C#.net - How to bring a MDI child form to the front when MDI Parent has some controls in it

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- How to bring a MDI child form to the front when MDI Parent has some controls in it

I have created a "MDI Parent" form containing a Split Container & Tree View Controls, when i try to open a Form (MDI Child), that form opens behind the Split Container. Could some one please explain how to set this right.

If this is using controls class - MDICLIENT ... how do we now the exact number of the client control which represents the Child Form.
Ex:

in the following code we do not know the value for i

C#

MdiClient mdiClient = null;

               // Get the MdiClient from the parent form.

               for (int i = 0; i < this.Controls.Count; i++)
               {
      // If the form is an MDI container, it will contain an MdiClient control

   // just as it would any other control.

                 mdiClient = this.Controls[i] as MdiClient;
                   if (mdiClient != null)
                   {
                       // The MdiClient control was found.

                     // MessageBox.Show("name "+mdiClient.ToString());

                       //
                       mdiClient.BringToFront();

                       break;
                   }
               }

Posted 2-Jan-12 7:43am

Anthony Dilshan

Updated 2-Jan-12 7:46am

Wendelius

v2

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Wendelius · Answer 1 · 2012-01-02T08:03:00

Solution 1

MDI parent form should not have any controls on it excluding status bar or menu bar etc. MDI children are drawn behind the controls on MDI parent.

Also if this is a new software consider moving to SDI interface since MDI is deprecated actually a long time ago. For new users SDI is more convenient and familiar interface than the MDI which has different kinds of limitations.

Posted 2-Jan-12 8:03am

Wendelius

Comments

Anthony Dilshan 2-Jan-12 20:52pm

Thanks... guess I'll take your advice, in using SDI

Wendelius 3-Jan-12 0:26am

You're welcome :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Answer 2 · 2012-01-02T08:09:00

This is problematic because the MDI parent is not designed to host any controls except one. This control (which you can access using raw Windows API) is so called MDI client, it takes the whole client area of the MDI parent and is only designed to host MDI children. I remember that even the problem of drawing some background image on this surface was difficult.

So, here is my advice: stop torturing yourself and scare off your users with this rotten UI design. Even Microsoft does what it takes to discourage it. It is excluded from WPF and probably kept in Forms just for compatibility with legacy. Did you ever see any MDI UI which is at least professional? There is no such thing. You can do much easier to implement design without it, with much better quality. I'll give you an idea on what to do.

Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_document_interface#Disadvantages[^],
Question on using MDI windows in WPF[^],
MDIContainer giving error[^],
How to Create MDI Parent Window in WPF?[^],
How to set child forms maximized, last childform minimized[^].

Good luck,

—SA

Bryan Rogers · Answer 3 · 2013-04-12T06:35:00

Solution 4

I had this issue too and this is the code I used to handle it.

public partial class frmBeam : Form
{
frmMain FormMain;
frmBeamControl FormBeamControl;

private void frmBeam_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
FormBeamControl = new frmBeamControl();
FormBeamControl.Show();
this.FormBeamControl.TopMost = true;
}

}

Posted 12-Apr-13 6:35am

Bryan Rogers

Updated 12-Apr-13 6:39am

v2

Comments

Richard C Bishop 12-Apr-13 12:37pm

Please do not post answers to old threads. This one is almost a year and half old.

Aarti Meswania · Answer 4 · 2013-04-12T07:57:00

Solution 5

Load child form inside a panel then add that panel in MDI runtime
and it will work same as you desire...

C#

Form1 frm = new Form1(); // Child form's object
Panel p = new Panel(); // Run time a panel is created
p.Controls.Add(frm); // add child form in panel
this.Controls.Add(p); // 'this' means MDI so, add panel inside MDI
p.BringToFront(); // get panel in front or you can focus a control of child form
p.show(); // finally show form in MDI

Happy Coding!
:)

Posted 12-Apr-13 7:57am

Aarti Meswania

Comments

Richard C Bishop 12-Apr-13 13:59pm

Did you realize this thread is over a year old?

Aarti Meswania 12-Apr-13 14:03pm

right but it was listed in active questions in first page
so, I didn't notice the time of post

Richard C Bishop 12-Apr-13 14:05pm

I know, it happens. Done it myself before. I always check the dates now.

Aarti Meswania 12-Apr-13 14:06pm

:)

C#.net - How to bring a MDI child form to the front when MDI Parent has some controls in it

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