Implementation Details: The Composite Control
A composite control is a collection of Windows Forms controls encapsulated in a common container derived from UserControl. This kind of control is thus referred to generically as a
user control. The contained controls are called
constituent controls. See Table 1.
Table 1. Composite Control Usage
| Composite Control |
Manifestation |
Description |
| Add User Control Dialog |
 |
Start with the User Control template. |
| Generated Code |
public partial class UserControl1 :
UserControl
{
public UserControl1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
} |
The composite control derives from UserControl. |
| Designer Canvas |
 |
The designer opens with a blank canvas. |
| Runnable in test container? |
Yes |
|
Implementation Details: The Extended User Control
An extended user control derives from a single, existing control that you have created (e.g., the ClockControl), as distinct from the extended system control, a control derived from a standard .NET control (e.g., GroupBox) shown next. Table 2 provides details on the extended user control.
Table 2. Extended User Control Usage
| Extended User Control |
Manifestation |
Description |
| Add User Control Dialog |
 |
Use the Inherited User Control template. Upon pressing Add, an additional dialog opens requiring you to select the base control. |
| Generated Code |
public partial class UserControl1 :
ControlLib.ClockControl
{
public UserControl1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
} |
The extended control derives from the base control you selected. |
| Designer Canvas |
 |
The designer canvas renders the base control immediately. |
| Runnable in test container? |
Yes |
|
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