Develop Reference

Show a Messagebox if program is ran for the first time in C#

When a user runs the program for the first time I want a message box to show up.
I was thinking of something like this:
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if(firstTime)
{
MessageBox.Show("Welcome");
}
How could I get my program to display a message box when a user launches the program for the first time in c#?

You would need to store that information somewhere
File
System registry
Database
Settings in application
Then read the value, and setup the firstTime flag prior to check.

You can add a parameter to the application settings.
Go to the solution explorer in the section Properties and double click on Settings.settings.
Add a parameter named for example IsFirstLaunch and set type to bool with value True.
Then you can write:
if ( Properties.Settings.Default.IsFirstLaunch )
{
Properties.Settings.Default.IsFirstLaunch = false;
Properties.Settings.Default.Save();
MessageBox.Show("Welcome");
}
The settings are stored in:
c:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\{Assembly CompanyName}\{Assembly Name}.Url__________
So be careful to set Assembly CompanyName in the AssemblyInfo.cs in the same section.
Assembly Name is from the application project properties (double click on this Properties section).
You can delete this file to test again.

Settings.Default value does not change after release

I have a windows forms desktop application. I am using a settings variable in resource named Settings.Default.Code
So I set the value initial value in Form->Properties->Settings.Code="123"
And I have changed the value in application using code like this:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Settings.Default.Code = "ABC";
Settings.Default.Save();
}
After button click the Code value is same as following image
:
But if I get the value in code Settings.Default.Code is "ABC"
When I created a setup project and release the application, the value of this settings should be "123" but it is "ABC". The initial value is not get from first setted value. Why? How can I solve this problem?

Add this line to the beginning of your program:
Settings.Default.Reset();
More info: ApplicationSettingsBase.Reset Method

As #Peter Duniho mentioned, the problem is probably that the setting is already saved to your profile on your computer. Try to delete the config file before you test again:
C:\Users{username}\AppData\Local\{ApplicationName}
or
C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\{ApplicationName}

how to load a form only at the first time after program is installed

My speech recognition project include 2 forms form1 & form2. Form2 is my main form but before loading form2 my program take a variable value from user through form1 and pass it to form2. It means at start my program opens form1 takes value & pass it to form2 then form2 is shown.
Now my question is how to
make form1 load only at programs 1st launch after installation and after 1st launch directly form2 is loaded thereafter?
means form1 should not be loaded after that..

I suggest to use a simple textfile where you could store the input value recorded the first time your app starts, then, check if the file with the value exists and read it back.
For Example
string customValue = string.Empty;
string appData = Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData);
appData = Path.Combine(appData, "MyAppName");
if(!Directory.Exists(appData))
Directory.CreateDirectory(appData);
string appDataFile = Path.Combine(appData, "MyAppNameSettings.txt");
if(File.Exists(appDataFile))
customValue = File.ReadAllText(appDataFile);
else
{
customValue = AskUserForTheFirstTimeValue();
File.WriteAllText(appDataFile, customValue);
}
The file is stored in a subfolder of the common application data (C:\programdata) created to store your data files. You check if the file exists at first launch. If the file exists you read its content (assumed to be a simple string here), if the file doesn't exist then you ask the input and store the value for the successive runs of your app.

You can create a Registry Key in Windows Registry (regedit), and when you start your program verify if its exists and the value.
Link about Registry Keys:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.win32.registrykey(v=vs.110).aspx

You should have a settings file that keeps a variable like IsFirstRun = true; This application should be distributed and compiled with this file, at start up you should read this file and if you encounter the true state you should load the appropriate forms. You should also ensure that the value is immediately set to false for the second launch condition.
have a look at .net's setting class.

There are two ways I can suggest:
First one
Use the application configuration file:
Creating such file in c# is pretty easy, per usual if you start with a standard Windows Forms Project Template you will most likely already have an app.config in that project, if not, follow instructions from here (under Application Configuration Files).
Add a simple boolean value to the file like so (that appSettings-node is created under the root configuration-node:
<appSettings>
<add key="FirstRun" value="true" />
</appSettings>
In your first form, where you do your application configuration you add code to manipulate your app.config programmatically using the ConfigurationManager-Class for the event that configuration has been finished and can be saved (probably some button click, note that you will need a Reference to System.Configuration):
Configuration config = ConfigurationManager.OpenExeConfiguration(ConfigurationUserLevel.None);
bool myVal = bool.Parse(config.AppSettings.Settings["FirstRun"].Value);
if (myVal)
{
// MessageBox.Show("yep, its true");
config.AppSettings.Settings["FirstRun"].Value = false.ToString();
config.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Modified);
ConfigurationManager.RefreshSection("appSettings");
}
else
{
// MessageBox.Show("na, its not true anymore.");
}
Second one
Use a property grid for your application configuration:
Since from your description it seems you only use the first form to enter some application configuration values, I would recommend using the PropertyGrid-Control for that.
That control can be easily bound to an object that exposes some properties (what a surprise) that are then used to render a standardized control containing captions and value selection controls dependend on the property's types, for example:
public class Settings
{
public int MyProperty1 { get; set; }
public string MyProperty2 { get; set; }
}
Then you check at your program start, whether the configuration file (you define the path) exists, and if so, try to deserialize an object from its xml (sample below works for primitive types, for more complex ones you might have to extend the serializer, but you get the idea).
That serialized object represents your saved application settings, so you do not need to open up the propertygrid-form anymore.
If no file could be found the grid gets initialized with a simple new constructed object and you show that form:
this goes into your initialization code:
FileInfo file = new FileInfo("SaveHere.xml");
if (file.Exists)
{
using(StreamReader reader = new StreamReader("SaveHere.xml"))
{
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Settings));
Settings mySettings = (Settings)serializer.Deserialize(reader);
reader.Close();
}
}
else
{
this.propertyGrid1.SelectedObject = new Settings();
// show form code
}
this code goes into the event code where you want to save your configuration
using(StreamWriter writer = new StreamWriter("SaveHere.xml",false))
{
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(this.propertyGrid1.SelectedObject.GetType());
serializer.Serialize(writer, this.propertyGrid1.SelectedObject);
writer.Close();
}

Winforms preferences values

I'm a beginner in winforms, and just starting using it's preferences.
So, I add in my Settings.settings a Value named path, as string and User Scope.
I change it when I choose a new path with a FolderBrowserDialog and then, after a click on a Ok button, i change the preferences like this :
private void buttonPref_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Form2 subForm2 = new Form2(textBoxRep.Text);
subForm2.ShowDialog();
if (subForm2.DialogResult == DialogResult.OK)
{
Settings.Default.path= subForm2.rep();
subForm2.Close();
}
else
{
subForm2.Close();
}
}
public string rep()
{
return textBoxRep.Text;
}
Then, when I run my Application, I load the value in my preferences :
textBoxRep.Text = Settings.Default.path;
But, the value is set to empty after every new run.
So I tried with a Application Scope, but I got a read Only error on this : Settings.Default.path
How can I fix this? Is there a way to register the settings after mofified them?
Thank you.

you need to call Save method as below
Settings.Default.path= subForm2.rep();
Settings.Default.Save();
Settings that are application-scoped are read-only, and can only be
changed at design time or by altering the .config file in between
application sessions. Settings that are user-scoped, however, can be
written at run time just as you would change any property value. The
new value persists for the duration of the application session. You
can persist the changes to the settings between application sessions
by calling the Save method.
How To: Write User Settings at Run Time with C#

You need to also call Settings.Default.Save();

Reading default application settings in C#

I have a number of application settings (in user scope) for my custom grid control. Most of them are color settings. I have a form where the user can customize these colors and I want to add a button for reverting to default color settings. How can I read the default settings?
For example:
I have a user setting named CellBackgroundColor in Properties.Settings.
At design time I set the value of CellBackgroundColor to Color.White using the IDE.
User sets CellBackgroundColor to Color.Black in my program.
I save the settings with Properties.Settings.Default.Save().
User clicks on the Restore Default Colors button.
Now, Properties.Settings.Default.CellBackgroundColor returns Color.Black. How do I go back to Color.White?

#ozgur,
Settings.Default.Properties["property"].DefaultValue // initial value from config file
Example:
string foo = Settings.Default.Foo; // Foo = "Foo" by default
Settings.Default.Foo = "Boo";
Settings.Default.Save();
string modifiedValue = Settings.Default.Foo; // modifiedValue = "Boo"
string originalValue = Settings.Default.Properties["Foo"].DefaultValue as string; // originalValue = "Foo"

Reading "Windows 2.0 Forms Programming", I stumbled upon these 2 useful methods that may be of help in this context:
ApplicationSettingsBase.Reload
ApplicationSettingsBase.Reset
From MSDN:
Reload contrasts with Reset in that
the former will load the last set of
saved application settings values,
whereas the latter will load the saved
default values.
So the usage would be:
Properties.Settings.Default.Reset()
Properties.Settings.Default.Reload()

Im not really sure this is necessary, there must be a neater way, otherwise hope someone finds this useful;
public static class SettingsPropertyCollectionExtensions
{
public static T GetDefault<T>(this SettingsPropertyCollection me, string property)
{
string val_string = (string)Settings.Default.Properties[property].DefaultValue;
return (T)Convert.ChangeType(val_string, typeof(T));
}
}
usage;
var setting = Settings.Default.Properties.GetDefault<double>("MySetting");

Properties.Settings.Default.Reset() will reset all settings to their original value.

I've got round this problem by having 2 sets of settings. I use the one that Visual Studio adds by default for the current settings, i.e. Properties.Settings.Default. But I also add another settings file to my project "Project -> Add New Item -> General -> Settings File" and store the actual default values in there, i.e. Properties.DefaultSettings.Default.
I then make sure that I never write to the Properties.DefaultSettings.Default settings, just read from it. Changing everything back to the default values is then just a case of setting the current values back to the default values.

How do I go back to Color.White?
Two ways you can do:
Save a copy of the settings before the user changes it.
Cache the user modified settings and save it to Properties.Settings before the application closes.

I found that calling ApplicationSettingsBase.Reset would have the effect of resetting the settings to their default values, but also saving them at the same time.
The behaviour I wanted was to reset them to default values but not to save them (so that if the user did not like the defaults, until they were saved they could revert them back).
I wrote an extension method that was suitable for my purposes:
using System;
using System.Configuration;
namespace YourApplication.Extensions
{
public static class ExtensionsApplicationSettingsBase
{
public static void LoadDefaults(this ApplicationSettingsBase that)
{
foreach (SettingsProperty settingsProperty in that.Properties)
{
that[settingsProperty.Name] =
Convert.ChangeType(settingsProperty.DefaultValue,
settingsProperty.PropertyType);
}
}
}
}