Provides a base control designer class for extending the design-mode behavior of a Web server control.
Namespace:
System.Web.UI.Design
Assembly:
System.Design (in System.Design.dll)
Visual Basic (Declaration)
<SecurityPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Flags := SecurityPermissionFlag.UnmanagedCode)> _
Public Class ControlDesigner _
Inherits HtmlControlDesigner
Dim instance As ControlDesigner
[SecurityPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Flags = SecurityPermissionFlag.UnmanagedCode)]
public class ControlDesigner : HtmlControlDesigner
[SecurityPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction::Demand, Flags = SecurityPermissionFlag::UnmanagedCode)]
public ref class ControlDesigner : public HtmlControlDesigner
public class ControlDesigner extends HtmlControlDesigner
The ControlDesigner class provides a base control designer class that can be inherited from and extended to provide design-time support for a Web server control in a design host, such as Visual Studio 2005.
The object model for working with design-time rendering is improved over earlier versions, with the following new base classes to provide access to the simplified object model:
Automatic Formatting
You can create a variety of automatic and pre-defined formats that can simplify the process of page developers who are applying complex style changes to custom Web server controls. For example, the TableDesigner control, which derives from the ControlDesigner class, provides many automatic formats from which to choose. To implement and provide automatic formatting in your custom controls, use the following features:
Action Lists (Smart Tags)
Action lists are menus of important or widely used tasks that a page developer who uses a control can perform in a design-time user interface (UI), such as Visual Studio 2005. For example, the design-time view of your control could provide a menu of available tasks. This includes a task to format the control automatically. To learn about action lists, start with the following features:
Control Designer Regions
Regions are editable areas in the design-time view of a Web server control. This feature offers WYSIWYG-like editing of the template content, inner controls, and properties at design time. You can have the control designer create controls in regions or you can use the Toolbox to drag and drop controls into regions. Regions are managed with the following features:
Templates
The model for creating a UI for design-time editing of templated controls, such as the GridView control, has been greatly improved from earlier versions. You can create complex custom controls that include templates for various parts of the control, and your custom control designer can help page developers who are modifying templates with the following features:
Design-Time Rendering
The ControlDesigner class has the following methods to support design-time rendering of the Web server control. Most of these methods are the same as in earlier versions:
The following code example demonstrates how to create a simple designer class that derives from the ControlDesigner class. This control designer supports a custom TextControl class and provides a command to change the text size of a control at design time. The control designer is associated with the control by specifying the control designer in a DesignerAttribute object declaration on the TextControl class. The key to persisting property changes from the control designer to the HTML markup is found in the ToggleTextSize method of the custom ActionList class.
To try the example, add a reference to the System.Design.dll assembly and compile the code.
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic
Imports System.Web.UI
Imports System.Web.UI.Design
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.ComponentModel.Design
Namespace ASPNet.Design.Samples.VB
' Simple text Web control renders a text string.
' This control is associated with the TextSizeWebControlDesigner.
<DesignerAttribute(GetType(TextSizeWebControlDesigner)), _
ToolboxData("<{0}:TextControl runat='server'></{0}:TextControl>")> _
Public Class TextControl
Inherits Label
Private _largeText As Boolean = True
' Constructor
Public Sub New()
Text = "Test Phrase"
SetSize()
End Sub
' Determines whether the text is large or small
<Bindable(True), Category("Appearance"), DefaultValue(True)> _
Public Property LargeText() As Boolean
Get
Return _largeText
End Get
Set(ByVal value As Boolean)
_largeText = value
SetSize()
End Set
End Property
' Applies the LargeText property to the control
Private Sub SetSize()
If LargeText Then
Me.Font.Size = FontUnit.XLarge
Else
Me.Font.Size = FontUnit.Small
End If
End Sub
End Class
' This control designer offers DesignerActionList commands
' that can alter the design time html of the associated control.
Public Class TextSizeWebControlDesigner
Inherits ControlDesigner
Private _actionLists As DesignerActionListCollection
' Do not allow direct resizing of the control
Public Overrides ReadOnly Property AllowResize() As Boolean
Get
Return False
End Get
End Property
' Return a custom ActionList collection
Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ActionLists() As System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerActionListCollection
Get
If IsNothing(_actionLists) Then
_actionLists = New DesignerActionListCollection()
_actionLists.AddRange(MyBase.ActionLists)
' Add a custom DesignerActionList
_actionLists.Add(New ActionList(Me))
End If
Return _actionLists
End Get
End Property
' Create a custom class of DesignerActionList
Public Class ActionList
Inherits DesignerActionList
Private _parent As TextSizeWebControlDesigner
Private _items As DesignerActionItemCollection
' Constructor
Public Sub New(ByRef parent As TextSizeWebControlDesigner)
MyBase.New(parent.Component)
_parent = parent
End Sub
' Create the ActionItem collection and add one command
Public Overrides Function GetSortedActionItems() As DesignerActionItemCollection
If IsNothing(_items) Then
_items = New DesignerActionItemCollection()
_items.Add(New DesignerActionMethodItem(Me, "ToggleLargeText", "Toggle Text Size", True))
End If
Return _items
End Function
' ActionList command to change the text size
Private Sub ToggleLargeText()
' Get a reference to the parent designer's associated control
Dim ctl As TextControl = CType(_parent.Component, TextControl)
' Get a reference to the control's LargeText property
Dim propDesc As PropertyDescriptor = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(ctl)("LargeText")
' Get the current value of the property
Dim v As Boolean = CType(propDesc.GetValue(ctl), Boolean)
' Toggle the property value
propDesc.SetValue(ctl, (Not v))
End Sub
End Class
End Class
End Namespace
...
<%@ Page Language="VB" %>
<%@ Register TagPrefix="aspSample"
Namespace="ASPNet.Design.Samples.VB" %>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html >
<head runat="server">
<title>Untitled Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div>
<aspSample:TextControl ID="TextControl1" runat="server">
</aspSample:TextControl>
</div>
</form>
</body>
</html>
using System;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Web.UI.Design;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
namespace ASPNet.Design.Samples.CS
{
// Simple text Web control renders a text string.
// This control is associated with the TextSizeWebControlDesigner.
[DesignerAttribute(typeof(TextSizeWebControlDesigner)),
ToolboxData("<{0}:TextControl runat=\"server\"></{0}:TextControl>")]
public class TextControl : Label
{
private bool _largeText = true;
// Constructor
public TextControl()
{
Text = "Test Phrase";
SetSize();
}
// Determines whether the text is large or small
[Bindable(true), Category("Appearance"), DefaultValue("true")]
public bool LargeText
{
get { return _largeText; }
set
{
_largeText = value;
SetSize();
}
}
// Applies the LargeText property to the control
private void SetSize()
{
if (LargeText)
this.Font.Size = FontUnit.XLarge;
else
this.Font.Size = FontUnit.Small;
}
}
// This control designer offers DesignerActionList commands
// that can alter the design time html of the associated control.
public class TextSizeWebControlDesigner : ControlDesigner
{
private DesignerActionListCollection _actionLists = null;
// Do not allow direct resizing of the control
public override bool AllowResize
{
get { return false; }
}
// Return a custom ActionList collection
public override DesignerActionListCollection ActionLists
{
get
{
if (_actionLists == null)
{
_actionLists = new DesignerActionListCollection();
_actionLists.AddRange(base.ActionLists);
// Add a custom DesignerActionList
_actionLists.Add(new ActionList(this));
}
return _actionLists;
}
}
public class ActionList : DesignerActionList
{
private TextSizeWebControlDesigner _parent;
private DesignerActionItemCollection _items;
// Constructor
public ActionList(TextSizeWebControlDesigner parent)
: base(parent.Component)
{
_parent = parent;
}
// Create the ActionItem collection and add one command
public override DesignerActionItemCollection GetSortedActionItems()
{
if (_items == null)
{
_items = new DesignerActionItemCollection();
_items.Add(new DesignerActionMethodItem(this, "ToggleLargeText", "Toggle Text Size", true));
}
return _items;
}
// ActionList command to change the text size
private void ToggleLargeText()
{
// Get a reference to the parent designer's associated control
TextControl ctl = (TextControl)_parent.Component;
// Get a reference to the control's LargeText property
PropertyDescriptor propDesc = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(ctl)["LargeText"];
// Get the current value of the property
bool v = (bool)propDesc.GetValue(ctl);
// Toggle the property value
propDesc.SetValue(ctl, !v);
}
}
}
}
...
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>
<%@ Register TagPrefix="aspSample"
Namespace="ASPNet.Design.Samples.CS" %>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<script runat="server">
</script>
<html >
<head runat="server">
<title>Untitled Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div>
<aspSample:TextControl ID="TextControl1" runat="server">
</aspSample:TextControl>
</div>
</form>
</body>
</html>
System..::.Object
System.ComponentModel.Design..::.ComponentDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.HtmlControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ContainerControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.DataSourceDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ExtenderControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.HierarchicalDataSourceDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ReadWriteControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ScriptManagerDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.ScriptManagerProxyDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.TemplatedControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.TextControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.TimerDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.UpdatePanelDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.UpdateProgressDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design..::.UserControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.BaseDataBoundControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.ButtonDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.CalendarDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.ChangePasswordDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.CheckBoxDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.CompositeControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.ContentDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.ContentPlaceHolderDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.DataPagerDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.HiddenFieldDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.LiteralDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.LoginNameDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.LoginViewDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.PasswordRecoveryDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.PreviewControlDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.RepeaterDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.SiteMapPathDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.SubstitutionDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.TableDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls.WebParts..::.ProxyWebPartManagerDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls.WebParts..::.WebPartManagerDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls.WebParts..::.WebZoneDesigner
System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls..::.XmlDesigner
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.
Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98
The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.
.NET Framework
Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0
Reference
Other Resources