The Windows Forms classes include a number of fundamental controls that are used with Forms classes, such as Button, TextBox, Label, LinkLabel, ListBox, CheckedListBox, ComboBox, ScrollBar, GroupBox, and Panel. All controls, including the Form class itself, are derived from the Control base class, which defines the basic functionality for all visible Windows Forms components. Most properties, methods, and events are defined by the Control class. Individual classes derived from the Control class add the properties, methods, and events to make them unique.
The Windows Forms Designer and its Properties window greatly simplify the task of writing a rich client application with Visual C# .NET. All properties and events can be accessed either through code or through the Properties window, making it a simple matter to define functionality either programmatically or declaratively.
In Chapter 13, we’ll move on to collecting user input and providing feedback, including working with the keyboard and mouse to obtain input from the user. You’ll learn how to add menus to your application and use status bars to provide feedback.