Layout Manager Package

The Layout Manager package provides a comprehensive set of Layout Managers that manage advanced layouts on a form. The layout management support of Windows Forms such as docking, anchoring, and padding is adequate for many layout management needs. However, your complex layout management needs can be met by the following layout managers that provide full design-time support:

In its most basic mode, a FlowLayout manager lays out child components in horizontal or vertical rows one after another. Users can specify row alignment as well as horizontal and vertical gaps.

In its most flexible and powerful mode, a FlowLayout automatically realigns controls by adjusting their size and location based on current font size, form size and localization settings.

CardLayout Manager treats the child components as a deck of cards, showing them one at a time, appropriately aligned. CardLayout is ideal for creating any kind of Property Page views.

GridLayout Manager divides the container into rows and columns of cells into which the components are placed. As the container is resized, the individual cells also grow or shrink proportionately.

GridBagLayout divides the container area into a grid and lets the children occupy one or more cells in this virtual grid. There are a number of constraints that can be applied to the children to control their positioning, sizing and re-sizing logic.

Similar to .NET control's docking capabilities the BorderLayout control lets users align child controls to parent's sides and also center. The advantage over .NET control's docking feature is that users can specify custom bounds for layout, suspend layout temporarily and layout non-control based components.

Key design features of Layout Manager package have been listed below:

• Comprehensive designer lets users completely set up and customize the layout at design-time without any coding.

• The Layout Manager's designer activates during design-time and provides users complete WYSIWYG functionality.

• Users can configure the Layout Manager and child Controls completely through extended properties.

• The controls laid out by the Layout managers can be rearranged in the designer by performing a drag-and-drop of controls in desired positions.

Users are not restricted to solely laying out control based child components. Users may layout any kind of drawing elements on a canvas, making sure to implement a simple interface.

Users may choose to exclude one or more child Controls from participation in layout management.

Users may specify a custom layout bounds different from the ClientRectangle of the Container.