NET User Interfaces in Csharp Windows Forms and Custom Controls [Electronic resources]

Including a comprehensive examination of the user interface controls and classes in .NET, this resource provides an overview of how to design elegant user interfaces the average user can understand.

Companion Web Site

Table of Contents Describes the architecture of a well-planned user interface—everything from data binding strategies to multiple document view architecture using MDI Teaches GDI+ essentials such as hit testing, irregularly shaped forms, owner-drawn menus, and animated controls Shows how to integrate “intelligence” into your user interfaces with embedded help and user agents

User Interfaces in C#: Windows Forms and Custom Controls goes beyond simply covering the Windows Forms namespaces by combining a careful treatment of the API with a detailed discussion of good user-interface design principles. The combination will show you how to create the next generation of software applications using the .NET Framework. After reading User Interfaces in C#: Windows Forms and Custom Controls, you’ll know how to design state-of-the-art application interfaces, as well as how to extend .NET controls, create data-binding strategies, program graphics, and much more.

This book contains the following:

An overview of how to design elegant user interfaces the average user can understand A comprehensive examination of the user interface controls and classes in .NET Best practices and design tips for coding user interfaces and integrating help

Although this book isn’t a reference, it does contain detailed discussions about every user interface element you’ll use on a regular basis. But you won’t just learn how to use .NET controls—you’ll learn how and why to extend them, with owner-drawn menus, irregularly shaped forms, and custom controls tailored for specific types of data. As a developer, you need to know more than how to add a control to a window. You also need to know how to create an entire user interface framework that’s scalable, flexible, and reusable.

About the Author

Matthew MacDonald is an author, education and MCSD developer. He’s also a regular contributor to programming journals, such as Inside Visual Basic and C# Today, and he’s the author of several books about .NET programming, including User Interfaces in VB .NET: Windows Forms and Custom Controls (Apress, 2002), The Book of VB .NET and ASP.NET: The Complete Reference.