List of Windows Forms Controls in C Sharp
There are two major User Interface (UI) technologies for Windows apps, the pure code Windows Forms (WinForms), and the XML and code based Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). WinForms is the longer established UI programming model for .NET apps. WinForms is still very popular because of its maturity, ease of use, lower learning curve, established code base and simpler programming. A WinForms UI may not be as visually striking as an app with a WPF UI, however, many programmers find WinForms apps are quicker to build, easy to debug, and easier to maintain.
The following list of Windows Forms controls programmable in C# has over 60 entries. These WinForms controls are available in Visual Studio to build Windows PC apps. The controls are also usable from Visual Basic. Play with all the controls from the Toolbox in Visual Studio to learn about the rich UI and the UI functionality that a WinForms app can have. Here is a list of the .NET WinForms controls, many of the controls have user interface elements, other controls operate behind the scenes for the WinForm to provide functionality in support of the app's UI:
| Name | Summary |
|---|---|
| BackgroundWorker | Executes code on a separate thread (can raise events to update the UI) |
| BindingNavigator | Provides a user interface for navigation and manipulation of data bound to controls on a form |
| BindingSource | Encapsulates a data source for a form and provides navigation, filtering, sorting and updating |
| Button | A button that can raise an event |
| Chart | Adds a data chart |
| Checkbox | Set or clear an option |
| CheckedListBox | List of items with a check box to each item's left |
| ColorDialog | Display and select colors |
| ComboBox | Editable text box with a drop-down list of options |
| ContextMenuStrip | Add a context (normally right-click) menu to a control |
| DataGridView | Customisable display of data in rows and columns |
| DataSet | Store data in memory, a data cache |
| DateTimePicker | Display and select dates and times |
| DirectoryEntry | An Active Directory (AD) object |
| DirectorySearcher | Query Active Directory |
| DomainUpDown | Use up down arrows to select from list of items |
| ElementHost | Add a WPF control to a WinForm |
| ErrorProvider | Used to indicate errors with the input of a control |
| EventLog | Interact with Windows Event logs |
| FileSystemWatcher | Monitor directories and files for changes |
| FlowLayoutPanel | Automatically handle controls layout as a flow |
| FolderBrowserDialog | Folder selection UI |
| FontDialog | Allows a choice of font(s) from those installed on the machine |
| GroupBox | Frame and caption a set of other controls |
| HelpProvider | Provides access to pop-up or online help |
| HScrollBar | Scroll container content horizontally, not needed if autoscroll enabled |
| ImageList | Manages images used by other controls, such as ListView, TreeView and ToolStrip |
| Label | Display text |
| LinkLabel | A label that supports hyperlinking |
| ListBox | Provides a selectable list of items |
| ListView | Displays collections of items in five different types of views |
| MaskedTextBox | Limits text input to a specified format |
| MenuStrip | Provides menu functionality for a form |
| MessageQueue | Allows access to a Message Queue services |
| MonthCalendar | Calendar display and date selection |
| NotifyIcon | Allows an app to display a Windows notifcation icon |
| NumericUpDown | Increase and decrease a value with up and down arrows |
| OpenFileDialog | Provides a file selection dialog |
| PageSetupDialog | Provide a dialog for changing page settings for printing |
| Panel | Groups controls together |
| PerformanceCounter | Add a Windows performance counter to an app to monitor different system performance aspects |
| PictureBox | A control for displaying an image |
| PrintDialog | Display a printer dialog and print options |
| PrintDocument | An object for controlling document printing |
| PrintPreviewControl | A control to display a document print preview image |
| PrintPreviewDialog | A dialog to display a print preview, includes a PrintPreviewControl |
| Process | Local and remote process control |
| ProgressBar | A bar gauge used to indicate progress through a task |
| PropertyGrid | A grid to display object properties |
| RadioButton | Select a single option from several options, use a RadioButton for each option |
| RichTextBox | A text editing control in the Rich Text Format |
| SaveFileDialog | A dialog for selecting a save file location |
| SerialPort | Provides control over a system serial port |
| ServiceController | Query and control Windows services |
| SplitContainer | A split container with resizable areas that can be changed in size by dragging a splitter bar |
| Splitter | A bar to divide a container into two areas that can be resized |
| StatusStrip | Add a status panel supporting different types of information that be a updated as controls and program state changes |
| TabControl | Add a tabbed layout |
| TableLayoutPanel | Automatically layout controls in table format |
| TextBox | A control to enter text input, supports single or multiline input |
| Timer | Raise an event at regular intervals |
| ToolStrip | Provides a strip for toolbars and other option controls |
| ToolStripContainer | Provides support for tool strips, menus and status strips on the edges of WinForms |
| ToolTip | Provides a helpful prompt when a user moves a mouse pointer over a control |
| TrackBar | Select a range of values by dragging along a bar |
| TreeView | Displays a multilevel list with list items that can have an image associated with them |
| VScrollBar | Scroll container content vertically, not needed if autoscroll enabled |
| WebBrowser | Provides a web browser control |
See Also
- C# BackgroundWorker with Progress Bar
- For a full list of the articles on Tek Eye see the website's index.
Author:Daniel S. Fowler Published:
