DesignerAutoFormatCollection Class

Note: This class is new in the .NET Framework version 2.0.

Represents a collection of DesignerAutoFormat objects within a control designer. This class cannot be inherited.

Namespace: System.Web.UI.Design
Assembly: System.Design (in system.design.dll)

'Declaration
Public NotInheritable Class DesignerAutoFormatCollection
	Implements IList, ICollection, IEnumerable
'Usage
Dim instance As DesignerAutoFormatCollection

public final class DesignerAutoFormatCollection implements IList, ICollection, 
	IEnumerable
public final class DesignerAutoFormatCollection implements IList, ICollection, 
	IEnumerable

The ControlDesigner class and any derived class defines the AutoFormats property as a DesignerAutoFormatCollection object. Control developers can override the AutoFormats property in a derived control designer, add custom automatic formatting styles, and return the collection of supported formats to the visual designer.

The collection dynamically increases as objects are added. Indexes in this collection are zero-based. Use the Count property to determine how many automatic style formats are in the collection.

Additionally, use the DesignerAutoFormatCollection methods and properties to provide the following functionality:

  • The Add method to add a single format to the collection.

  • The Insert method to add a format at a particular index within the collection.

  • The Remove method to remove a format.

  • The RemoveAt method to remove the format at a particular index.

  • The Contains method to determine whether a particular format is already in the collection.

  • The IndexOf method to retrieve the index of a format within the collection.

  • The Item property to get or set the format at a particular index, using array notation.

  • The Clear method to remove all formats from the collection.

  • The Count property to determine the number of formats in the collection.

  • The IndexOf method to get the position of a format within the collection.

The following code example demonstrates how to implement the AutoFormats property in a custom control designer. The derived control designer implements the AutoFormats property by adding three instances of a custom automatic format that are derived from the DesignerAutoFormat class.

Imports System
Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.Web.UI
Imports System.Web.UI.Design
Imports System.Web.UI.Design.WebControls
Imports System.Web.UI.WebControls

Namespace CustomControls.Design

    ' A custom Label control whose contents can be indented
    <Designer(GetType(IndentLabelDesigner)), _
        ToolboxData("<{0}:IndentLabel Runat=""server""></{0}:IndentLabel>")> _
    Public Class IndentLabel
        Inherits System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label

        Dim _indent As Integer = 0

        <Category("Appearance"), DefaultValue(0), _
            PersistenceMode(PersistenceMode.Attribute)> _
        Property Indent() As Integer
            Get
                Return _indent
            End Get
            Set(ByVal Value As Integer)
                _indent = Value

                ' Get the number of pixels to indent
                Dim ind As Integer = _indent * 8

                ' Add the indent style to the control
                If ind > 0 Then
                    Me.Style.Add(HtmlTextWriterStyle.MarginLeft, ind.ToString() & "px")
                Else
                    Me.Style.Remove(HtmlTextWriterStyle.MarginLeft)
                End If
            End Set
        End Property

    End Class

    ' A design-time ControlDesigner for the IndentLabel control
    Public Class IndentLabelDesigner
        Inherits LabelDesigner

        Private _autoFormats As DesignerAutoFormatCollection = Nothing
        ' The collection of AutoFormat objects for the IndentLabel object
        Public Overrides ReadOnly Property AutoFormats() As DesignerAutoFormatCollection
            Get
                If _autoFormats Is Nothing Then
                    ' Create the collection
                    _autoFormats = New DesignerAutoFormatCollection()

                    ' Create and add each AutoFormat object
                    _autoFormats.Add(New IndentLabelAutoFormat("MyClassic"))
                    _autoFormats.Add(New IndentLabelAutoFormat("MyBright"))
                    _autoFormats.Add(New IndentLabelAutoFormat("Default"))
                End If

                Return _autoFormats
            End Get
        End Property

        ' An AutoFormat object for the IndentLabel control
        Public Class IndentLabelAutoFormat
            Inherits DesignerAutoFormat

            Public Sub New(ByVal name As String)
                MyBase.New(name)
            End Sub

            ' Applies styles based on the Name of the AutoFormat
            Public Overrides Sub Apply(ByVal inLabel As Control)
                If TypeOf inLabel Is IndentLabel Then
                    Dim ctl As IndentLabel = CType(inLabel, IndentLabel)

                    ' Apply formatting according to the Name
                    If Me.Name.Equals("MyClassic") Then
                        ' For MyClassic, apply style elements directly to the control
                        ctl.ForeColor = Color.Gray
                        ctl.BackColor = Color.LightGray
                        ctl.Font.Size = FontUnit.XSmall
                        ctl.Font.Name = "Verdana,Geneva,Sans-Serif"
                    ElseIf Me.Name.Equals("MyBright") Then
                        ' For MyBright, apply style elements to the Style object
                        Me.Style.ForeColor = Color.Maroon
                        Me.Style.BackColor = Color.Yellow
                        Me.Style.Font.Size = FontUnit.Medium

                        ' Merge the AutoFormat style with the control's style
                        ctl.MergeStyle(Me.Style)
                    Else
                        ' For the Default format, apply style elements to the control
                        ctl.ForeColor = Color.Black
                        ctl.BackColor = Color.Empty
                        ctl.Font.Size = FontUnit.XSmall
                    End If
                End If
            End Sub
        End Class
    End Class

End Namespace

System.Object
  System.Web.UI.Design.DesignerAutoFormatCollection

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 98, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 2.0
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