Windows Forms

[
Designer(typeof(ParentControlDesigner))
]
public partial class ExplorerPanel : UserControl
{
    private Image headerImage;
    private bool collapsible = true;
    private HeaderButton headerButton = null;
    private Rectangle imageRectangle = Rectangle.Empty;
    private Color panelColor;

    public ExplorerPanel()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        // Set the following control styles so that we get more optimized/flicker-free drawing,
        // and the use of transparent back color, and act as a 'parent' control
        SetStyle(ControlStyles.ResizeRedraw | ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint |
            ControlStyles.UserPaint | ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer |
            ControlStyles.SupportsTransparentBackColor | ControlStyles.ContainerControl, true);

        // These are properties are overridden so that the user cannot set them.
        // They are not available in the designer
        this.BorderStyle = BorderStyle.None;
        this.BackColor = Color.Transparent;
        this.panelColor = Color.WhiteSmoke;

        this.SetupHeaderButton();
    }

ParentControlDesigner Class  
Members  Example  See Also  Send Feedback 

Extends the design mode behavior of a Control that supports nested controls.

Namespace:  System.Windows.Forms.Design
Assembly:  System.Design (in System.Design.dll)

ParentControlDesigner Class

Base designer class for extending the design mode behavior of a Control that supports nested controls.

For a list of all members of this type, see ParentControlDesigner Members.

System.Object
   System.ComponentModel.Design.ComponentDesigner
      System.Windows.Forms.Design.ControlDesigner
         System.Windows.Forms.Design.ParentControlDesigner
            System.Windows.Forms.Design.ScrollableControlDesigner

[Visual Basic]
Public Class ParentControlDesigner
   Inherits ControlDesigner
[C#]
public class ParentControlDesigner : ControlDesigner
[C++]
public __gc class ParentControlDesigner : public ControlDesigner
[JScript]
public class ParentControlDesigner extends ControlDesigner

Thread Safety

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.
Remarks

ParentControlDesigner provides a base class for designers of controls that can contain child controls. In addition to the methods and functionality inherited from the ControlDesigner and ComponentDesigner classes, ParentControlDesigner enables child controls to be added to, removed from, selected within, and arranged within the control whose behavior it extends at design time.

You can associate a designer with a type using a DesignerAttribute. For an overview of customizing design time behavior, see Enhancing Design-Time Support.
Requirements

Namespace: System.Windows.Forms.Design

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Data;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;

namespace ExplorerBarLibrary
{
	[
	Designer(typeof(ParentControlDesigner))
	]
	public partial class TestControl : UserControl
	{
		public TestControl()
		{
			InitializeComponent();
		}
	}
}

namespace ExplorerBarLibrary
{
	partial class TestControl
	{
		/// <summary> 
		/// Required designer variable.
		/// </summary>
		private System.ComponentModel.IContainer components = null;

		/// <summary> 
		/// Clean up any resources being used.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="disposing">true if managed resources should be disposed; otherwise, false.</param>
		protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
		{
			if (disposing && (components != null))
			{
				components.Dispose();
			}
			base.Dispose(disposing);
		}

		#region Component 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.SuspendLayout();
			// 
			// TestControl
			// 
			this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 14F);
			this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
			this.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
			this.Name = "TestControl";
			this.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(148, 148);
			this.ResumeLayout(false);

		}

		#endregion
	}
}

honey.rpk wrote:

Dont think otherwise i am a beginner a trainee in a company and i am asked to do this. I am not expert in .net.

Sorry if am wrong in asking like this.....

private string labeltext;
private Color pnl1color;
private Color pnl2color;







public string Labeltext
{
get
{
return labeltext;
}
set
{
labeltext = value;
label1.Text = labeltext;
}
}


public Color Pnl1color
{
get
{
return pnl1color;
}
set
{
pnl1color = value;
panel1.BackColor = pnl1color;
}
}
public Color Pnl2color
{
get
{
return pnl2color;
}
set
{
pnl2color = value;
panel2.BackColor = pnl2color;
}
}

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;

namespace toolLibrary
{
	public class toolDesigner : ParentControlDesigner
	{
		public override void Initialize(System.ComponentModel.IComponent component)
		{
			base.Initialize(component);

			if (this.Control is tool)
			{
				this.EnableDesignMode(((tool)this.Control).ControlPanel, "ControlPanel");
			}
		}
	}
}

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Data;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;

namespace toolLibrary
{
	[Designer(typeof(toolDesigner))]  //<======= HERE, changed to use the new tool designer
	public partial class tool : UserControl
	{
		public tool()
		{
			InitializeComponent();
		}

		private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
		{
			//some code to make panel visible and invisible
		}

		private void tool_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
		{
			panel2.Visible = true;
			label1.Text = "enter name of panel";
		}

		public string Labeltext
		{
			get
			{
				return this.label1.Text; // <==== I've changed this a bit, as with all the stuff I moved, keep your stuff
                                                         //       if you want/prefer it that way
			}
			set
			{
				label1.Text = value;
			}
		}

		public System.Drawing.Color Pnl1color
		{
			get
			{
				return this.panel1.BackColor;
			}

			set
			{
				panel1.BackColor = value;
			}
		}

		public System.Drawing.Color Pnl2color
		{
			get
			{
				return panel2.BackColor;
			}

			set
			{
				panel2.BackColor = value;
			}
		}

		[
		DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Content) // <======= MUST have this
		]
		public Panel ControlPanel  // <========== HERE, this is required for the thing to work.
		{
			get
			{
				return this.panel2;
			}
		}
	}
}

BillWoodruff wrote:

The one book I have on hand that is very useful is Matthew McDonald's book on Pro WinForms and Controls 2.0, chapters 13, and 26, but that's dated now.

BillWoodruff wrote:

One very small suggestion : only setting the text in the Label at design-time will allow design-time changes to persist at run-time; right now the Load event called at run-time will over-write any changes.