.net – Baseline snaplines in custom Winforms controls

design-timenetuser-controlswindows-forms-designerwinforms

I have a custom user control with a textbox on it and I'd like to expose the baseline (of the text in the textbox) snapline outside of the custom control. I know that you create a designer (inherited from ControlDesigner) and override SnapLines to get access to the snaplines, but I'm wondering how to get the text baseline of a control that I have exposed by my custom user control.

Best Answer

As an update to the Miral's answer.. here are a few of the "missing steps", for someone new that's looking how to do this. :) The C# code above is almost 'drop-in' ready, with the exception of changing a few of the values to reference the UserControl that will be modified.

Possible References Needed:
System.Design (@robyaw)

Usings needed:

using System.Windows.Forms.Design;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design.Behavior;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
using System.Collections;

On your UserControl you need the following Attribute:

[Designer(typeof(MyCustomDesigner))]

Then you need a "designer" class that will have the SnapLines override:

private class MyCustomerDesigner : ControlDesigner {
  public override IList SnapLines {
    get {
     /* Code from above */
    IList snapLines = base.SnapLines;

    // *** This will need to be modified to match your user control
    MyControl control = Control as MyControl;
    if (control == null) { return snapLines; }

    // *** This will need to be modified to match the item in your user control
    // This is the control in your UC that you want SnapLines for the entire UC
    IDesigner designer = TypeDescriptor.CreateDesigner(
        control.textBoxValue, typeof(IDesigner));
    if (designer == null) { return snapLines; }

    // *** This will need to be modified to match the item in your user control
    designer.Initialize(control.textBoxValue);

    using (designer)
    {
        ControlDesigner boxDesigner = designer as ControlDesigner;
        if (boxDesigner == null) { return snapLines; }

        foreach (SnapLine line in boxDesigner.SnapLines)
        {
            if (line.SnapLineType == SnapLineType.Baseline)
            {
                // *** This will need to be modified to match the item in your user control
                snapLines.Add(new SnapLine(SnapLineType.Baseline,
                    line.Offset + control.textBoxValue.Top,
                    line.Filter, line.Priority));
                break;
            }
        }
    }

    return snapLines;
}

    }
  }
}

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C# – Cross-thread operation not valid: Control accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on

As per Prerak K's update comment (since deleted):

I guess I have not presented the question properly.

Situation is this: I want to load data into a global variable based on the value of a control. I don't want to change the value of a control from the child thread. I'm not going to do it ever from a child thread.

So only accessing the value so that corresponding data can be fetched from the database.

The solution you want then should look like:

UserContrl1_LOadDataMethod()
{
    string name = "";
    if(textbox1.InvokeRequired)
    {
        textbox1.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate { name = textbox1.text; }));
    }
    if(name == "MyName")
    {
        // do whatever
    }
}

Do your serious processing in the separate thread before you attempt to switch back to the control's thread. For example:

UserContrl1_LOadDataMethod()
{
    if(textbox1.text=="MyName") //<<======Now it wont give exception**
    {
        //Load data correspondin to "MyName"
        //Populate a globale variable List<string> which will be
        //bound to grid at some later stage
        if(InvokeRequired)
        {
            // after we've done all the processing, 
            this.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate {
                // load the control with the appropriate data
            }));
            return;
        }
    }
}

C# – Embedding DLLs in a compiled executable

I highly recommend to use Costura.Fody - by far the best and easiest way to embed resources in your assembly. It's available as NuGet package.

Install-Package Costura.Fody

After adding it to the project, it will automatically embed all references that are copied to the output directory into your main assembly. You might want to clean the embedded files by adding a target to your project:

Install-CleanReferencesTarget

You'll also be able to specify whether to include the pdb's, exclude certain assemblies, or extracting the assemblies on the fly. As far as I know, also unmanaged assemblies are supported.

Update

Currently, some people are trying to add support for DNX.

Update 2

For the lastest Fody version, you will need to have MSBuild 16 (so Visual Studio 2019). Fody version 4.2.1 will do MSBuild 15. (reference: Fody is only supported on MSBuild 16 and above. Current version: 15)

Best Answer

Related Solutions

C# – Cross-thread operation not valid: Control accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on

C# – Embedding DLLs in a compiled executable

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