflow for the following:
c# autosize immediately
c# autosize fast
c# autosize not working
Attempt 3
Asking here.
Last Resort
If nothing else works, a timer could be set to reposition Buttons on each tick. However this is very sloppy design, and doesn't aid in learning the intricacies of AutoSize. I'd like to avoid this workaround if possible.
The AutoSize and AutoSizeMode mode are applied only when the control is parented to the another control or form.
So invoke first
Controls.Add(b);
Now the b.Size will the adjusted accordingly and can be used in the calculations.
Alternatively, instead of Size property you can use the GetPreferredSize method to get the correct size without actually applying AutoSize and use it inside the calculations:
var bSize = b.GetPreferredSize(Size.Empty);
//Shift over all other buttons to prevent overlap
//b.Width is incorrect below, because b.AutoSize hasn't taken effect
for (int i = 0; i < Controls.Count; i++)
if (Controls[i] is Button)
Controls[i].Location = new Point(Controls[i].Location.X + bSize.Width + buffer, Controls[i].Location.Y);
The FlowLayoutPanel control does this work for you.
Place one on your form and try adding buttons in the following manner:
Button b = new Button();
b.AutoSize = true;
b.Text = text;
flowLayoutPanel1.SuspendLayout();
flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.Add(b);
flowLayoutPanel1.Controls.SetChildIndex(b, 0);
flowLayoutPanel1.ResumeLayout();
You can subscribe to the Resize event of the last button added. This will allow you to accurately change the locations of all of the buttons because now all of the buttons have been AutoSized.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
var button1 = NewButton(0);
button1.Location = new Point(10, 10);
var button2 = NewButton(1);
button2.Location = new Point(button1.Right, 10);
var button3 = NewButton(2);
button3.Location = new Point(button2.Right, 10);
button3.Resize += (s, e) =>
{
button2.Location = new Point(button1.Right, 10);
button3.Location = new Point(button2.Right, 10);
};
Controls.Add(button1);
Controls.Add(button2);
Controls.Add(button3);
}
private Button NewButton(int index)
{
return new Button()
{
Text = "ButtonButtonButton" + index.ToString(),
AutoSize = true
};
}
}

Can't raise click event of a UserControl in C#

I have a dynamically added UserControl:
var listItem = new ListItem(/* arguments */);
listItem.Click += SetListItemColor;
panel.Controls.Add(listItem); // "panel" is FlowLayoutPanel
SetListItemColor:
private void SetListItemColor(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
var listItem = (ListItem)sender;
if (listItem.BackColor == Color.LightGray)
{
listItem.BackColor = Color.White;
}
else
{
listItem.BackColor = Color.LightGray;
}
}
No change to the color happens when I click on the UserControl. However, for test purpose, I tried to change the event to EnabledChangedand change the Enabled property, the color does change:
var listItem = new ListItem(/* arguments */);
listItem.Enabled = false;
listItem.EnabledChanged += SetListItemColor;
listItem.Enabled = true;
panel.Controls.Add(listItem);
What's the problem?
EDIT:
Since docking doesn't work in a FlowLayoutPanel, suggest setting the size of your control to the size of the panel. Set the ListItem margins to empty as below to get maximum fill. For debugging set the backcolor different to make sure you can see it:
var listItem = new ListItem(/* arguments */);
listItem.BackColor = Color.Yellow; // Debugging only
listItem.Margin = Padding.Empty;
listItem.Size = panel.Size;
listItem.Click += SetListItemColor;
Note that if the control is resized you will need to resize your ListItem again.

Draw only outer border for TableLayoutPanel Cells

I am using the TableLayoutPanel for example if I have 3 rows and 5 columns. I want to draw only the outer border for the entire panel. By default the the panel provides CellBorderStyle which adds all side borders to all the cells available. Is there any way where we can set only outside borders?
I have provided a sample code below.
TableLayoutPanel tblPanel = new TableLayoutPanel;
tblPanel.CellBorderStyle = TableLayoutPanelCellBorderStyle.Single;
Label lblName;
TextBox txtName;
Button btnAdd;
int colCnt = 0;
for(int rw =0; rw < 3; rw++)
{
lblName = new Label();
lblName.Name = "mylabel" + rw.ToString();
tblPanel.Controls.Add(lblName, colCnt, rw);
colCnt++;
txtName = new TextBox();
txtName.Name = "mytext" + rw.ToString();
tblPanel.Controls.Add(txtName, colCnt, rw);
colCnt++;
btnAdd = new Button();
btnAdd.Name = "mybutton" + rw.ToString();
tblPanel.Controls.Add(btnAdd, colCnt, rw);
colCnt = 0;
}
TableLayoutPanel does in fact support the BorderStyle property, which is what you want. For example:
tableLayoutPanel.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.tablelayoutpanel.borderstyle(v=vs.110).aspx
It is decorated with:
[Browsable(false)]
[EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
So Intellisense won't show it to you, but it is documented and it works. I have no insight into why it is non-browsable.
You'd be better off painting the cell border yourself. Something along the following lines, then customize:
public TableForm() {
InitializeComponent();
this.tableLayoutPanel.CellPaint += tableLayoutPanel_CellPaint;
}
private void tableLayoutPanel_CellPaint(object sender, TableLayoutCellPaintEventArgs e) {
var topLeft = e.CellBounds.Location;
var topRight = new Point(e.CellBounds.Right, e.CellBounds.Top);
e.Graphics.DrawLine(Pens.Black, topLeft, topRight);
}
At design-time:
At runtime:
You can achieve by changing the property CellBorderStyle to Single or desired selection.
Property Change :
Sample :
TableLayOutPanel itself does not support a property for border except CellBorderStyle which is not what you want.
I suggest you to put your TableLayOutPanel into a Panel control and set Dock property of your TableLayOutPanel to Fill.
Then Set BorderStyle of Panel to what you want (FixedSingle or Fixed3D)
public TestForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
tableLayoutPanel.Paint += tableLayoutPanel_Paint;
}
private void tableLayoutPanel_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e){
e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(new Pen(Color.Blue), e.ClipRectangle);
}

Visual Studio-style undo drop-down button - custom ToolStripSplitButton

I'm looking to implement a Visual Studio-style undo drop-down button:
I've looked all over the internet, and can't seem to find any real implementations of this.
I've started by deriving from ToolStripSplitButton, but don't really know where to go from there. Its DropDown property is a ToolStripDropDown, but that doesn't seem to have anything regarding multiple items being selected, much less scrolling, and the text at the bottom.
So instead of the default ToolStripDropDown, I'm thinking maybe the whole drop down part should be a custom control, based on a combobox. The question then, is how to cause the right-side (drop down arrow) button to do something other than show its default drop down?
Am I on the right track here? Thanks!
Yes, I think you're on the right track. And in this case, ToolStripControlHost is your friend.
You don't necessarily need to derive from it (unless you are making your own control), but try just subscribing to the ToolStripSplitButton's DropDownOpening event:
Working example:
private ListBox listBox1;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
listBox1 = new ListBox();
listBox1.IntegralHeight = false;
listBox1.MinimumSize = new Size(120, 120); \\ <- important
listBox1.Items.Add("Item 1");
listBox1.Items.Add("Item 2");
}
private void toolStripSplitButton1_DropDownOpening(object sender, EventArgs e) {
ToolStripControlHost toolHost = new ToolStripControlHost(listBox1);
toolHost.Size = new Size(120, 120);
toolHost.Margin = new Padding(0);
ToolStripDropDown toolDrop = new ToolStripDropDown();
toolDrop.Padding = new Padding(0);
toolDrop.Items.Add(toolHost);
toolDrop.Show(this, new Point(toolStripSplitButton1.Bounds.Left,
toolStripSplitButton1.Bounds.Bottom));
}
Here is the result:
For your application, you would need to replace the ListBox with your own UserControl, so you can contain whatever your want in it. The ToolStripControlHost can only hold one control, and it's important to set the MinimumSize property, or else the dropped control isn't sized correctly.
Extra thanks to LarsTech! (I didn't know about ToolStripControlHost a few hours ago)
Here is my implementation, which is really close to the VS drop down...
You should be able to just drop this delegate & function into your Form:
public delegate void UndoRedoCallback(int count);
private void DrawDropDown(ToolStripSplitButton button, string action, IEnumerable<string> commands, UndoRedoCallback callback)
{
int width = 277;
int listHeight = 181;
int textHeight = 29;
Panel panel = new Panel()
{
Size = new Size(width, textHeight + listHeight),
Padding = new Padding(0),
Margin = new Padding(0),
BorderStyle = BorderStyle.FixedSingle,
};
Label label = new Label()
{
Size = new Size(width, textHeight),
Location = new Point(1, listHeight - 2),
TextAlign = ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter,
Text = String.Format("{0} 1 Action", action),
Padding = new Padding(0),
Margin = new Padding(0),
};
ListBox list = new ListBox()
{
Size = new Size(width, listHeight),
Location = new Point(1,1),
SelectionMode = SelectionMode.MultiSimple,
ScrollAlwaysVisible = true,
Padding = new Padding(0),
Margin = new Padding(0),
BorderStyle = BorderStyle.None,
Font = new Font(panel.Font.FontFamily, 9),
};
foreach (var item in commands) { list.Items.Add(item); }
if (list.Items.Count == 0) return;
list.SelectedIndex = 0;
ToolStripControlHost toolHost = new ToolStripControlHost(panel)
{
Size = panel.Size,
Margin = new Padding(0),
};
ToolStripDropDown toolDrop = new ToolStripDropDown()
{
Padding = new Padding(0),
};
toolDrop.Items.Add(toolHost);
panel.Controls.Add(list);
panel.Controls.Add(label);
toolDrop.Show(this, new Point(button.Bounds.Left + button.Owner.Left, button.Bounds.Bottom + button.Owner.Top));
// *Note: These will be "up values" that will exist beyond the scope of this function
int index = 1;
int lastIndex = 1;
list.Click += (sender, e) => { toolDrop.Close(); callback(index); };
list.MouseMove += (sender, e) =>
{
index = Math.Max(1, list.IndexFromPoint(e.Location) + 1);
if (lastIndex != index)
{
int topIndex = Math.Max(0, Math.Min(list.TopIndex + e.Delta, list.Items.Count - 1));
list.BeginUpdate();
list.ClearSelected();
for (int i = 0; i < index; ++i) { list.SelectedIndex = i; }
label.Text = String.Format("{0} {1} Action{2}", action, index, index == 1 ? "" : "s");
lastIndex = index;
list.EndUpdate();
list.TopIndex = topIndex;
}
};
list.Focus();
}
You can set it up and test like this, assuming you have a blank form (Form1) with a toolStrip that has 1 ToolStripSplitButton (toolStripSplitButton1) added:
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Call DrawDropDown with:
// The clicked ToolStripSplitButton
// "Undo" as the action
// TestDropDown for the enumerable string source for the list box
// UndoCommands for the click callback
toolStripSplitButton1.DropDownOpening += (sender, e) => { DrawDropDown(
toolStripSplitButton1,
"Undo",
TestDropDown,
UndoCommands
); };
}
private IEnumerable<string> TestDropDown
{
// Provides a list of strings for testing the drop down
get { for (int i = 1; i < 1000; ++i) { yield return "test " + i; } }
}
private void UndoCommands(int count)
{
// Do something with the count when an action is clicked
Console.WriteLine("Undo: {0}", count);
}
Here is a better example using the Undo/Redo system from: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/AutomatingUndoRedo.aspx
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Call DrawDropDown with:
// The Undo ToolStripSplitButton button on the Standard tool strip
// "Undo" as the action name
// The list of UndoCommands from the UndoRedoManager
// The Undo method of the UndoRedoManager
m_TSSB_Standard_Undo.DropDownOpening += (sender, e) => { DrawDropDown(
m_TSSB_Standard_Undo,
"Undo",
UndoRedoManager.UndoCommands,
UndoRedoManager.Undo
); };
}
*Note: I did modify the Undo & Redo methods in the UndoRedoManager to accept a count:
// Based on code by Siarhei Arkhipenka (Sergey Arhipenko) (http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/AutomatingUndoRedo.aspx)
public static void Undo(int count)
{
AssertNoCommand();
if (CanUndo == false) return;
for (int i = 0; (i < count) && CanUndo; ++i)
{
Command command = history[currentPosition--];
foreach (IUndoRedo member in command.Keys)
{
member.OnUndo(command[member]);
}
}
OnCommandDone(CommandDoneType.Undo);
}
I'd suggest implementing the popup separately from the toolbar button. Popups are separate windows with a topmost-flag which auto-close when losing focus or pressing escape. If you code your own popup window that frees you from having to fit your behaviour to a preexisting model (which is going to be hard in your case). Just make a new topmost window with a listbox and status bar, then you are free to implement the selection behavior on the listbox like you need it.
Vs 2010 is a WPF application. If you are in the beginning of this application development than use WPF as a core technology. WPF drop down button is implemented in WPF ribbon. Source code is available on CodePlex.

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