SmartButton

Initialises a new button in the blue XP style, with black text, ready to be given a size and text.

Gets or sets the colour of the one-pixel edge round the button, when it is drawn as a gradient.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false. The edge is one logical pixel wide.

Gets or sets whether the button is a plain push button or a menu button that opens a drop-down menu.

A menu button draws a separator and a down arrow at its right and, when clicked, raises OnAboutToTheShowContextMenuOnMenuButton and opens its menu – the Control.ContextMenuStrip if one is set, otherwise one built from DropDownMenuItems. It does not raise Control.Click.

Setting it to ButtonStyles.MenuButton turns ShowDropDownArrow back on, so set that afterwards to hide the arrow.

Gets or sets the colours and rendering style of the drop-down menu, used while UseCustomDefinedPropertiesForRenderingContextMenu is on.

Gets or sets whether the XP style follows the Windows colour scheme rather than XPTheme.

While this is on, a value set in XPTheme is ignored. The Windows XP Olive Green and Silver schemes give XPThemes.OliveGreen and XPThemes.Silver; every other scheme, including those of current Windows versions, gives XPThemes.Blue.

To choose the style yourself, set this to false first and then set XPTheme.

saveButton.DefaultTheme = false;
saveButton.XPTheme = XPThemes.Silver;

Gets or sets the result a click gives the form the button is on.

When it is not None, a click sets the form's DialogResult, which closes a form shown with Form.ShowDialog. A value outside the enumeration is ignored. Not applied by a ButtonStyles.MenuButton.

okButton.DialogResult = DialogResult.OK;
cancelButton.DialogResult = DialogResult.Cancel;
CancelButton = cancelButton;

if (new CustomerDetailsForm().ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
    RefreshCustomerList();
}

Gets or sets whether a dotted focus rectangle is drawn inside the button while it has the keyboard focus.

Turn it on for forms people move through with the Tab key. Not drawn on a disabled button.

Gets or sets whether a menu button draws a separator line between its text and its arrow.

The line is two logical pixels wide, in MenuButtonSeparatorColor, and MenuButtonSeparatorLineHeight high. Without it the caption may use the full width of the button.

Gets or sets the colour of the down arrow at the right of a menu button.

A disabled button draws the arrow in the system grey text colour. To have the arrow follow XPTheme instead, set UseUserDefinedColorForArrowMark to false.

Gets or sets the commands a menu button lists in its drop-down menu.

Used when ButtonStyle is ButtonStyles.MenuButton and the button has no Control.ContextMenuStrip. Each click builds a ContextMenu from these items and opens it under the button. Handle each item's own MenuItem.Click to run its command.

Set it from code; it is not shown in the Properties window. A menu button that has neither items nor a Control.ContextMenuStrip throws when clicked.

MenuItem replyAll = new MenuItem("Reply all");
replyAll.Click += (s, e) => ReplyToAll();

replyButton.ButtonStyle = ButtonStyles.MenuButton;
replyButton.DropDownMenuItems = new MenuItem[]
{
    new MenuItem("Reply", (s, e) => Reply()),
    replyAll,
    new MenuItem("-"),
    new MenuItem("Forward", (s, e) => Forward())
};

Gets or sets the commands a menu button lists in its drop-down menu.

Used when ButtonStyle is ButtonStyles.MenuButton and the button has no Control.ContextMenuStrip. Each click builds a fresh menu from these items, drawn with MenuStripColorTable or DropDownMenuRendererTheme, and opens it under the button. Handle each item's own ToolStripItem.Click to run its command.

Set it from code; it is not shown in the Properties window. A menu button that has neither items nor a Control.ContextMenuStrip throws when clicked.

ToolStripMenuItem replyAll = new ToolStripMenuItem("Reply all");
replyAll.Click += (s, e) => ReplyToAll();

replyButton.ButtonStyle = ButtonStyles.MenuButton;
replyButton.DropDownMenuItems = new ToolStripItem[]
{
    new ToolStripMenuItem("Reply", null, (s, e) => Reply()),
    replyAll,
    new ToolStripSeparator(),
    new ToolStripMenuItem("Forward", null, (s, e) => Forward())
};

Gets or sets the built-in theme for the drop-down menu that a menu button builds from DropDownMenuItems.

Ignored while MenuStripColorTable is set, and when the button has a Control.ContextMenuStrip. Takes effect the next time the menu opens.

exportButton.ButtonStyle = ButtonStyles.MenuButton;
exportButton.DropDownMenuRendererTheme = DropDownMenuRendererThemeKind.ExtendedSelectionDark;

Gets or sets the colour the face's gradient ends with, when the button is drawn as a gradient.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false.

Gets or sets the colour of the button's text.

A disabled button draws its text in the system grey text colour.

Gets or sets an icon to show on the button, drawn with its alpha channel so soft edges and shadows look right.

The icon is drawn at its own size, 7 logical pixels from the left edge and centred vertically, with the text to its right – or in the middle of the button when Text is empty. On a disabled button it is drawn greyed.

A button shows an icon or an Image, not both: setting an icon clears Image.

printButton.Icon = new Icon(Properties.Resources.PrinterIcon, 24, 24);
printButton.Text = "Print";

Gets or sets a bitmap to show on the button.

The image must be a Bitmap. Pixels of TransparentColor are made see-through, and the button keeps its own copy. The pixels are also made see-through in the bitmap you pass, so pass a copy if you use that bitmap elsewhere.

The image is placed as Icon is, and greyed on a disabled button. A button shows an image or an Icon, not both: setting an image clears Icon. For images with soft, semi-transparent edges, use Icon.

Gets or sets whether the button is drawn with the Windows XP bevel or with your own gradient.

A disabled button is drawn with the grey XP bevel whatever this is set to.

Gets or sets the direction of the face's gradient, when the button is drawn as a gradient.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false.

Gets or sets the colour of the separator line between a menu button's text and its arrow.

A disabled button draws the separator in the system grey text colour. To have the separator follow XPTheme instead, set UseUserDefinedColorForMenuButtonSeparator to false.

Gets or sets the height of the separator line between a menu button's text and its drop-down arrow.

When the button is resized, a height that no longer fits – more than the button's height less 4 logical pixels – is reduced to fit. Drawn only on a ButtonStyles.MenuButton with DrawMenuButtonSeparator on.

Gets or sets your own colours for the drop-down menu that a menu button builds from DropDownMenuItems.

The object must derive from ProfessionalColorTable as well as implement IMenuStripColorTable; it is taken when the menu opens, so a change shows the next time. When set, it wins over DropDownMenuRendererTheme.

Not used when the button has a Control.ContextMenuStrip, which is shown with its own renderer.

Gets or sets the colour the face's gradient ends with while the button is pressed or its menu is open.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false.

Gets or sets the colour the face's gradient starts from while the button is pressed or its menu is open.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false.

Gets or sets whether a menu button shows its down arrow.

A value set while ButtonStyle is not ButtonStyles.MenuButton is ignored, and setting ButtonStyle to ButtonStyles.MenuButton turns the arrow back on – so set this after ButtonStyle.

Gets or sets the colour the face's gradient starts from, when the button is drawn as a gradient.

Used only while IsRenderingTheme is false. The gradient runs in the direction of LinearGradientRenderingAngle. Under the pointer the gradient is lightened by about a fifth towards white.

Gets or sets the caption shown on the button.

The caption is centred in the space beside any image, in ForeColor, and is trimmed with an ellipsis when it does not fit, unless UseCustomTextStringFormat says otherwise.

Gets or sets the alignment, trimming and wrapping used for the caption when UseCustomTextStringFormat is on.

The button reads a copy at every repaint, so changes made to the object later are picked up. Ampersand shortcuts are always shown underlined, whatever the format says.

nextButton.TextStringFormat = new StringFormat
{
    Alignment = StringAlignment.Near,
    LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center
};
nextButton.UseCustomTextStringFormat = true;

Gets or sets the colour in Image that is made see-through, so the button's face shows through it.

Applies to the current image straight away and to any image set later. It has no effect on Icon, which carries its own transparency.

refreshButton.TransparentColor = Color.Magenta;
refreshButton.Image = Properties.Resources.Refresh16;

Gets or sets whether the drop-down menu is drawn with the colours in ContextMenuProperties.

Applies when the menu is built from DropDownMenuItems made of BinaryMenuItem objects. Each time the menu opens, the properties are copied into the shared BinaryMenuItemManager, so they apply to every BinaryMenuItem in the application from then on.

Gets or sets whether the caption is laid out with TextStringFormat rather than centred.

Has no effect until TextStringFormat is set.

Gets or sets whether a menu button's arrow keeps the colour you give it rather than following XPTheme.

Setting it to false recolours the arrow straight away.

Gets or sets whether a menu button's separator line keeps the colour you give it rather than following XPTheme.

While this is on, the separator colour is re-applied when the button is created on screen and when the system colours change.

Gets or sets which Windows XP colour scheme the bevelled button is drawn in.

Ignored while DefaultTheme is true (the default) – set that to false first. Used only while IsRenderingTheme is on.

When UseUserDefinedColorForMenuButtonSeparator or UseUserDefinedColorForArrowMark is off, the separator and arrow change to the scheme's colour: royal blue, olive or black.

Releases the drawing resources the button holds.

Tells the button whether it is the form's default button, so it can draw itself as one.

The form calls this itself as the focus moves and when the button is its Form.AcceptButton; there is seldom a reason to call it from code.

Handles a click: a menu button raises OnAboutToTheShowContextMenuOnMenuButton and opens its menu; any other button applies its DialogResult and raises the Control.Click event.

A derived class that overrides this should call the base implementation, or the menu will not open and Control.Click will not be raised.

Repaints the button when it moves to a display with a different scale factor.

Raises the Control.Enter event and repaints the button.

Raises the Control.HandleCreated event, sets the button's outline for the display, and applies the theme and separator colour.

Raises the Control.KeyDown event, showing the button pressed while Enter or Space is held down.

Raises the Control.KeyUp event after releasing the pressed look, and clicks the button when the key is Space.

Raises the Control.Leave event and repaints the button.

Raises the Control.MouseDown event, and on a left-button press shows the button pressed and gives it the focus.

Raises the Control.MouseEnter event and shows the button's hover look.

Raises the Control.MouseLeave event and returns the button to its normal look.

Raises the Control.MouseMove event and shows the button pressed while the left button is held down over it.

Raises the Control.MouseUp event and releases the pressed look of a plain button; a menu button stays pressed while its menu is open.

Draws the button – its bevel or gradient, image, text, focus rectangle and, on a menu button, the separator and arrow – then raises the Control.Paint event.

A handler of Control.Paint draws on top of the finished button.

Raises the Control.ParentChanged event after matching the button's background to its parent.

The button's Control.BackColor is set to a fully transparent version of the parent's background colour, so the corners outside the bevel show the parent. The button also calls this on every resize, so Control.ParentChanged is raised then too. When the button is removed from its parent nothing is done and the event is not raised.

Raises the Control.SizeChanged event after fitting the outline, the image position and MenuButtonSeparatorLineHeight to the new size.

Raises the Control.SystemColorsChanged event and, while DefaultTheme is on, picks up a change of Windows colour scheme.

Raises the Control.TextChanged event after re-laying out the caption and image.

Clicks the button from code, as if the user had clicked it.

Does nothing while the button is hidden or disabled. A ButtonStyles.MenuButton opens its menu; any other button raises Control.Click and applies its DialogResult.

Clicks the button when its Alt+letter shortcut is pressed.

true when charCode is the letter after the ampersand in Text and the button was clicked; otherwise the result of the base implementation.

Processes Windows messages, and returns a menu button to its unpressed look when its menu closes.

Occurs when a menu button has been clicked, just before its drop-down menu opens.

Raised only when ButtonStyle is ButtonStyles.MenuButton. Use it to enable, disable or fill the menu items for the current state, or set the ref argument to true to keep the menu closed.

A menu button raises this in place of Control.Click.

export.OnAboutToTheShowContextMenuOnMenuButton += (object sender, ref bool cancel) =>
{
    if (invoiceGrid.SelectedRows.Count == 0)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("Choose an invoice to export first.");
        cancel = true;
    }
};