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1. UNIT III
Graphical user interface with Windows
forms

2. Graphical user interface with Windows forms:
 Creating a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with Windows Forms is a
common way to build desktop applications for Windows using .NET
Framework (typically with C# or VB.NET). Below is a simple
introduction to building a GUI using Windows Forms in C#.
What is Windows Forms?
 Windows Forms (WinForms) is a UI framework for building Windows
desktop applications. It provides a visual designer in Visual Studio,
allowing you to drag and drop UI elements like buttons, labels, and
textboxes.

3. Basic Windows Forms Application in C#
Step 1: Create a New Project
 Open Visual Studio
 Click on Create a new project
 Search for Windows Forms App (.NET Framework) or Windows Forms App (.NET
Core/.NET 5/6/7)
 Choose C# and click Next
 Name your project and click Create
Step 2: Design the GUI
 Use the Toolbox on the left and drag-and-drop controls (like buttons, labels,
textboxes) onto the form.
 Example layout:
 Label: "Enter your name"
 TextBox
 Button: "Greet"
 Label: (to display greeting)

4. What is Visual Studio .NET?
 Visual Studio .NET is an integrated development environment (IDE) developed by Microsoft, used
for building, debugging, and deploying applications. It supports multiple programming languages like:
 C#
 VB.NET
 C++
 F#
 JavaScript, Python (via extensions)
Originally released with the .NET Framework, Visual Studio .NET supports building applications for:
 Windows Desktop (WinForms, WPF)
 Web (ASP.NET)
 Cloud (Azure)
 Mobile (via Xamarin/.NET MAUI)
 Games (Unity)
 Databases (SQL Server)

5. Component Description
Solution Explorer
Displays all projects, files, and folders
in the current solution
Code Editor Where you write and edit source code
Toolbox
Contains UI controls (for
WinForms/WPF/Web Forms); drag and
drop onto design surface
Properties Window
Shows properties of selected UI
elements or files
Designer Window
Visual editor for designing UI
(WinForms, WPF, Web Forms)
Error List
Displays compilation errors, warnings,
and messages
Output Window Shows build and debug messages
Major Components of Visual Studio

6.  Server Explorer
Allows connection to databases, servers, and cloud services
 Solution & Project
The organizational structure: a solution contains one or more projects
 IntelliSense
Auto-completion and code suggestions feature
 Debugger
Tools to run your application with breakpoints, watches, and step-
throughs
 NuGet Package Manager
Manages external libraries and dependencies
 Team Explorer / Git
Integrated tools for source control and collaboration (Git, GitHub, Azure
DevOps)

7. Introduction to Windows forms
 Windows Forms is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) framework provided by
Microsoft for building Windows desktop applications using the .NET
Framework or .NET Core/.NET 5/6/7/8.
 It allows developers to design and build rich desktop applications by using
drag-and-drop controls, event-driven programming, and C# or VB.NET
code.
Feature Description
Drag-and-Drop Designer
Build UI using a visual interface in
Visual Studio
Rich Control Set
Built-in controls like Button,
Label, TextBox, DataGridView,
etc.
Event-Driven
React to user actions like clicks,
keypresses, etc.
Custom Controls
You can create your own controls or
use third-party controls
Data Binding
Easily bind controls to data sources
like databases
Rapid Development
Quick and easy to build small to
medium-scale desktop applications
Key Features of Windows Forms

8. What is Event Handling?
Event Handling in Windows Forms is
how your application reacts to user
actions, such as:
Clicking a button
Typing in a textbox
Closing a form
Selecting from a dropdown

9. Basic Event Handling Example
 private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
 {
 MessageBox.Show("Button was clicked!");
 }
button1_Click is the event handler
 button1 is the control
 .Click is the event
 sender is the object that raised the event
 EventArgs e contains information about the event

10. Manually in Code:
 button1.Click += new EventHandler(button1_Click);
Control Event Description
Button Click When the button is
clicked
TextBox TextChanged When text changes
Form Load When the form loads
CheckBox CheckedChanged When check state
changes
ComboBox
SelectedIndexCha
nged
When selection
changes
Timer Tick Executes code at set
intervals

11. Example: Simple Event-Driven GUI in C# (Windows Forms)
Functionality:
 A TextBox for entering a name
 A Button to trigger the event
 A Label to display the greeting
What Makes It Event-Driven?
 User Action: Clicking the greetButton
 Event: Click
 Event Handler: GreetButton_Click
 Reaction: Updates the greetingLabel with a greeting message

12. Control Properties
Controls are elements like buttons, textboxes, labels, etc., and they have
properties that define how they look and behave.

14. Layout in Windows Forms
 Layout refers to how controls are arranged on the form and
how they behave when the window is resized.
1. Manual Layout (Default)
 Controls are placed using Location and Size.
 button1.Location = new Point(50, 50);
 button1.Size = new Size(120, 40);
2. Anchor Property
Keeps the control fixed to the edges of the form when it's resized.
button1.Anchor = AnchorStyles.Top AnchorStyles.Right;

15. 3. Dock Property
 Stretches the control to a specific side (Top, Bottom,
Left, Right, or Fill).
 textBox1.Dock = DockStyle.Top;
Container Purpose
Panel Groups controls together
GroupBox Labeled container for
grouping
FlowLayoutPanel Flows controls horizontally or
vertically
TableLayoutPanel Grid-like layout (rows and
columns)
4. Using Layout Containers
Layout containers automatically manage control placement.

16. Anchoring & Docking in Windows Forms
 In Windows Forms, Anchoring and Docking are properties used to
control how controls resize or reposition when the form is resized.
They help make your GUI responsive without hardcoding sizes and
positions.
What is Anchoring?
 Anchoring ties one or more edges of a control to the corresponding
edges of its container (like the form or a panel). When the container
resizes, the control maintains its distance from the anchored edges.
Syntax:
control.Anchor = AnchorStyles.Top | AnchorStyles.Right;

17. Common AnchorStyles:
 Top
 Bottom
 Left
 Right
 (Or a combination using |)
DOCKING
What is Docking?
Docking attaches a control to one side of its container (or fills the
container). The control expands to fill that area.
Syntax (C#):
control.Dock = DockStyle.Top;

18. DockStyle Options:
 Top – sticks to the top edge and expands
horizontally
 Bottom – sticks to the bottom edge
 Left – sticks to the left edge
 Right – sticks to the right edge
 Fill – fills the entire container

19. Feature Anchoring Docking
Purpose
Keeps control at fixed
distance from form edges
Attaches control to a form
edge and resizes it
Resizing
Resizes only in anchored
direction(s)
Resizes fully based on
dock style
Control over Size You manually set size Size is set automatically
Anchoring vs Docking

20. windows form controls:
1. Label
 Purpose: Display static text (read-only).
 Common Use: Descriptive text next to controls like
TextBoxes or CheckBoxes.
 Properties:
Text – sets the displayed text.
AutoSize – makes the label adjust its size to the text.
Label lblName = new Label();
lblName.Text = "Enter Name:";
lblName.Location = new Point(10, 10);

21. 2. Textbox
 Purpose: Accept user input (text).
 Common Use: Input fields for name, email, etc.
 Types:
Single-line (default)
Multi-line (Multiline = true)
Password field (UseSystemPasswordChar = true)
TextBox txtName = new TextBox();
txtName.Location = new Point(100, 10);

22. 3. Button
 Purpose: Perform an action when clicked.
 Use case: Submit form, cancel, reset.
 Example:
 Button btnSubmit = new Button();
 btnSubmit.Text = "Submit";
 btnSubmit.Click += new
EventHandler(btnSubmit_Click);

23. 4. Group Box
 Purpose: Group related controls with a titled
border.
 Use case: Group options, form sections like
"Personal Info", "Settings".
Example:
 GroupBox grpPersonal = new GroupBox();
 grpPersonal.Text = "Personal Information";

24. 5.Panel
Use:
A container control used to group other controls.
Helps in organizing the layout of the form.
Common Properties:
BackColor
BorderStyle
AutoScroll

25. Example:
Panel panel1 = new Panel();
panel1.Size = new Size(200, 100);
panel1.BackColor = Color.LightGray;
//Add a button inside the panel
Button btn = new Button();
btn.Text = "Click Me";
panel1.Controls.Add(btn);
this.Controls.Add(panel1)

26. 6. CheckBox
Use:
 Allows users to select multiple options independently.
 Represents a true/false or yes/no state.
Common Properties:
 Checked (bool)
 Text
Example:
 CheckBox chk1 = new CheckBox();
 chk1.Text = "Subscribe";
 chk1.Checked = true;
 this.Controls.Add(chk1);

27. 7. RadioButton
Use:
 Allows users to select only one option from a
group.
 Must be placed inside the same container (e.g.,
GroupBox or Panel) to behave as a group.
Common Properties:
 Checked
 Text

28. Example:
 RadioButton rbtn1 = new RadioButton();
 rbtn1.Text = "Male";
 RadioButton rbtn2 = new RadioButton();
 rbtn2.Text = "Female";
 rbtn2.Location = new Point(0, 30);
 // Add to a GroupBox for grouping
 GroupBox groupBox = new GroupBox();
 groupBox.Text = "Gender";
 groupBox.Controls.Add(rbtn1);
 groupBox.Controls.Add(rbtn2);
 groupBox.Size = new Size(200, 100);
 this.Controls.Add(groupBox);

29. 8. PictureBox
Use:
 Displays images on a form
(e.g., .jpg, .png, .bmp).
 Supports image resizing and zooming.
Common Properties:
 Image
 SizeMode (Normal, StretchImage, Zoom, etc.)

30. Example:
PictureBox pictureBox = new PictureBox();
pictureBox.Image =
Image.FromFile("image.jpg");
pictureBox.SizeMode =
PictureBoxSizeMode.StretchImage;
pictureBox.Size = new Size(100, 100);
this.Controls.Add(pictureBox);

31. 9.ToolTip
Use:
 Displays a small pop-up text when the mouse hovers over a control.
 Helpful for providing hints or instructions.
Example:
 ToolTip tooltip = new ToolTip();
 Button btn = new Button();
 btn.Text = "Save";
 tooltip.SetToolTip(btn, "Click to save your data");
 this.Controls.Add(btn);

32. 10. NumericUpDown Control
Purpose:
 A special textbox with up/down arrows to select numeric values.
 Prevents invalid input (no letters, only numbers within a range).
Property Description
Minimum Lowest allowed value
Maximum Highest allowed value
Value Current value
Increment Step value when using arrows
DecimalPlaces For showing decimal values
ReadOnly Prevents typing (only arrows)
Key Properties:

33. Example:
 NumericUpDown numUpDown = new
NumericUpDown();
 numUpDown.Minimum = 0;
 numUpDown.Maximum = 100;
 numUpDown.Value = 10;
 numUpDown.Increment = 5;
 numUpDown.Location = new Point(10, 10);
 this.Controls.Add(numUpDown);

34. 11.Mouse and Keyboard Event Handling
Mouse Events
 Used to detect user interactions with the mouse (e.g., clicks, movement).
Common Mouse Events:
 MouseClick: Triggered when the mouse is clicked.
 MouseDown: Triggered when a mouse button is pressed.
 MouseUp: Triggered when a mouse button is released.
 MouseMove: Triggered when the mouse is moved over a control.
 MouseEnter / MouseLeave: When the mouse enters or leaves a control.
Example:
 private void myButton_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
 {
 MessageBox.Show("Mouse clicked at " + e.Location.ToString());
 }

35. 12.Keyboard Events
 Used to detect key presses and releases.
Common Keyboard Events:
 KeyDown: Triggered when a key is pressed.
 KeyUp: Triggered when a key is released.
 KeyPress: Triggered when a character key is pressed (includes input
character).
Example in C#:
 private void Form1_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
 {
 if (e.KeyCode == Keys.Enter)
 {
 MessageBox.Show("Enter key pressed");
 }
 }

36. 13.Creating Menus
 Menus are UI components that provide options to the user in a dropdown list format.
Menu Types:
 Main Menu / MenuStrip (used in Windows Forms)
 Context Menu / ContextMenuStrip (right-click menu)
Example MenuStrip in Windows Forms:
 MenuStrip menuStrip = new MenuStrip();
 ToolStripMenuItem fileMenu = new ToolStripMenuItem("File");
 fileMenu.DropDownItems.Add("Open");
 fileMenu.DropDownItems.Add("Save");
 fileMenu.DropDownItems.Add("Exit");
 menuStrip.Items.Add(fileMenu);
 this.Controls.Add(menuStrip);

37. 14. Month Calendar Control
 The MonthCalendar control displays a monthly calendar that allows the user to select
one or more dates.
Key Properties:
 SelectionStart: The start date of the selection.
 SelectionEnd: The end date of the selection.
 MaxSelectionCount: Maximum number of days that can be selected.
Example:
 MonthCalendar calendar = new MonthCalendar();
 calendar.MaxSelectionCount = 1;
 calendar.DateChanged += (s, e) =>
 {
 MessageBox.Show("Date selected: " +
calendar.SelectionStart.ToShortDateString());
 };
 this.Controls.Add(calendar);

38. 15.DateTime Picker Control
 The DateTimePicker allows users to select a date and time using a drop-down calendar and
a spinner control.
Key Properties:
 Value: The currently selected date/time.
 Format: Display format (Long, Short, Time, Custom)
 CustomFormat: Used when Format is set to Custom.
Example:
 DateTimePicker dateTimePicker = new DateTimePicker();
 dateTimePicker.Format = DateTimePickerFormat.Custom;
 dateTimePicker.CustomFormat = "dd-MM-yyyy hh:mm tt";
 dateTimePicker.ValueChanged += (s, e) =>
 {
 MessageBox.Show("New DateTime: " + dateTimePicker.Value.ToString());
 };
 this.Controls.Add(dateTimePicker);

39. 16. LinkLabel Control
Purpose:
Displays text as a hyperlink, which can open a URL or perform other actions.
Example:
 LinkLabel linkLabel = new LinkLabel();
 linkLabel.Text = "Visit Google";
 linkLabel.Location = new Point(20, 20);
 linkLabel.Links.Add(0, linkLabel.Text.Length, "http://www.google.com")
 linkLabel.LinkClicked += (sender, e) =>
 {
 System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(new
System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(e.Link.LinkData.ToString())
{ UseShellExecute = true });
 };
 this.Controls.Add(linkLabel);

40. 17.ListBox Control
Purpose:
Displays a list of items. You can select one or more.
Example:
 ListBox listBox = new ListBox();
 listBox.Location = new Point(20, 60);
 listBox.Items.Add("Apple");
 listBox.Items.Add("Banana");
 listBox.Items.Add("Orange");
 this.Controls.Add(listBox);

41. 18. CheckedListBox Control
 Like ListBox, but includes checkboxes for each
item.
Example:
 CheckedListBox clb = new CheckedListBox();
 clb.Items.Add("C#", true);
 clb.Items.Add("Java");
 clb.Items.Add("Python");
 this.Controls.Add(clb)

42. 19.ComboBox Control
Purpose:
A drop-down list from which the user can select one item or type a
new value.
Example:
 ComboBox comboBox = new ComboBox();
 comboBox.Location = new Point(20, 220);
 comboBox.Items.Add("Red");
 comboBox.Items.Add("Green");
 comboBox.Items.Add("Blue");
 comboBox.DropDownStyle = ComboBoxStyle.DropDownList; //
Optional: restrict typing
 this.Controls.Add(comboBox);

43. 20.MDI Forms (Multiple Document Interface)
 MDI allows you to open multiple child forms inside a parent container form.
MDI Parent Form:
 public partial class MDIParentForm : Form
 {
 public MDIParentForm()
 {
 InitializeComponent();
 this.IsMdiContainer = true;
 }
 }
 MDI Child Form:
 Form childForm = new Form();
 childForm.MdiParent = this; // 'this' is MDI parent form
 childForm.Text = "Child Form";
 childForm.Show();

44. 21 User Defined Controls (Custom Controls)
 You can create your own controls by extending existing ones or creating from scratch.
Example – Custom Button:
 public class MyButton : Button
 {
 protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs pe)
 {
 base.OnPaint(pe);
 // Custom drawing code here
 }
 }
 Then add it to a form:
 MyButton btn = new MyButton();
 btn.Text = "Custom Button";
 this.Controls.Add(btn);