C# add textbox to a specific panel

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4.67/5 (2 votes)

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Hi, probably a very simple question, but I don't seem to find the solution my self.

I've added a panel in my c# project.

How can I switch in the designer between the main form layout and the panel(s)?
Also (but probably within the same answer as the above question) how can I add a textbox to a pecific panel or main form?

Regards.

UPDATE:
After some experimenting with this I came to this "workable" solution:
If you want to work with multiple panels which are being activated by a menu option here's a way which worked for me:

In my test case I have
1 Form: Form1
1 Menustrip: menuStrip1
1 MenuStrip option1: ToolStripMenuItem1 (activates Panel1)
1 MenuStrip option2: ToolStripMenuItem2 (activates Panel2)
1 Panel: Panel1
1 Panel: Panel2

I want the panels to fill the whole form when clicked from the menustrip option.

The problem was that I didn't understand that there's a simple way of selecting a panel in the GUI without moving them around.
Still this is not clear to me.
There's always one which is directly visible in VS.

So if you add the 2 panels to the main form, and give them Dock: Fill, you can't reach the main Form or the first added panel.
As the last added panel is visible.
You could think that you add all needed controls to the first panel before you add the second one.
This is Obviously true, but when you are starting a project, and do not know the scope of whisess or needs, than you need to alter the controls on a panel.

The work around to this I found in these methodes:
1) If you add the second panel, VS adds it to the first panel, instead of the Form.
So go to Form1.Designer.cs and find "this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);" and remove it from the controls list of Panel1 and add it to the controls list of the Form.

C#

//
// panel1
//
this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.panel2);

Remove and place in section Form1

C#

// 
// Form1
//
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);

2) If you want to work on panel 1 but now see the panel 2 in the Form.cs[Design], just alter the sequense the panels are listed in the control list of the Form:
This shows the panel 1 as active panel:

C#

//
// Form1
//
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);

This shows the panel 2 as active panel:

C#

//
// Form1
//
this.Controls.Add(this.panel2);
this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);

Posted 16-Dec-13 8:40am

Giancarlo39

Updated 22-Dec-13 0:36am

v2

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4 solutions

Solution 3

Please, read this tutorial: Creating Your First C# Application[^]

For further information, please see: Creating Your First Visual C# Application[^]

Posted 16-Dec-13 9:21am

Maciej Los

Comments

Giancarlo39 16-Dec-13 18:35pm

Hi Maciej,

As I'm new to C# I'm trying to find the answers online, and when I get stuck, I ask my question on a forum.

I'm very happy that you can past links, but I wasn't actually looking for a link, but a clarification of my mis understanding of the panel function.
If you think that my question is too stupid to be answered, please don't bother.
If you enjoy helping people with far less knowledge as your self please enlighten me with your fast understanding.
Because that is what forums are ment for (not for getting high responce rates).

Maciej Los 17-Dec-13 1:53am

There is no stupid question. There are stupid answers - sometimes ;)
I'm not sure about your issue, that's why i provided some links.
Please, provide more details and i promise to update my answer.
Cheers!
Maciej

Giancarlo39 17-Dec-13 2:17am

Hi Maciej,

See update above.

Solution 4

in last add your control to panel dynamically

this.panel1.controls.add(textbox1);

Posted 16-Dec-13 17:34pm

Gaurav Makwana

Solution 5

try this code...

C#

Checkbox cbx = new CheckBox();
                cbx.Location = new Point(15, y);
                cbx.Text = "Newcbx";
                cbx.AccessibleName = "cbx1";
                pnl_controls.Controls.Add(cbx);

pnl_controls is panel

happy coding

Posted 16-Dec-13 18:16pm

An@nd Rajan10

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Dave Kreskowiak · Accepted Answer · 2013-12-16T08:45:00

Solution 1

You just drag and drop the textbox control on the panel. That's it!

There is no "switching" between Form or Panel layout in the IDE.

Posted 16-Dec-13 8:45am

Dave Kreskowiak

Comments

Maciej Los 16-Dec-13 15:22pm

Short and to the point!
+5!

Giancarlo39 16-Dec-13 18:34pm

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your answer.

But if I drag the textbox to the panel it's visable in both the main form and panel.
So how can I only set it visable in the main form?
After adding a panel, the main form isn't visable anymore.
There for I'm a bit puzzled.

Dave Kreskowiak 16-Dec-13 18:52pm

No, it's not. A control cannot have two parent containers. It's visible in either one, but not the other at the same time.

idenizeni 16-Dec-13 18:53pm

Do you have the Dock or Anchor properties set on the panel? The panel is nothing more than a child control on the form, like any control on the form. If you have it set to use Dock or Anchor to fill the whole form then you will not see other controls on the form. As for adding the text box to a specific panel, you just need to drag the textbox onto the panel you want it to be a child of.

Giancarlo39 17-Dec-13 2:17am

Hi Idenizeni,

I made the panel have the Dock: fill property.
By means of the menustrip I wanted to have a settings panel, and the main function on the default Form.
By giving the panel Dock: fill, the panel filled (obviously) the entire canvas of the form.
So by dragging a tekst field to the canvas, it's actually viable in both the form and the panel.
I'm using VS2013 express.

As the panel fills the whole canvas I was expecting to either be able to slect the form or a panel to edit.
Or have a property at the textbox (or any control for that matter) the set it to the form or panel.

As it turns out it seems like there is not possability to switch, and there for I do not understand how I'm able to edit the Form, after a panel => Dock: fill is been altered.
Or how I am able to have the tekst box in both the panel and form.

Maciej Los 17-Dec-13 2:33am

In a design mode change the Panel's Dock property to None (or any other). Add TextBox to Panel or/and to Form. On Form_Load event change the Dock property for Panel to Fill. That's all.

Dave Kreskowiak 17-Dec-13 10:59am

The textbox is visibile in the Panel bounds only because it's in the designer and it's showing you where the textbox is. It is IMPOSSIBLE to have a control with two parent containers at the same time. It's either going to be the Panel or the Form. If you drop the TextBox on the Panel, the parent is the Panel. It cannot be found in the Form's Controls collection. It WILL be found in the Panel's Contorls collection.

If you're going to Dock=Full a Panel on a form, why are you trying to put controls on the Form itself? They can't be seen through the Panel unless you make the Panel Visible=False.

If you're going to do that, arrange all of your controls on the Form first, then put the Panel on the Form, dock it, then populate it with any controls you want on the Panel.

Giancarlo39 17-Dec-13 3:00am

Hi Maciej,

That sounded (a little bit) logical.
But I found that option (also undock in parent container), but still the panel is filling up the whole container.

Giancarlo39 17-Dec-13 15:15pm

Hi Dave,

On the form (which is my regular screen to have the user interact with the application), I want to have some controls which can be altered later if needed.
So add additional controls etc.
With a menustrip I made a selector to activate the panel (set it visible).
The panel holds my settings (database connection fields and some buttons to test connection etc.)
With the menustrip I can hide the panel again, and return to the default controls for the application.

In the designer I can see the Original first placed button on my form.
But when I activate the panel (Panel Task => Undock/Dock in Parent Container) which is set to Dock: Fill, the panel is totally overlapping the canvas of my Form (menustrip keeps visible).
And my (Form) button is hidden behind the panel.
So even in the designer, this is the way I would expect things to be.
Panel is not visible than see the button on the Form canvas.
Panel is visible than see the cotrols of the panel, and hidding the controls of the Form.
And when I build, I see the same behaviour, which is expected.

But when I undock the panel, and drag a new textbox to the canvas of the form (the panel is stil a little bit overlapping the form, because it can't be removed completly) this textbox, is shown in both the form and panel.
And both in the designer and after building the project.

So some how that control is visible in bioth the Form and Panel.
And this is not expoected behavior.

I'm using Visual Studio 2013 Express.

Dave Kreskowiak 17-Dec-13 16:12pm

The TextBox is sitting on the Form, in the Form's Controls collection. It is not part of the Panel at all. What you're seeing is the controls Z-Order. The Textbox is sitting above the Panel instead of below it. In the designer, click the TextBox, then pick "Send to back". That will put the TextBox behind the Panel.

Giancarlo39 18-Dec-13 5:47am

Hi Dave,

That was the solution.
I guess in the Form1.Designer.cs there are 2 sections for the collections:
this.panelSettings.Controls.Add(....
this.Controls.Add(....

The send to back puts the control in the right collection.
And it wasn't active in both, but merely visible in both.

So that solved the mystery.
I've learned a lot out of it, thank you.
So how can I set this answer as the Accept Solution?

Dave Kreskowiak 18-Dec-13 12:36pm

"Send to back" and "Bring to front" do not change the Controls collection the TextBox is a member of. They just change the order in the Z-Order in which the controls are drawn. Your TextBox and Panel controls are both siblings in the Form's Controls collection. That never changed when you clicked "Send to back".