将Visual Studio Windows窗体设计器用于非窗体（如面板或otner）

Question

I'm relatively new to c# and Visual Studio.

In my application I have a TabControl and the user is able to create as many TabPages as he whants, when the user add a page, my program automaticaly create a large quantity of controls inside this page with many and many lines writed by myself.

My question is: Is there a way to create my TabPage at Design Time with Form Designer (as I can do with the forms) so that the code is autogenerated ? And then use this "prefrabbicated" component (my TabPage) with a line like this?

pag1 = new myCustom_TabPage(...) ?

I tried to create a class of type TabPage like this

public class Vista_Tabulato_Pagina : TabPage
{
    public Vista_Tabulato_Pagina(VISTE vista)
    {
    }

    private void InitializeComponent()
    {
        this.SuspendLayout();
        this.ResumeLayout(false);
    }
}

but when I hit Shift+F7 to invoke the Designer It show a blank screen and when I put some component inside it will not show realy visually that I can resize ecc but only a block for every components, (like when you put a non visual component inside a form designer) you can click and edit properties but thats all

Thanks, Luca.

Answer 1

Yep! Excuse my VB, make a class that inherits from TabPage:

Public Class chicken
    Inherits TabPage
    Sub New()
        Me.Controls.Add(New TextBox With {.Text = "Im a textbox!"})
    End Sub
End Class

Then hack the designer file, replacing one of the old TabPages with your new class:

    <System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> _
    Private Sub InitializeComponent()
        Me.Button1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Button
        Me.TabControl1 = New System.Windows.Forms.TabControl
        Me.TabPage1 = New System.Windows.Forms.TabPage
        Me.TabPage2 = New System.Windows.Forms.TabPage
        Me.TabPage3 = New chicken
        … etc

Then after a rebuild it'll appear on the designer, and more can be added by using just:

Me.TabControl1.Controls.Add(New chicken)