Copyright

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals.

The .NET logo is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and is used under license from Microsoft. The following articles were originally printed in MSDN Magazine, and are reprinted in this book with permission. ".NET Zero Deployment: Security and Versioning Models in the Windows Forms Engine Help You Create and Deploy Smart Clients" by Chris Sells, MSDN Magazine, July 2002. "Visual Studio .NET: Building Windows Forms Controls and Components with Rich Design-Time Features" by Michael Weinhardt and Chris Sells, MSDN Magazine, April 2003. "Visual Studio .NET: Building Windows Forms Controls and Components with Rich Design-Time Features, Part 2" by Michael Weinhardt and Chris Sells, MSDN Magazine, May 2003. ".NET Framework 2.0: Craft a Rich UI for Your .NET App with Enhanced Windows Forms Support" by Michael Weinhardt and Chris Sells, MSDN Magazine, May 2004. "Smart Tags: Simplify UI Development with Custom Designer Actions in Visual Studio" by Michael Weinhardt, MSDN Magazine, July 2005. "Draft a Rich UI: Ground Rules for Building Enhanced Windows Forms Support into Your .NET App" by Michael Weinhardt and Chris Sells, MSDN Magazine, May 2005.

The authors and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Sells, Chris.
  Windows Forms 2.0 programming/Chris Sells &
Michael Weinhardt.
      p. cm.
  ISBN 0-321-26796-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Microsoft .NET Framework. 2. Computer
softwareDevelopment. I. Weinhardt,
Michael. II. Title.
  QA76.76.M52S44 2006
  005.2'768dc22
                                       2006000194

Copyright © 2006 Chris Sells and Michael Weinhardt All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permissions, write to:

     Pearson Education, Inc.
     Rights and Contracts Department
     75 Arlington Street, Suite 300
     Boston, MA 02116
     Fax: [phone]

Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at Edwards Brothers in Ann Arbor, Michigan First printing, May 2006

"Some books are differentthe content can't be Googled from the Internet, the authors have real-life experiences to share, the code can be used in real-world projects. This is one of those books. And it's not a simple upgrade of the 1^st edition; this book has been completely refitted to present WinForms 2.0 as it should be presented."

Neal Myrddin, Independent Developer

"Chris and Michael nail the soul of Windows Forms 2.0. This book provides an insightful view into the design of Windows Forms and the integration of new 2.0 features. It is just as applicable for the first-time Windows Forms programmer as the seasoned line of business developer. The What's New in 2.0 appendix is worth the price of admission alone."

Mike Harsh, Windows Forms Program Manager, Microsoft, Inc.

"This book takes an amazingly broad and deep technology, and breaks it into manageable pieces that are easily consumed. You cannot survive building a complex WinForms application without this book."

Ryan Dorrell, Chief Technology Officer, AgileThought

"Windows Forms 2.0 Programming offers something for every .NET developer. Experienced developers will appreciate the in-depth coverage of new 2.0 features, including the most comprehensive coverage of ClickOnce deployment, multithreading, and the new designer integration found anywhere. Developers new to Winforms programming will appreciate the coverage of the fundamentals all Winforms developers need to know. Whether you're an experienced WinForms developer or just beginning, you need this book."

Fritz Onion, cofounder of Pluralsight, author of Essential ASP.NET, and ASP.NET MVP

"I don't want just a description of the WinForms widgets. I can get that online or from other books. What I want is a roadmap for pitfalls to avoid, and innovative solutions for common problems. That is where this book shines. All of us who found the first edition of this book to be an indispensible part of our reference library will appreciate this updated edition that describes WinForms 2.0."

Johan Ericsson, Software Engineer, Agilent Technologies

"The books Chris Sells writes are always insightful and this newest addition is no different. This book in particular is for those who want to understand not just the flashy surface of Windows Forms 2.0, but also how it fits into the .NET environment. Readers will have this book at their desks, not stuck on their shelves, for quite a long time."

Yoshimatsu Fumiaki, Software Engineer based in Tokyo Japan

"Chris and Mike have done an excellent job presenting the information you need to be successful with Windows Forms."

Jessica Fosler, Dev Tech Lead, Microsoft

"This book is the 'must have' teaching and reference book for WinForms 2.0."

Jim Rittenhouse, Senior Software Engineer, Siemens

Dedication

To my wife, Melissa, and my sons John and Tom. They define the heaven that exceeds my grasp. And to my parents, who made me a reader from the beginning and who passed on the secret writer gene, much to my surprise.

Chris Sells

To Josef and Lili, for all that I am and all that I've done. To Alex, for all that I would like to be and wish I could do.

Michael Weinhardt