Windows Forms

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.