Popup window in winform c#

Question

I'm working on a project where I need a popup window. But the thing is I also want to be able to add textboxes etc in this popup window thru the form designer.

So basically I have a button and when you click on it it will open another window that I've designed in the form designer.

I've been doing some googling but I haven't found what I needed yet so I was hoping you guys could help me!

Solution 1

Just create another form (let's call it formPopup) using Visual Studio. In a button handler write the following code:

var formPopup = new Form();
formPopup.Show(this); // if you need non-modal window

If you need a non-modal window use: formPopup.Show();. If you need a dialog (so your code will hang on this invocation until you close the opened form) use: formPopup.ShowDialog()

Solution 2

This is not so easy because basically popups are not supported in windows forms. Although windows forms is based on win32 and in win32 popup are supported. If you accept a few tricks, following code will set you going with a popup. You decide if you want to put it to good use :

class PopupWindow : Control
{
    private const int WM_ACTIVATE = 0x0006;
    private const int WM_MOUSEACTIVATE = 0x0021;

    private Control ownerControl;

    public PopupWindow(Control ownerControl)
        :base()
    {
        this.ownerControl = ownerControl;
        base.SetTopLevel(true);
    }

    public Control OwnerControl
    {
        get
        {
            return (this.ownerControl as Control);
        }
        set
        {
            this.ownerControl = value;
        }
    }

    protected override CreateParams CreateParams
    {
        get
        {
            CreateParams createParams = base.CreateParams;

            createParams.Style = WindowStyles.WS_POPUP |
                                 WindowStyles.WS_VISIBLE |
                                 WindowStyles.WS_CLIPSIBLINGS |
                                 WindowStyles.WS_CLIPCHILDREN |
                                 WindowStyles.WS_MAXIMIZEBOX |
                                 WindowStyles.WS_BORDER;
            createParams.ExStyle = WindowsExtendedStyles.WS_EX_LEFT |
                                   WindowsExtendedStyles.WS_EX_LTRREADING |
                                   WindowsExtendedStyles.WS_EX_RIGHTSCROLLBAR | 
                                   WindowsExtendedStyles.WS_EX_TOPMOST;

            createParams.Parent = (this.ownerControl != null) ? this.ownerControl.Handle : IntPtr.Zero;
            return createParams;
        }
    }

    [DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, ExactSpelling = true)]
    public static extern IntPtr SetActiveWindow(HandleRef hWnd);

    protected override void WndProc(ref Message m)
    {
        switch (m.Msg)
        {
            case WM_ACTIVATE:
                {
                    if ((int)m.WParam == 1)
                    {
                        //window is being activated
                        if (ownerControl != null)
                        {
                            SetActiveWindow(new HandleRef(this, ownerControl.FindForm().Handle));
                        }
                    }
                    break;
                }
            case WM_MOUSEACTIVATE:
                {
                    m.Result = new IntPtr(MouseActivate.MA_NOACTIVATE);
                    return;
                    //break;
                }
        }
        base.WndProc(ref m);
    }

    protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e)
    {
        base.OnPaint(e);
        e.Graphics.FillRectangle(SystemBrushes.Info, 0, 0, Width, Height);
        e.Graphics.DrawString((ownerControl as VerticalDateScrollBar).FirstVisibleDate.ToLongDateString(), this.Font, SystemBrushes.InfoText, 2, 2);
    }
}

Experiment with it a bit, you have to play around with its position and its size. Use it wrong and nothing shows.

Solution 3

Forms in C# are classes that inherit the Form base class.

You can show a popup by creating an instance of the class and calling ShowDialog().

Solution 4

If you mean to create a new form when a button is clicked, the below code may be of some use to you:

private void settingsButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // Create a new instance of the Form2 class
    Form2 settingsForm = new Form2();

    // Show the settings form
    settingsForm.Show();
}

From here, you could also use the 'Show Dialog' method

Solution 5

"But the thing is I also want to be able to add textboxes etc in this popup window thru the form designer."

It's unclear from your description at what stage in the development process you're in. If you haven't already figured it out, to create a new Form you click on Project --> Add Windows Form, then type in a name for the form and hit the "Add" button. Now you can add controls to your form as you'd expect.

When it comes time to display it, follow the advice of the other posts to create an instance and call Show() or ShowDialog() as appropriate.

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Comments

[Behrooz]

Nice, Can this inherit from UserControl or will it create problems? What is the purpose of overriding the wm_mouseactivate? last question, Can I use this.Activate() to keep compat with mono or will it not work since this is not a form? ty

[Philip Stuyck]

Don't know about user control, it is already itself derived from control so has other specialised behavior than control does, but it might work. Never tested this on mono either, I am not sure about the dll import to be more specific. In short it is making use of the underlying win32 api system.

[AdamBT]

comment in code snippet should read: // if you need non-modal window

[Sinatr]

I see there is duplicate of this answer for another question. I hope there is no more (they are posted nearly at same time, which is suspicious). Normally you would have to cast close vote on question as duplicate of this one instead of copy/pasting your answers

[Philip Stuyck]

I was not sure if this was what the op wanted. And since this is not accepted as answer I think my assumption is correct. The op meant something different with popup.