print a form on a panel component

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C#

HI FRIENDS,

How can i print a form ona panel component?
thank you for all

Posted 9-May-11 9:18am

guendouz bachir

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OriginalGriff 9-May-11 15:43pm

No, it still makes no sense.
Would you please use the "Improve Question" widget, and try to explain in more detail what you are trying to do: at the moment it looks like you are trying to put a form inside a panel...

Kim Togo 9-May-11 15:46pm

You want to print on a printer => paper ?

guendouz bachir 9-May-11 17:10pm

yes, I want put a form inside a panel...

charles henington 9-May-11 17:54pm

is the form the current form or a differnt form? will the panel be include in the panel if is the current form?

guendouz bachir 9-May-11 18:22pm

no, a different form
example: we like to put form2 inside panel and this panel is in form1

2 solutions

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Answer 1 · 2011-05-09T16:44:00

Solution 1

~~No, you cannot.~~

[EDIT]

The short answer would be "this is not recommended". Please see solution by Dave, but it needs care.

For more information, please see discussion (and my answer) on the past question:
Is it possible to run a window form application from another running window form application[^]

—SA

Posted 9-May-11 16:44pm

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Updated 10-May-11 15:18pm

v3

Comments

Anthony Mushrow 9-May-11 22:57pm

Well actually, you could use the Win32 SetParent function to make the panel the parent of the other form. But err, not recommended.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 9-May-11 23:13pm

I know, I know. I took it into account and after some thinking decided to say "you cannot". Technically speaking, you're right, but effect of it... It can create a great mess... I used to try many tricks on low-level API...
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 9-May-11 23:30pm

Actually, not impossible, and quite easy. You don't even need Win32 functions to do it!

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 0:33am

I see. Does it really work? A form should have WS_POPUP style...
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 7:10am

Yes, it works. I've seen it done way too many times.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 13:37pm

OK, thank you, I'll check it and fix or remove my answer. It leaves the questions if it makes any sense (hard to imagine) and what is "print"; see the original question. Also, it this is a foreign process, it still needs Windows API SetParent
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 14:18pm

Since he used the term "form" and not another window, I assumed he's trying to use a second form in the same app.

But yes, if you had to move another apps windows, you have to use SetParent. You also have to do some other things to make sure that the window exists before you move it, as is the case if the app launches another app so it can move that window to the Panel.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 21:15pm

Sure.
"Application is the form" is a popular question, I consider this possibility, but some alternatives as well (most important being "don't do it"):
http://www.codeproject.com/Questions/189775/Is-it-possible-to-run-a-window-form-application-fr.aspx
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 22:08pm

You're talking to the guy who first introduced this technique to the CP community many years ago. I know what has to happen and what the pitfalls are.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 23:02pm

Aha. Great, thanks for the notes. Do you agree with my answer (referenced above) or you have different considerations?
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 23:39pm

Yeah, I agree with it. Unless the OP has something more to add to clarify things, which doesn't look likely.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 11-May-11 14:58pm

Agree. Thank you.
--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 21:19pm

And I updated my answer.
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak · Answer 2 · 2011-05-09T17:29:00

Solution 2

It's pretty easy to do. The Form class derives from Control, so you just need to add the form instance to the Controls collection of the Panel you want. Oh, but only after you set the Forms TopLevel property to False. Just remember that your still using a Form. You still have to Show the form to get it to show up!

MyForm mf = new MyForm();
mf.TopLevel = false;
Panel1.Controls.Add(mf);
mf.Show();

Posted 9-May-11 17:29pm

Dave Kreskowiak

Comments

guendouz bachir 10-May-11 10:28am

thank you Mr Dave Krakowiak ,,, but what i do when i want just to put component of form2 inside fomr1 ?

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 10:52am

The short answer is you can't. It's either the entire form or you have to create new instances of the controls you want to add to the Panel.

The long answer is it's possible, but extremely bad practice, to move controls from one form to another. You do NOT want to do this unless you have a very good grasp on what is going on, how control events are wired up, and what the pitfalls are. There are no advantages doing this and frankly, it makes your code more confusing to support and harder to debug if you run into problems.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 13:39pm

And this is my turn to say "it's pretty easy to do". When you execute myControl.Parent = anotherForm, the controls simply jumps from an old parent to a new one. Of course, the advantage is at least questionable but I don't think it's more then the advantage of sticking a form in a panel.
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 14:22pm

Yeah, but whether the controls work as intended or should have some other meaning if left up to how the event handlers are wired.

As for the advantage, you have to keep in mind what happens when/if one of the forms is destroyed, but not the other. You also have a condition possible where one form is created (the panel host) and the other (supplying the controls) doesn't exist. You're two forms are forever bound together and not seperately reusable.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 21:40pm

If does not matter. When a control is jumped, it is not destroyed; GS won't let it go, as the control is referenced in new place. Do this trick, remove the donor form and you will see that is works.
--SA

Dave Kreskowiak 10-May-11 22:05pm

That's not the point. It is remembering on which form the control is and its condition.

Does this guy sound like he's capable of doing this without screwing it up?

I know it works. I also know it takes someone more advanced to successfully do this and completely understand all of the implications.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 10-May-11 23:01pm

What's a point is a philosophical question, buy I'm afraid you're right about this guy.

I considered the original question as making very little sense in first place and the whole topic as pointless, and this whole direction of OP's activity as useless or counterproductive. We're just discussing pure technical aspects here.

I think we already done -- than you for this discussion.
--SA