Two Ways to Write a Form-Based Windows Application

Before we begin, an important point needs to be made. Visual Studio includes a sophisticated set of design tools that automate much of the process of creating a Windows application. Using these tools, you can visually construct and position the various controls and menus used by your application. Visual Studio will also “rough in” the classes and methods that are needed for each feature. Frankly, using the Visual Studio design tools is a good choice for creating most real-world Windows applications. However, there is no requirement that you use those tools. You can also create a Windows program by using a text editor and then compiling it, just like you can do for console-based applications.

Because this book is about C#, not Visual Studio, and because the Windows programs contained in this chapter are quite short, all programs will be shown in a form in which they can be entered using a text editor. However, the general structure, design, and organization of the programs is the same as that created by the design tools. Thus, the material in this chapter applies to either approach.