What is the proper way to change Form language at runtime?
Setting all controls manually using recursion like this
Save language choice to file > Restart Application > Load languge
choice before InitializeComponent();
Using Form constructor to replace instance of active from (if this is even possible)
Something else
There is so much half written threads about this but none provides real answer on what is proper way to do this?
UPDATE:
To clarify my question:
Doing something like this:
public Form1()
{
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo("de");
this.InitializeComponent();
}
works fine and all my controls and everything else in resources get translated correctly.
And doing something like:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo("en");
}
does nothing, Form stays in language I set up before InitializeComponent();
I believe the solution shown in Hans Passant's comment might be the only (general) solution.
Personally, I use this base class for all forms that need to be localized:
public class LocalizedForm : Form
{
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when current UI culture is changed
/// </summary>
[Browsable(true)]
[Description("Occurs when current UI culture is changed")]
[EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Advanced)]
[Category("Property Changed")]
public event EventHandler CultureChanged;
protected CultureInfo culture;
protected ComponentResourceManager resManager;
/// <summary>
/// Current culture of this form
/// </summary>
[Browsable(false)]
[Description("Current culture of this form")]
[EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)]
public CultureInfo Culture
{
get { return this.culture; }
set
{
if (this.culture != value)
{
this.ApplyResources(this, value);
this.culture = value;
this.OnCultureChanged();
}
}
}
public LocalizedForm()
{
this.resManager = new ComponentResourceManager(this.GetType());
this.culture = CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture;
}
private void ApplyResources(Control parent, CultureInfo culture)
{
this.resManager.ApplyResources(parent, parent.Name, culture);
foreach (Control ctl in parent.Controls)
{
this.ApplyResources(ctl, culture);
}
}
protected void OnCultureChanged()
{
var temp = this.CultureChanged;
if (temp != null)
temp(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
Then instead of directly changing Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture, I use this property in static manager class to change UI culture:
public static CultureInfo GlobalUICulture
{
get { return Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture; }
set
{
if (GlobalUICulture.Equals(value) == false)
{
foreach (var form in Application.OpenForms.OfType<LocalizedForm>())
{
form.Culture = value;
}
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = value;
}
}
}
I have found another way:
Move initialization form code in a private method like below:
private void FormInitialize() {/*Your code here*/}
In the form constructor use it like this:
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
FormInitialize();
}
And from Button, menuItem or other call method like this:
private void ChangeCultureToFrench_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo("fr");
this.Controls.Clear();
this.InitializeComponent();
FormInitialize();
}
I hope this helps ;-)
I've discovered this kind of approach a few minutes ago. Just quick and simple restart of the main form. Meybe it will help to someone. Event is created inside the form on my own, called when user selects the language from menu but after the selected culture's name is saved into the settings. Culture names are then loaded from that settings. Works exactly as I need and looks like proper solution.
static class Program
{
private static bool doNotExit = true;
private static FormMain fm;
/// <summary>
/// The main entry point for the application.
/// </summary>
[STAThread]
static void Main()
{
Application.EnableVisualStyles();
Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
while(doNotExit)
{
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new CultureInfo(Properties.Settings.Default.language);//
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo(Properties.Settings.Default.language);//
doNotExit = false;
fm = new FormMain();
fm.lanugageChangedEvent += new EventHandler(main_LanugageChangedEvent);
Application.Run(fm);
}
}
static void main_LanugageChangedEvent(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
doNotExit = true;
fm.Close();
}
}
In reference to your ColumnHeader .NET framework bug, I also discovered this bug recently and posted a question about it (to which I haven't received any responses). I was able to fix the problem by hardcoding the changes for the ColumnHeaders. For example:
resources.ApplyResources(_myHeader, "_myHeader", culture);
You basically just replace the call to .Name with a literal string of the name. I have tested this and it works. Unfortunately this means it won't fit as part of the code you use to change all of the controls. You will have to add a line for each ColumnHeader object you need to change. If you have a listview with a variable number of columns, that could get tricky. Another option is to create localized resource files. I assume you probably already have them for stuff like message box text and other strings. Then you can add an entry in your resource file like "columnHeader_myHeader" and set the appropriate language text for each language. Finally, you can manually change the text to your column headers by using:
_myHeader.Text = myResourceFileName.columnHeader_myHeader;
This will select the appropriate language based on the current thread culture.
Hans was correct in that there doesn't seem to be a foolproof "proper" way to perform localization in .NET, though there are a variety of tools you can use. For something like a job application, even though it is probably already too late for this advice, my suggestion would be to learn as many different methods as you can for localization, learn the pros and cons, and then just pick a system and be able to argue why you believe it is the "proper" choice. They are probably more concerned with your logic and reasoning and demonstration of prior experience than they are with the actual method.
Hope this would help anyone, I found it best for me cause i needed to change buttons location according the lang (browse on the right or left of the search box and labels next to text fields).
save a public var on the main that will hold the lang.
created a class which handles the visual part
created xml files that will hold any language data and more (in my xml tag name=object name).
sent that class's constructor the form (to save and work with)
connect to that current xml file
From main form call whenever you want to initialView (part of the view class) and change lang (and more) anytime (just connect to the right xml file):
public void initialView()
{
//Set rightToLeft values
initialIndent(mainForm);
//set visual text values
initialTxt();
}
private void initialTxt()
{
// Are there any more controls under mainObj (Form1)?
Boolean endOfElemsUnderPnl = false;
// The current Control im working on
Object curObj = mainForm;
do
{
// MenuStrip needs to be handled separately
if (typeof(MenuStrip).ToString().Equals(curObj.GetType().ToString()))
{
foreach (ToolStripMenuItem miBase in ((MenuStrip)(curObj)).Items)
{
miBase.Text = mainForm.dbCon.getData(miBase.Name.ToString());
foreach (ToolStripMenuItem miInnerNode in miBase.DropDownItems)
{
miInnerNode.Text = mainForm.dbCon.getData(miInnerNode.Name.ToString());
}
}
}
// Any other Control i have on the form
else
{
((Control)(curObj)).Text = mainForm.dbCon.getData(((Control)(curObj)).Name.ToString());
}
curObj = mainForm.GetNextControl(((Control)(curObj)), true);
// Are there any more controls under mainObj?
if (null == curObj)
{
endOfElemsUnderPnl = true;
}
} while (!endOfElemsUnderPnl);
}
private void initialIndent(frmMyFileManager parent)
{
if (parent.Language.Equals("Hebrew"))
{
parent.RightToLeft = RightToLeft.Yes;
}
else if (parent.Language.Equals("English"))
{
parent.RightToLeft = RightToLeft.No;
}
else
{
parent.RightToLeft = RightToLeft.No;
}
}
And this is an example of how easy it is for my at runtime:
private void selectLanguageToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DialogResult res = MessageBox.Show(this, "click yes for english and no for hebrew", "Select language", MessageBoxButtons.YesNoCancel);
if (DialogResult.Yes == res)
{
Language = "English";
}
else if (DialogResult.No == res)
{
Language = "Hebrew";
}
dbCon = new CDBConnector("****\\lang" + Language + ".xml");
view.initialView();
}
Related
In a WinForms (C#) application, I have created a language menu strip and a sound button but I don't know how to make them switchable.
I mean I want the sound button to stop sound when i hit it & play sound when i hit it again and change its icon as well ?
Similarly, the language menu, how to make it change language with "Localizable" and its text to the other language at first hit, then turn back at second hit ?
Here is my code:
using System.Globalization;
using System.Threading;
namespace Project
{
public partial class Form2 : Form
{}
private void Menu_LanguageSwitch_Click (object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//Switch to EN - what's here?
{
CultureInfo ci = new CultureInfo("en-US");
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = ci;
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = ci;
System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager res = new ComponentResourceManager(typeof(Form2));
res.ApplyResources(lbl_Status, "lbl_Status");
Menu_LanguageSwitch.Text = "Francais";
}
//Switch to French
{
CultureInfo ci = new CultureInfo("fr");
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = ci;
System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = ci;
System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager res = new ComponentResourceManager(typeof(Form2));
res.ApplyResources(Menu_LanguageSwitch, "Menu_LanguageSwitch");
res.ApplyResources(label2, "label2");
res.ApplyResources(label3, "label3");
res.ApplyResources(label4, "label4");
res.ApplyResources(label5, "label5");
res.ApplyResources(label6, "label6");
res.ApplyResources(label7, "label7");
res.ApplyResources(label8, "label8");
res.ApplyResources(lbl_Status, "lbl_Status");
Menu_LanguageSwitch.Text = "Francais";
}
}
}
Thank you, please make it clear to a beginner. I'ma "rookie".
You'll need to keep track of the current state of the program, so you can check against it when the button is pushed. For simple flags (like "Mute") this can just be a bool:
private bool isMuted = false;
private void onSoundClick(...)
{
if (isMuted)
{
//Do unmute kind of things
isMuted = false;
}
else
{
//Do mute kind of things
isMuted = true;
}
}
The localization logic would be similar, but if you want it to be more than 2 languages, you'll need to cycle through a list/queue.
the simple way is the use a form scope variable
Externalize to the form
CultureInfo ci = new CultureInfo("fr");
when you click the button check the active CutureInfo and then switch to the correct
i want to call anything from mainform (mainform.cs) from GraficDisplay (namespace)
in the other (namespace) : GraphLib , but i can't , would any one tell me why? and how can i resolve this problem? Its been giving me hard time since the start of the project, every time I try these errors appear:
When I call:
mainform.toolstriplabel1.text = "87";
this appears:
The name 'mainform' does not exist in the current context
and if I call this:
GraficDisplay.MainForm.toolstriplabel1.text = "87";
this appears:
The name 'GraficDisplay' does not exist in the current context
I mean I even can't call the GraficDisplay (namespace) in GraphLib (namespace)
also the MainForm is public and partial.
I usually don't follow links here either but CodeProject is a rather reliable source imo, so I had a look.
Edit: I was confused as to what you want. Here is what you seem to actually wnat:
The problem is about referencing a form or part of it from another form or part of it. It is further a problem of dealing with a Library, that really shouldn't be messed up be adding namespaces of an example application or dependencies etc..
So what you want is loose coupling.
Here is a solution that uses references in the library objects and register methods to fill the references. If you don't register anything the library will work normally.
This solution can be changed and expanded but I'll leave it at registering two objects: One is a Control, eg.g a TextBox; the other is a Component e.g. a ToolStripItem. If you want to reference only the ToolStripItem you can omit the references to the Control and the RegisterCtl methods.
In hat case you can and should also substitute 'Component' for 'ToolStripItem' to make things thighter!
First you go to the ultimate consumer of the actions, PlotterGraphSelectCurvesForm. Here you add these two blocks of code:
public partial class PlotterGraphSelectCurvesForm : Form
{
private int selectetGraphIndex = -1;
private PlotterGraphPaneEx gpane = null;
// block one: a Control reference (if you like!):
Control myTextCtl;
public void RegisterCtl(Control ctl) { if (ctl != null) myTextCtl = ctl; }
// block one: a Component reference:
Component myTextComp;
public void RegisterComp(Component comp) { if (comp != null) myTextComp = comp; }
//..
Next you code what you want to happen, maybe like this:
void tb_GraphName_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (selectetGraphIndex >= 0 && selectetGraphIndex < gpane.Sources.Count)
{
DataSource src = gpane.Sources[selectetGraphIndex];
String Text = tb_GraphName.Text;
// all controls have a Text:
if (myTextCtl != null) myTextCtl.Text = Text;
// here you need to know the type:
if (myTextComp != null) ((ToolStripItem) myTextComp).Text = Text;
//..
}
In theory all you now need to do is to register the TextBox and/or the ToolStripItem in the Mainform.. However, there is a complication: The PlotterGraphSelectCurvesForm is not called from the Mainform! Instead it is called from a UserObject PlotterGraphPaneEx, which in turn is sitting in the MainForm. In the same sprit of not messing up the library by creating dependencies you simply add the very same references and registration methods to this UO as well:
public partial class PlotterDisplayEx : UserControl
{
#region MEMBERS
Control myTextCtl;
public void RegisterCtl(Control ctl) { if (ctl != null) myTextCtl = ctl; }
Component myTextComp;
public void RegisterComp(Component comp) { if (comp != null) myTextComp = comp; }
//..
Now you can actually register things, both in the MainForm..:
public MainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
display.RegisterCtl(aDemoTextBox);
display.RegisterComp(toolstriplabel1);
//..
..and in the UO:
private void selectGraphsToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (GraphPropertiesForm == null)
{
GraphPropertiesForm = new PlotterGraphSelectCurvesForm();
GraphPropertiesForm.RegisterCtl(myTextCtl);
GraphPropertiesForm.RegisterComp(myTextComp);
}
//..
Now when you open the Properties form and change the LabelText you can see both the text in the Graphs and the text in both the Menu and the TextBox change..
I'm having a real problem trying to set a custom property of a data flow component I've created through a custom form.
The value I'm assigning is just now being set, the custom property either remains the original value or stays null.
In my TaskClass I've overridden the ProvideComponentProperties() method and I've created the custom property as shown below.
IDTSCustomProperty100 componentCustomProperty = ComponentMetaData.CustomPropertyCollection.New();
componentCustomProperty.Name = "PAFProvider";
componentCustomProperty.Description = "PAF Provider";
componentCustomProperty.Value = "testinitial";
I've created a TaskClassUI which inherits from the IDtsComponentUI interface. I implement all required methods.
My Initialise method.
public void Initialize(IDTSComponentMetaData100 dtsComponentMetadata, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
{
this._dtsComponentMetaData = dtsComponentMetadata;
this._serviceprovider = serviceProvider;
}
The implementation of my Edit Method
public bool Edit(IWin32Window parentWindow, Variables variables, Connections connections)
{
bool flag;
try
{
PAFUIMainWnd ui = new PAFUIMainWnd(this._dtsComponentMetaData, this._serviceprovider, connections);
DialogResult result = ui.ShowDialog(parentWindow);
bool flag1 = result != DialogResult.OK;
if(!flag1)
{
flag = true;
return flag;
}
}
catch(Exception exe)
{
MessageBox.Show(exe.ToString());
}
flag = false;
return flag;
}
And the implementation of my UIFORM.
public PAFUIMainWnd(IDTSComponentMetaData100 iDTSComponentMetaData100, IServiceProvider serviceProvider, Connections connections)
{
this.components = null;
this.InitializeComponent();
this._dtsComponentMetaData = iDTSComponentMetaData100;
this._designTimeComponent = this._dtsComponentMetaData.Instantiate();
textBox1.Text = _dtsComponentMetaData.CustomPropertyCollection["PAFProvider"].Value.ToString();
}
And just for testing purposes I've stuck a textbox and a button on my form. The OnClick even for the button is below. I'm just taking the value from the textbox and assigning it to the Custom Property but its not assigning it. I can read the original value from the Custom Property which I assign to the text box. I just dont understand why I can't assign it. I've followed the MSDN and various other examples through completely. If anyone can point out what I've done wrong I would be very greatful. Its gotten to the head banging stage.
private void btnOK_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
_designTimeComponent.SetComponentProperty("PAFProvider", textBox1.Text);
this.Close();
}
A restart fixed this. The code was perfectly fine.
I have a windows form application. On the main form a user will enter a number of item, etc and then click a button which will open a new form (either a small form or a large form depending on a checkbox). Now on my main application I have a file menu - under which is settings - change background colour. This opens the colordialog. If a user does not pick anything the background colours will stay default. However if they change it on the main entry form i change the background of a few textboxes - code below.
private void warning1ToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
colorDialog1.ShowDialog();
Warn1Color = colorDialog1.Color.ToString();
if (Warn1Color != null)
{
tbWarn1Hrs.BackColor = colorDialog1.Color;
tbWarn1Mins.BackColor = colorDialog1.Color;
tbWarn1Secs.BackColor = colorDialog1.Color;
tbWarn1Msg.BackColor = colorDialog1.Color;
}
}
Now my problem is how to I get this to then change the background in the other form that opens. I was hoping I could pass the string across in the new form constructor as i do with a number of other values.
i.e - here is my code in the new form....(note - string Warn1Color was passed across in constructor and then made = to the string _Warn1Color. If it is null then background will be default yellow but it cant convert type string to system.drawing.color. Does anyone see an easy solution to this or what I could do to get this working easily.
if (_Warn1Color == null)
{
this.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.Yellow;
}
else
this.BackColor = _Warn1Color;
Pass the Color on via the Constructor not a string. If this is not possibly for whatever reason, you could create a ColorConfigClass that holds the required Color and you can set it when used.
You should create a static class to store your configuration data such as this colour style. You can then set this value once you have prompted the user for the change and you can also call the Color value from any other form when you need to use it.
Your static class should look something like this...
public static class StyleSettings{
private static Color _warn1Color = Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 0);//default colour
public static Color Warn1Color {
get { return _warn1Color; }
set { _warn1Color = value; }
}
}
Then you can use this in your example method like...
private void warning1ToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (colorDialog1.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
StyleSettings.Warn1Color = colorDialog1.Color;
tbWarn1Hrs.BackColor = StyleSettings.Warn1Color;
tbWarn1Mins.BackColor = StyleSettings.Warn1Color;
tbWarn1Secs.BackColor = StyleSettings.Warn1Color;
tbWarn1Msg.BackColor = StyleSettings.Warn1Color;
}
}
I assume you used a string because you wanted to be able to pass null, and System.Drawing.Color being a struct can not be null.
In which case either use Nullable ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/b3h38hb0%28v=vs.80%29.aspx ) which can be null or you can consider some other value as "default", say alpha=0.
To pass a value in your constructor simply go to the code file for the form (the one where you code the stuff for the events) and find the constructor function (has the same name as the form) e.g.:
namespace MyApp
{
public partial class MyForm : Form
{
public MyForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
...
And add the parameters to it:
namespace MyApp
{
public partial class MyForm : Form
{
public MyForm(System.drawing.color background)
{
InitializeComponent();
...do whatever you want with background...
}
...
Of course you also need to edit the places you create this form, e.g. change
form = new MyForm();
form.Show();
to
form = new MyForm(backgroundColour);
form.Show();
What would be the best way to develop a text box that remembers the last x number of entries that were put into it. This is a standalone app written with C#.
This is actually fairly easy, especially in terms of showing the "AutoComplete" part of it. In terms of remembering the last x number of entries, you are just going to have to decide on a particular event (or events) that you consider as an entry being completed and write that entry off to a list... an AutoCompleteStringCollection to be precise.
The TextBox class has the 3 following properties that you will need:
AutoCompleteCustomSource
AutoCompleteMode
AutoCompleteSource
Set AutoCompleteMode to SuggestAppend and AutoCompleteSource to CustomSource.
Then at runtime, every time a new entry is made, use the Add() method of AutoCompleteStringCollection to add that entry to the list (and pop off any old ones if you want). You can actually do this operation directly on the AutoCompleteCustomSource property of the TextBox as long as you've already initialized it.
Now, every time you type in the TextBox it will suggest previous entries :)
See this article for a more complete example: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/mahesh/AutoCompletion02012006113508AM/AutoCompletion.aspx
AutoComplete also has some built in features like FileSystem and URLs (though it only does stuff that was typed into IE...)
#Ethan
I forgot about the fact that you would want to save that so it wasn't a per session only thing :P But yes, you are completely correct.
This is easily done, especially since it's just basic strings, just write out the contents of AutoCompleteCustomSource from the TextBox to a text file, on separate lines.
I had a few minutes, so I wrote up a complete code example...I would've before as I always try to show code, but didn't have time. Anyway, here's the whole thing (minus the designer code).
namespace AutoComplete
{
public partial class Main : Form
{
//so you don't have to address "txtMain.AutoCompleteCustomSource" every time
AutoCompleteStringCollection acsc;
public Main()
{
InitializeComponent();
//Set to use a Custom source
txtMain.AutoCompleteSource = AutoCompleteSource.CustomSource;
//Set to show drop down *and* append current suggestion to end
txtMain.AutoCompleteMode = AutoCompleteMode.SuggestAppend;
//Init string collection.
acsc = new AutoCompleteStringCollection();
//Set txtMain's AutoComplete Source to acsc
txtMain.AutoCompleteCustomSource = acsc;
}
private void txtMain_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyCode == Keys.Enter)
{
//Only keep 10 AutoComplete strings
if (acsc.Count < 10)
{
//Add to collection
acsc.Add(txtMain.Text);
}
else
{
//remove oldest
acsc.RemoveAt(0);
//Add to collection
acsc.Add(txtMain.Text);
}
}
}
private void Main_FormClosed(object sender, FormClosedEventArgs e)
{
//open stream to AutoComplete save file
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter("AutoComplete.acs");
//Write AutoCompleteStringCollection to stream
foreach (string s in acsc)
sw.WriteLine(s);
//Flush to file
sw.Flush();
//Clean up
sw.Close();
sw.Dispose();
}
private void Main_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//open stream to AutoComplete save file
StreamReader sr = new StreamReader("AutoComplete.acs");
//initial read
string line = sr.ReadLine();
//loop until end
while (line != null)
{
//add to AutoCompleteStringCollection
acsc.Add(line);
//read again
line = sr.ReadLine();
}
//Clean up
sr.Close();
sr.Dispose();
}
}
}
This code will work exactly as is, you just need to create the GUI with a TextBox named txtMain and hook up the KeyDown, Closed and Load events to the TextBox and Main form.
Also note that, for this example and to make it simple, I just chose to detect the Enter key being pressed as my trigger to save the string to the collection. There is probably more/different events that would be better, depending on your needs.
Also, the model used for populating the collection is not very "smart." It simply deletes the oldest string when the collection gets to the limit of 10. This is likely not ideal, but works for the example. You would probably want some sort of rating system (especially if you really want it to be Google-ish)
A final note, the suggestions will actually show up in the order they are in the collection. If for some reason you want them to show up differently, just sort the list however you like.
Hope that helps!
I store the completion list in the registry.
The code I use is below. It's reusable, in three steps:
replace the namespace and classname in this code with whatever you use.
Call the FillFormFromRegistry() on the Form's Load event, and call SaveFormToRegistry on the Closing event.
compile this into your project.
You need to decorate the assembly with two attributes: [assembly: AssemblyProduct("...")] and [assembly: AssemblyCompany("...")] . (These attributes are normally set automatically in projects created within Visual Studio, so I don't count this as a step.)
Managing state this way is totally automatic and transparent to the user.
You can use the same pattern to store any sort of state for your WPF or WinForms app. Like state of textboxes, checkboxes, dropdowns. Also you can store/restore the size of the window - really handy - the next time the user runs the app, it opens in the same place, and with the same size, as when they closed it. You can store the number of times an app has been run. Lots of possibilities.
namespace Ionic.ExampleCode
{
public partial class NameOfYourForm
{
private void SaveFormToRegistry()
{
if (AppCuKey != null)
{
// the completion list
var converted = _completions.ToList().ConvertAll(x => x.XmlEscapeIexcl());
string completionString = String.Join("¡", converted.ToArray());
AppCuKey.SetValue(_rvn_Completions, completionString);
}
}
private void FillFormFromRegistry()
{
if (!stateLoaded)
{
if (AppCuKey != null)
{
// get the MRU list of .... whatever
_completions = new System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteStringCollection();
string c = (string)AppCuKey.GetValue(_rvn_Completions, "");
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(c))
{
string[] items = c.Split('¡');
if (items != null && items.Length > 0)
{
//_completions.AddRange(items);
foreach (string item in items)
_completions.Add(item.XmlUnescapeIexcl());
}
}
// Can also store/retrieve items in the registry for
// - textbox contents
// - checkbox state
// - splitter state
// - and so on
//
stateLoaded = true;
}
}
}
private Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey AppCuKey
{
get
{
if (_appCuKey == null)
{
_appCuKey = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(AppRegistryPath, true);
if (_appCuKey == null)
_appCuKey = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(AppRegistryPath);
}
return _appCuKey;
}
set { _appCuKey = null; }
}
private string _appRegistryPath;
private string AppRegistryPath
{
get
{
if (_appRegistryPath == null)
{
// Use a registry path that depends on the assembly attributes,
// that are presumed to be elsewhere. Example:
//
// [assembly: AssemblyCompany("Dino Chiesa")]
// [assembly: AssemblyProduct("XPathVisualizer")]
var a = System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
object[] attr = a.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(System.Reflection.AssemblyProductAttribute), true);
var p = attr[0] as System.Reflection.AssemblyProductAttribute;
attr = a.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(System.Reflection.AssemblyCompanyAttribute), true);
var c = attr[0] as System.Reflection.AssemblyCompanyAttribute;
_appRegistryPath = String.Format("Software\\{0}\\{1}",
p.Product, c.Company);
}
return _appRegistryPath;
}
}
private Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey _appCuKey;
private string _rvn_Completions = "Completions";
private readonly int _MaxMruListSize = 14;
private System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteStringCollection _completions;
private bool stateLoaded;
}
public static class Extensions
{
public static string XmlEscapeIexcl(this String s)
{
while (s.Contains("¡"))
{
s = s.Replace("¡", "¡");
}
return s;
}
public static string XmlUnescapeIexcl(this String s)
{
while (s.Contains("¡"))
{
s = s.Replace("¡", "¡");
}
return s;
}
public static List<String> ToList(this System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteStringCollection coll)
{
var list = new List<String>();
foreach (string item in coll)
{
list.Add(item);
}
return list;
}
}
}
Some people shy away from using the Registry for storing state, but I find it's really easy and convenient. If you like, You can very easily build an installer that removes all the registry keys on uninstall.