Windows Forms

17-Jun-10 5:37

Hi,
I am trying to prevent users from resizing the form window. I have set:

this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized;
this.FormBorderStyle = FormBorderStyle.FixedSingle;
this.ControlBox = false;

It prevents user from resizing except that if I doouble-click on the title bar on top, it resizes. Is there a way to prevent this as well?

Thanks.

Luc Pattyn17-Jun-10 6:41

17-Jun-10 6:41

Hi,

if you were to have

if (WindowState==FormWindowState.Normal) WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized;

within the Form's Resize handler, you probably would get what you want (a Form that is either Maximized or Minimized).

And I as a user would probably hate your app and remove it from my system right away.
I like an app to remember its window bounds and reuse the same value next time around, and not to dictate how I choose to use my system.

Smile | :)

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Lamazhab24-Jun-10 12:59

24-Jun-10 12:59

I understand it is not user friendly but it is not supposed to be. This is for a kiosk style app and it is the only app running and should always be in maximze state. I would also remove any app from my machine if it dictates how it should be alwyas be displayed.

Lamazhab17-Jun-10 8:21

17-Jun-10 8:21

In case someone else has the same issue, this is how I solved it:

protected override void WndProc(ref System.Windows.Forms.Message message)
{
const int WM_SYSCOMMAND = 0x0112;
const int SC_MOVE = 0xF010;
const int WM_NCDOUBLECLICK = 0x00A3;

switch(message.Msg)
{
case WM_SYSCOMMAND:
int command = message.WParam.ToInt32() & 0xfff0;
if (command == SC_MOVE)
return;
break;
// Non-client double click
case WM_NCDOUBLECLICK:
return;
}
base.WndProc(ref message);
}

Luc Pattyn17-Jun-10 8:49

17-Jun-10 8:49

That may be both unnecessary and insufficient; if the application shows in the task bar, you can right click there and choose "Restore".

Smile | :)

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Lamazhab24-Jun-10 13:02

24-Jun-10 13:02

Thanks Luc. It is a kiosk app and I am actually in the process of finding some way to clamp down on what users can do (disable CTL-ALT-DEL, ALT-TAB, etc., remove task bar, ...)
In case anyone knows how to accomplish these, i would really appreciate a sample or pointing me to right direction.

Luc Pattyn24-Jun-10 13:08

Automatically add a new row when the user presses "Tab"

24-Jun-10 13:08

You should have said so right away. I have no experience with kiosk mode, but the topic pops up regularly around here; the best reply seems to be this one[^]. For more, use CodeProject's message search facility, or Google.

Smile | :)

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sri_009915-Jun-10 23:40

sri_0099

15-Jun-10 23:40

I would like to have the grid automatically add a new row when the user presses "Tab" from the last cell in the last row of the grid.

I have set AllowUserAddRows property to "false"

Thanks,
Sri

Re: Automatically add a new row when the user presses "Tab"

Som Shekhar16-Jun-10 2:05

Som Shekhar

16-Jun-10 2:05

I think this should be simple. You need to capture the KeyPreview on dgv, check if there is a cell selected, then if it is the last cell,last row and then add a new column. Then set the selection to the first cell of the new row.

USB drive reader

S.Aijaz14-Jun-10 3:45

S.Aijaz

14-Jun-10 3:45

i need help on usb drive. when a user inserts a usb drive, auto run starts and diplays some of the options to select from. what i want is to add my applications exe to the list of auto run when usb drive is inserted in usb port, so that i can select my application and do some aftermath. please help. simply i want usb drive to run my application when i insert it into my computer.

cross-post

Luc Pattyn14-Jun-10 3:55

Custom controll flickers!

14-Jun-10 3:55

you should pick one forum to ask your question.

Hmmm | :|

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

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venomation9-Jun-10 9:28

Re: Custom controll flickers! [modified]

9-Jun-10 9:28

I am new to making custom windows forms control's and created a small component that can draw a grid.
The problem I am facing is when I scroll using the panels auto scroll features it seems to flicker and be displaced but what I am hoping for is a smooth transition across the x or y axis.

using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace TileMapper.Presentation.Controls
{
    public partial class MapRenderer : UserControl
    {
        private Point _tileBound;
        private Point _rowsColumns;
        private bool _initalized = false;
        public MapRenderer()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            this.DoubleBuffered = true;
          
            // Activates double buffering 
            this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.OptimizedDoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.UserPaint |
               ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, true);
            this.UpdateStyles();


        }

        public void InitalizeGrid(int tileWidth, int tileHeight, int rows, int columns)
        {
            _tileBound = new Point(tileWidth, tileHeight);
            _rowsColumns = new Point(rows, columns);
            panel1.AutoScrollMinSize = new Size(_tileBound.X * _rowsColumns.X, _tileBound.Y * _rowsColumns.Y);
            _initalized = true;
            _pen = new Pen(Color.Black);
            _tile = new Rectangle(0, 0, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);
        }

 
        Pen _pen;
        Rectangle _tile;
        void DrawGrid(Graphics e)
        {
          
            Image im = Image.FromFile(@"H:\My Pictures/tile.png");
            for (int x = 0; x < _rowsColumns.X; x++)
            {
                for (int y = 0; y < _rowsColumns.Y; y++)
                {
                    Rectangle rec = new Rectangle(x * _tileBound.X - panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value
                        , y * _tileBound.Y-panel1.VerticalScroll.Value, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);

                   
                    e.DrawRectangle(_pen, rec);
                    e.DrawImage(im, rec, _tile, GraphicsUnit.Pixel);
                }

            }

        }

     

        private void panel1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
        {

            if (_initalized) DrawGrid(e.Graphics);

        }

    }
}

The design code and such is literally all design and has no functionality and has no need to be here.
Sorry for the bad code but I have tried many double buffering techniques and such to fix this problem so its a bit hacked up Roll eyes | :rolleyes:

Anyone got some ideas to stop this flicker?

Thanks ! Big Grin | :-D

Luc Pattyn9-Jun-10 9:43

9-Jun-10 9:43

there are a few ways to reduce flickering, the most obvious one is to make your Paint handler cheaper, i.e. consume less CPU cycles and fewer objects. In your case, here are some suggestions:

1.
there seems to be an image file that gets loaded and decoded each and every time; I suggest you store that image as a class member and load it only once.

2.
you are calling panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value and panel1.VerticalScroll.Value over and over; you'd better store those in a couple of local variables (ADDED: within your Paint handler of course).

So try these, then re-evaluate the situation.

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

modified on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:51 PM

venomation9-Jun-10 11:42

9-Jun-10 11:42

I done what you recommended but it still flickers allot and its only 1000 tiles at 32*32 width and height ! Confused | :confused:

Updated Code:

using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace TileMapper.Presentation.Controls
{
    public partial class MapRenderer : UserControl
    {
        private Point _tileBound;
        private Point _rowsColumns;
        private bool _initalized = false;
        public MapRenderer()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            this.DoubleBuffered = true;

            // Activates double buffering 
            this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.OptimizedDoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.UserPaint |
               ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, true);
            this.UpdateStyles();


        }

        public void InitalizeGrid(int tileWidth, int tileHeight, int rows, int columns)
        {
            _tileBound = new Point(tileWidth, tileHeight);
            _rowsColumns = new Point(rows, columns);
            panel1.AutoScrollMinSize = new Size(_tileBound.X * _rowsColumns.X, _tileBound.Y * _rowsColumns.Y);
            _initalized = true;
            _pen = new Pen(Color.Black);
            _tile = new Rectangle(0, 0, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);
            _im = Image.FromFile(@"C:/box.png");

            _scrollValue = new Point(panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value, panel1.VerticalScroll.Value);
        }

        private Point _scrollValue;

        Pen _pen;
        Rectangle _tile;
        private Image _im;
        void DrawGrid(Graphics e)
        {
            for (int x = 0; x < _rowsColumns.X; x++)
            {
                for (int y = 0; y < _rowsColumns.Y; y++)
                {
                    Rectangle rec = new Rectangle(x * _tileBound.X - _scrollValue.X
                        , y * _tileBound.Y - _scrollValue.Y, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);


                    e.DrawImage(_im, rec, _tile, GraphicsUnit.Pixel);
                }

            }

        }


        private void panel1_Paint_1(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
        {
            if (_initalized)
            {
                _scrollValue.X = panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value;
                _scrollValue.Y = panel1.VerticalScroll.Value;
                DrawGrid(e.Graphics);
            }
        }

    }
}

Luc Pattyn9-Jun-10 12:06

9-Jun-10 12:06

I'm not absolutely sure, but I have the impression that you are trying to create a virtual panel (a big one scrolling inside a smaller one), maybe 32000 * 32000 pixels large, of which only a small part is visible (I can't see the value of _rowsColumns).

Now painting 1 billion pixels when only say 1 million are visible is a huge waste. I can only hope that the PaintEventArgs holds something (maybe ClipRectangle, maybe some member of Graphics) that will enable you to skip most iterations of your nested for loops.

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

venomation9-Jun-10 13:37

9-Jun-10 13:37

Thanks for that I think I have solved the looping (not looping through everything) but now a new problem arises, i have to refresh the control every time I scroll to see the updated grid !

using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace TileMapper.Presentation.Controls
{
    public partial class MapRenderer : UserControl
    {
        private Point _tileBound;
        private Point _rowsColumns;
        private bool _initalized = false;
        Rectangle[,] _renderBounds;
        public MapRenderer()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            this.DoubleBuffered = true;

            // Activates double buffering 
            this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.OptimizedDoubleBuffer |
               ControlStyles.UserPaint |
               ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, true);
            this.UpdateStyles();


        }

        public void InitalizeGrid(int tileWidth, int tileHeight, int rows, int columns)
        {
            _tileBound = new Point(tileWidth, tileHeight);
            _rowsColumns = new Point(rows, columns);
            panel1.AutoScrollMinSize = new Size(_tileBound.X * _rowsColumns.X, _tileBound.Y * _rowsColumns.Y);
            _initalized = true;
            _pen = new Pen(Color.Black);
            _tile = new Rectangle(0, 0, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);
            _im = Image.FromFile(@"D:/tile.png");

            _scrollValue = new Point(panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value, panel1.VerticalScroll.Value);

            _renderBounds = new Rectangle[_tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y];

            for (int x = 0; x < _tileBound.X; x++)
            {
                for (int y = 0; y < _tileBound.Y; y++)
                {
                    _renderBounds[x,y] = new Rectangle(x * _tileBound.X
                       , y * _tileBound.Y, _tileBound.X, _tileBound.Y);
                }
            }
        }

        private Point _scrollValue;

        Pen _pen;
        Rectangle _tile;
        private Image _im;
        void DrawGrid(Graphics e, Rectangle bound)
        {
            int start = bound.X / _tileBound.X;
            int end = bound.X/_tileBound.X + bound.Width/_tileBound.X;

            int startY = bound.Y / _tileBound.Y;
            int endY = bound.Y + bound.Height/_tileBound.Y;

            for (int x = start; x < end; x++)
            {
                for (int y = startY; y < endY; y++)
                {
                   e.DrawImage(_im, _renderBounds[x,y], _tile, GraphicsUnit.Pixel);
                }

            }

        }





        private void panel1_Paint_1(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
        {
            if (_initalized)
            {
                Rectangle a = e.ClipRectangle;

                _scrollValue.X = panel1.HorizontalScroll.Value;
                _scrollValue.Y = panel1.VerticalScroll.Value;

                DrawGrid(e.Graphics, a);
            }
        }

        private void panel1_Scroll(object sender, ScrollEventArgs e)
        {
            panel1.Refresh();
        }

    }
}

Luc Pattyn9-Jun-10 13:44

9-Jun-10 13:44

I take it flickering is acceptable now?
yes you now must paint while scrolling; I'd guess a panel1.Invalidate() should do it, Refresh() would be more expensive as it waits for the repaint to finish IIRC.

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

venomation9-Jun-10 14:05

9-Jun-10 14:05

Ok I invalidated the panel on the Scroll event but it flickers allot when it move the scroll slider it just looks plain ugly ! Is there another way as its visual effects is the same as when I use "panel1.Refresh()" ?

Thanks for your help anyway I apologize for my incompetence xD

Luc Pattyn9-Jun-10 14:40

9-Jun-10 14:40

it is high time you describe your overall goal, and the set-up of your controls. How many panels (or other Controls) are there, what is their purpose and relationship? etc.

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

venomation10-Jun-10 4:11

10-Jun-10 4:11

My goal is to create a simple control that can render a 2 dimensional grid.

Its inputs are (tilewidth,tileheight,rows,columns) and the idea is that it can somehow generate the images like a grid inside a panel which can be scrolled left,right, up and down. This should allow me to be able to create a grid that is larger than the form and scroll across it to see different tiles.

The problem with the one I made so far (with your assistance) is that it flickers when I scroll, on the "Scroll" event of the panel I force it to "Invalidate()" but this seems to make It flicker. If I do not use "Invalidate" or "Refresh" in the Scroll event of the panel then it does not show the updated grid that is drawn in the Paint event in the panel.

Luc Pattyn10-Jun-10 4:21

10-Jun-10 4:21

0. I'm not sure I understand the role of the images in said grid. Is this a board game?

1.
You did not answer "How many panels (or other Controls) are there, what is their purpose and relationship?"

2.
Whatever approach, while scrolling, the view will update; and you could then complain for it to be sluggish i.e. not tracking your scroll movements fast enough, or flickering which may (or may not) mean it is following your scroll movement too nervously.

3.
From what you told, did you consider having a (large) DataGridView inside a (smaller) Panel, with Panel.AutoScroll=true?

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

venomation10-Jun-10 4:56

10-Jun-10 4:56

0. It is going to be used for a basic 2D Map editor so that I can make levels for games in XNA easier.
Each tile can have an image and various properties associated with it and as map sizes vary I could have one map at 50*50 tiles or another at 100*100 tiles (x,y)

1.
The panel is the only control running,its part of a custom control that can be dragged and dropped from the toolbox, literally just a panel component with features to render the grid using the System.Draw.

Its on a test form on its own, im testing it with a 100 * 100 tile grid at 32*32 width *height.

2.
I have played with the speed of which it scrolls, it appears that even a very small change in its scroll values cause the panel to flicker due to it being Invalidated() on the "Scroll" event of the panel.

3.
I dont know how a data-grid can help as this it visual drawing to the panel, im only drawing the grid to the panel as I need something that can scroll easily.

Hope this helps and thanks ! Big Grin | :-D

Luc Pattyn10-Jun-10 5:16

10-Jun-10 5:16

OK, I now have a better view on your app. Thanks.

So I take it your entire UserControl is showing (part of) the gridded map, and has its AutoScroll set true. I did some experiments with a Form holding a small autoscroll Panel which holds a much larger panel, and that seems to scroll quite well. Maybe you still have something causing lots of CPU cycles getting wasted, but I don't recall having seen so in your latest Paint handler.

Or is what you have shown only a simplified snippet, and some more expensive operations are also present?

BTW: I have no XNA experience, however I somehow do expect someone to pop in and tell you now to use XNA for this editor too.

Smile | :)

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles]

I only read formatted code with indentation, so please use PRE tags for code snippets.

I'm not participating in frackin' Q&A, so if you want my opinion, ask away in a real forum (or on my profile page).

venomation10-Jun-10 5:27