I was trying to create a custom form designer with this article: http://www.developerfusion.com/article/4351/hosting-windows-forms-designers/ that lets you create a custom form, visual studio alike. but I can't figure out how to get all the controls in the created form, does someone know how to do this?
I used this code from the article:
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Drawing.Design;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
using System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;
using System.Data;
namespace Hosting
{
public class frmMain : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
private System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid propertyGrid;
private System.Windows.Forms.Splitter splitter1;
private System.Windows.Forms.Panel panel1;
private System.Windows.Forms.Panel pnlViewHost;
private System.Windows.Forms.Splitter splitter2;
private ToolboxService lstToolbox;
private System.Windows.Forms.Label lblSelectedComponent;
private System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu mainMenu1;
private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem menuItem1;
private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem mnuDelete;
private MenuItem menuItem2;
private IContainer components;
public frmMain()
{
//
// Required for Windows Form Designer support
//
InitializeComponent();
Initialize();
}
protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )
{
if( disposing )
{
if (components != null)
{
components.Dispose();
}
}
base.Dispose( disposing );
}
#region Windows Form Designer generated code
/// <summary>
/// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
/// the contents of this method with the code editor.
/// </summary>
private void InitializeComponent()
{
this.components = new System.ComponentModel.Container();
this.propertyGrid = new System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid();
this.splitter1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Splitter();
this.panel1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
this.splitter2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Splitter();
this.lblSelectedComponent = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
this.pnlViewHost = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
this.mainMenu1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu(this.components);
this.menuItem1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
this.mnuDelete = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
this.lstToolbox = new Hosting.ToolboxService();
this.menuItem2 = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
this.panel1.SuspendLayout();
this.SuspendLayout();
//
// propertyGrid
//
this.propertyGrid.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
this.propertyGrid.LineColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ScrollBar;
this.propertyGrid.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 182);
this.propertyGrid.Name = "propertyGrid";
this.propertyGrid.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 312);
this.propertyGrid.TabIndex = 0;
//
// splitter1
//
this.splitter1.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Right;
this.splitter1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(596, 0);
this.splitter1.Name = "splitter1";
this.splitter1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(4, 518);
this.splitter1.TabIndex = 1;
this.splitter1.TabStop = false;
//
// panel1
//
this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.lstToolbox);
this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.splitter2);
this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.propertyGrid);
this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.lblSelectedComponent);
this.panel1.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Right;
this.panel1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(600, 0);
this.panel1.Name = "panel1";
this.panel1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 518);
this.panel1.TabIndex = 2;
//
// splitter2
//
this.splitter2.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
this.splitter2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 178);
this.splitter2.Name = "splitter2";
this.splitter2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 4);
this.splitter2.TabIndex = 1;
this.splitter2.TabStop = false;
//
// lblSelectedComponent
//
this.lblSelectedComponent.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
this.lblSelectedComponent.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 494);
this.lblSelectedComponent.Name = "lblSelectedComponent";
this.lblSelectedComponent.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 24);
this.lblSelectedComponent.TabIndex = 3;
this.lblSelectedComponent.TextAlign = System.Drawing.ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter;
//
// pnlViewHost
//
this.pnlViewHost.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Window;
this.pnlViewHost.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Fill;
this.pnlViewHost.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 0);
this.pnlViewHost.Name = "pnlViewHost";
this.pnlViewHost.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(596, 518);
this.pnlViewHost.TabIndex = 3;
//
// mainMenu1
//
this.mainMenu1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {
this.menuItem1});
//
// menuItem1
//
this.menuItem1.Index = 0;
this.menuItem1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {
this.mnuDelete,
this.menuItem2});
this.menuItem1.Text = "&Edit";
//
// mnuDelete
//
this.mnuDelete.Index = 0;
this.mnuDelete.Shortcut = System.Windows.Forms.Shortcut.Del;
this.mnuDelete.Text = "&Delete";
this.mnuDelete.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.mnuDelete_Click);
//
// lstToolbox
//
this.lstToolbox.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
this.lstToolbox.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.None;
this.lstToolbox.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Fill;
this.lstToolbox.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 9.75F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.lstToolbox.IntegralHeight = false;
this.lstToolbox.ItemHeight = 16;
this.lstToolbox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 0);
this.lstToolbox.Name = "lstToolbox";
this.lstToolbox.SelectedCategory = null;
this.lstToolbox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 178);
this.lstToolbox.Sorted = true;
this.lstToolbox.TabIndex = 2;
//
// menuItem2
//
this.menuItem2.Index = 1;
this.menuItem2.Text = "Save";
this.menuItem2.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.menuItem2_Click);
//
// frmMain
//
this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 14);
this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(824, 518);
this.Controls.Add(this.pnlViewHost);
this.Controls.Add(this.splitter1);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
this.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 8.25F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
this.Menu = this.mainMenu1;
this.Name = "frmMain";
this.Text = "Designer Hosting Sample";
this.panel1.ResumeLayout(false);
this.ResumeLayout(false);
}
#endregion
[STAThread]
static void Main()
{
Application.Run(new frmMain());
}
private ServiceContainer serviceContainer = null;
private MenuCommandService menuService = null;
Control view;
private void Initialize()
{
IDesignerHost host;
Form form;
IRootDesigner rootDesigner;
// Initialise service container and designer host
serviceContainer = new ServiceContainer();
serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(INameCreationService), new NameCreationService());
serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IUIService), new UIService(this));
host = new DesignerHost(serviceContainer);
// Add toolbox service
serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IToolboxService), lstToolbox);
lstToolbox.designPanel = pnlViewHost;
PopulateToolbox(lstToolbox);
// Add menu command service
menuService = new MenuCommandService();
serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IMenuCommandService), menuService);
// Start the designer host off with a Form to design
form = (Form)host.CreateComponent(typeof(Form));
form.TopLevel = false;
form.Text = "Form1";
// Get the root designer for the form and add its design view to this form
rootDesigner = (IRootDesigner)host.GetDesigner(form);
view = (Control)rootDesigner.GetView(ViewTechnology.Default);
view.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
pnlViewHost.Controls.Add(view);
// Subscribe to the selectionchanged event and activate the designer
ISelectionService s = (ISelectionService)serviceContainer.GetService(typeof(ISelectionService));
s.SelectionChanged += new EventHandler(OnSelectionChanged);
host.Activate();
}
private void PopulateToolbox(IToolboxService toolbox)
{
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Button)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ListView)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TreeView)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TextBox)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Label)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TabControl)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(OpenFileDialog)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(CheckBox)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ComboBox)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(GroupBox)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ImageList)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Panel)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ProgressBar)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ToolBar)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ToolTip)));
toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(StatusBar)));
}
private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
ISelectionService s = (ISelectionService)serviceContainer.GetService(typeof(ISelectionService));
object[] selection;
if (s.SelectionCount == 0)
propertyGrid.SelectedObject = null;
else
{
selection = new object[s.SelectionCount];
s.GetSelectedComponents().CopyTo(selection, 0);
propertyGrid.SelectedObjects = selection;
}
if (s.PrimarySelection == null)
lblSelectedComponent.Text = "";
else
{
IComponent component = (IComponent)s.PrimarySelection;
lblSelectedComponent.Text = component.Site.Name + " (" + component.GetType().Name + ")";
}
}
private void mnuDelete_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
menuService.GlobalInvoke(StandardCommands.Delete);
}
}
}
Here is what I tried:
// And then i tried this to get all the controls and write them to a python tkinter file:
private void menuItem2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
System.IO.StreamWriter sw = new System.IO.StreamWriter("output.py");
sw.WriteLine("from tkinter import *\n");
sw.WriteLine("# Main form");
sw.WriteLine(this.Name + " = Tk()\n");
foreach (IComponent b in components.Components)
{
MessageBox.Show(b.GetType().ToString());
if (b.GetType() == typeof(Button))
{
Button but = (Button)b;
sw.WriteLine("# " + but.Name);
sw.WriteLine(but.Name + " = Button(" + this.Name + @"fg=""" + but.ForeColor.Name + @"""bg=""" + but.BackColor.Name + @"""" + ")");
}
}
sw.Close();
}
thanks in advance.
FormInstance.Controls? Also, what happens if your article becomes a dead link? Write a short summary so we know what it's about.