In this article we will spend some time to
learn how to create a simple User Control in C# and add it to the Toolbox.
Creating a New User Control
The following is the procedure for creating a new User Control.
1. Create a new Windows Forms Control Library project from the list of templates
available and name it "TimerTickControl".
![Window-Form-Application.jpg]()
2. The following screen will appear for designing our control:
![designing Window]()
3. Add a label control to your form and name it "lblTimerTick" and clear its
Text Property.
![Label Control]()
4. Now to add an Icon to the control we will add an image to the project by
right-clicking the project then select "Add" -> "Existing Item" then select the
image then select "Set it Build Action" -> "Embedded Resource" from the
Properties.
5. Rename "UserControl1.cs" to "TimerTick.cs".
6. To add an Icon to the control use the ToolboxBitmap attribute to provide your
Control a visual appearance.
namespace
TimerTickControl
{
[ToolboxBitmap(@"D:\CSharp
Project Examples\TimerTickControl\TimerTickControl\LiveTimer.bmp")]
public
partial class
TimerTick :
UserControl
{
public TimerTick()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
}
}
7. Add a Timer Component to your project and set its Enabled Property to "True"
and the Interval to "1000".
8. In the Timer_Tick Event add the following code:
private void
timer1_Tick(object sender,
EventArgs e)
{
lblTimerTick.Text =
DateTime.Now.ToString();
}
The following is the complete code:
using
System;
using
System.Collections.Generic;
using
System.ComponentModel;
using
System.Drawing;
using
System.Data;
using
System.Linq;
using
System.Text;
using
System.Windows.Forms;
namespace
TimerTickControl
{
[ToolboxBitmap(@"D:\CSharp
Project Examples\TimerTickControl\TimerTickControl\LiveTimer.bmp")]
public
partial class
TimerTick :
UserControl
{
public TimerTick()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private
void timer1_Tick(object
sender, EventArgs e)
{
lblTimerTick.Text =
DateTime.Now.ToString();
}
}
}
9. Build the solution. You can locate the Path at "\bin\debug\".
![Build the solution]()
10. Now let us try to add the control to the project. Create a new Windows
Application Project .
![new Windows Application]()
11. Now add a reference ("Project" - > "Add Reference") to the DLL by locating
it from the Path where it is. Now the DLL has been added to your project.
![Adding DLL]()
12. Let us add the control to our Toolbox. Add a new tab in control box (here I
named it "MyControls").
![add the control to our Toolbox]()
13. Right-Click on the "My Controls" Tab and select "Choose Items". The
following dialog appears:
![Choose Items in ToolBox]()
14. Now click "Browse" and select the DLL, the control with the icon is
displayed as shown here:
![Browse and select the DLL]()
15. Click "OK" to add the control to the Toolbox. That is, our control is ready
to be added to the project.
16. Now try adding the control to the project by double-clicking on it.
![adding control to the project]()
17. Once the control has been added, it will show a running timer text in the
control.