.Net Form-Related Classes

NETCF implements a subset of the System.Windows.Forms and System.Drawing classes, which allow you to construct rich Windows CE–based user interfaces for your device applications. Much of the interaction with these classes is managed for you by the form designer component of Smart Device Extensions operating within Visual Studio .NET.

The implementation of WinForms under the .NET Compact Framework includes support for forms, most controls found in the .NET Framework, hosting third-party controls, bitmaps, and menus. lists the controls included with the .NET Compact Framework.

Table 1-1: NETCF Controls

CONTROL	DESCRIPTION
Button	Simple command button
CheckBox	Common check box
ComboBox	Drop-down list of times
ContextMenu	Context-sensitive menu for association with another object
DataGrid	Grid that can be bound to a data source
DomainUpDown	Control that provides a list of items the user can navigate using scroll bars
HScrollBar	Horizontal scroll bar
ImageList	Container used to store images, which in turn will be used with other controls such as the ToolBar, ListView, and TreeView
InputPanel	Controls the Soft Input Panel (SIP) on Windows CE devices
Label	Simple control that allows you to display text
ListBox	Control that provides a list of items from which the user can pick
ListView	Control that provides four views for displaying data: large icon, small icon, list, and details
MainMenu	Control that implements a menu with a form
NumericUpDown	Numeric input field that allows both manual entry as well as scroll bars
OpenFileDialog	Interfaces with the standard Windows CE Open File dialog box
Panel	Container used to hold other controls
PictureBox	Control used to display images of a variety of formats
ProgressBar	Visual indicator of a task's progress
RadioButton	Common radio button
SaveFileDialog	Interfaces with the standard Windows CE Save File dialog box
StatusBar	Simple panel for displaying text
TabControl	Control that provides a tabbed interface for an application
TextBox	Standard text input field
Timer	Basic timing component
ToolBar	Control that implements a toolbar on a form
TrackBar	Slider interface used with numeric data
TreeView	Control that presents data in a hierarchical layout
VScrollBar	Vertical scroll bar

Like everything else that is part of the .NET Compact Framework, the controls included with NETCF have limited functionality. They're missing properties, methods, and events found in their .NET Framework counterparts. A little coding (well, in some cases a lot of coding) can correct these shortcomings. That's because NETCF allows you to create your own controls by inheriting from the base control class, surprisingly enough named Control. From this foundation, you can add your own properties, methods, and events to create just the control you need.