Develop Reference

C# Winform Panel clear / fully update --- used for mouse multiple selection

I want to select some structures (polygons and rectangles) in a panel. I have used the new ExtendedPanel Class, for the opacity of the mouse panel.
panel1 is for the structure, extendedPanel1 is for the selected area of the mouse. (SetSelectionRect() ist the set of the selections area)
In the figure below, the red is the graph I drew on panel1, and the green is the rectangle selected by the mouse. In fact, it should present a green rectangle, which is the rectangle when the mouse selection ends, but now there are many. This shows that the transparency setting in the extendetPanel1 works after extendedPanel1.Invalidate();, but the historical rectangle drawn does not disappear.
Can you please tell me, how should I write the code for the mouse selection in the Panel?
I actually want to realize some polygons and editing. I drew some polygons (rectangles) in panel1, and now I want to use the mouse to select some parts and make some changes (such as deleting some polygons).
My thoughts on this are: Draw the polygons on panel1, and panel2 displays the selection by the mouse, but the bottom of panel2 is transparent.
Then, according to the coordinate calculation, etc., it is judged whether the geometric figure in panel1 is in the area selected in panel2. If it is, then I will delete it. I don’t know if my thoughts are reasonable.
If you can provide a suitable solution, I am very grateful.
code of extendetpanel:
public class ExtendedPanel : Panel
{
private const int WS_EX_TRANSPARENT = 0x20;
public ExtendedPanel()
{
SetStyle(ControlStyles.Opaque, true);
}
private int opacity = 0;
[DefaultValue(0)]
public int Opacity
{
get
{
return this.opacity;
}
set
{
if (value < 0 || value > 100)
throw new ArgumentException("value must be between 0 and 100");
this.opacity = value;
}
}
protected override CreateParams CreateParams
{
get
{
CreateParams cp = base.CreateParams;
cp.ExStyle = cp.ExStyle | WS_EX_TRANSPARENT;
return cp;
}
}
protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e)
{
using (var brush = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(this.opacity * 255 / 100, this.BackColor)))
{
e.Graphics.FillRectangle(brush, this.ClientRectangle);
}
base.OnPaint(e);
}
}
Code of paint and events:
private void extendedPanel1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
base.OnPaint(e);
extendedPanel1.Opacity = 0;
if (mouseDown)
{
using (Pen pen = new Pen(Color.Green, 1F))
{
pen.DashStyle = DashStyle.Dash;
e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(pen, selection);
}
}
}
private void extendedPanel1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
selectionStart = extendedPanel1.PointToClient(MousePosition);
mouseDown = true;
}
private void extendedPanel1_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
mouseDown = false;
SetSelectionRect();
extendedPanel1.Invalidate();
}
private void extendedPanel1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (!mouseDown)
return;
selectionEnd = extendedPanel1.PointToClient(MousePosition);
SetSelectionRect();
extendedPanel1.Invalidate();
}

Why isn't my application drawing anything?

I'm very new(read 3 weeks exp) to C#(programming in general),started with html/css and javascript and now on my way with C#.
I'm trying to make my own simple 'Paint' application in windows form. But i've encountered an issue and just cant wrap my head around it, doesnt matter how much i read or follow other mans code, i'm stuck. The following code works fine but when resizing the application window the drawing dissappears.
As a solution ive read that declaring the Graphics method within the panel1_Paint event this should be resolved And here is my issue. See last code sample, ive come up with this(yes like i said, im new to this)and its not drawing anything.
ive simply tried to recreate the first example under the panel1_Paint event but i guess something went wrong during the mouseMove event and i cant figure out what it is.
Could someone explain to me what i am missing here, that would be very appreciated. thanks in advance.
[Old code]
namespace Painter
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
Graphics graphics;
Pen pen = new Pen(Color.Black, 1);
Point startingPoint = new Point(0, 0);
Point endPoint = new Point(0, 0);
bool mousePaint = false;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DoubleBuffered = true;
}
private void panel1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
startingPoint = e.Location;
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
{
mousePaint = true;
}
}
private void panel1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if(mousePaint == true)
{
endPoint = e.Location;
graphics = panel1.CreateGraphics();
graphics.DrawLine(pen, startingPoint, endPoint);
}
startingPoint = endPoint;
}
private void panel1_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
mousePaint = false;
}
}
}
[New Code]
namespace Painter
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
Pen pen = new Pen(Color.Black, 1);
Point startingPoint = new Point(0, 0);
Point endPoint = new Point(0, 0);
bool mousePaint = false;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.DoubleBuffered = true;
}
private void panel1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
Graphics graphics = panel1.CreateGraphics();
if (mousePaint == true)
{
graphics.DrawLine(pen, startingPoint, endPoint);
}
}
private void panel1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
startingPoint = e.Location;
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
{
mousePaint = true;
}
}
private void panel1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if(mousePaint == true)
{
endPoint = e.Location;
}
startingPoint = endPoint;
}
private void panel1_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
mousePaint = false;
}
}
}

private void panel1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
Graphics graphics = panel1.CreateGraphics();
This is nonsense! Always and only use the e.Graphics object from the Paint param!!
Also: To trigger the Paint event do a panel1.Invalidate(); whenever your drawing data have changed!
Also: Make sure you understand just what your mousePaint flag is supposed to control: the mouse painting (i.e. adding new shapes to draw) or the regular painting (i. all shape previously drawn)!? Note that all drawing, current and previous needs to be done from the Paint event, whenever necessary i.e. over and over again!
To be able to do so: Collect all the shpes' data in a List<T>..
To Doublebuffer a Panel you need to subclass it. Your code turns on DoubleBuffering for the Form, which fine but won't help the Panel..
Instead simply use a PictureBox, which is control meant for drawing on!
A DoubleBuffered Panel subclass is as simple as this:
class DrawPanel : Panel
{
public DrawPanel()
{
DoubleBuffered = true;
}
}
Update: Instead you can also use a Label (with Autosize=false); it also has the DoubleBuffered property turned on out of the box and supports drawing better than Panels do.

The following code works fine but when resizing the application window the drawing dissappears.
This happens because resizing the application window invalidates portion of your panel which causes the portion to be redrawn.
Reason why your second approach is not working (the one labelled as [NEW CODE]) is because the Paint event is called only when relevant component is redrawn. You could partially solve this by forcing redraw of the panel in your MouseDown/MouseMove event handlers but you would still lose your previously painted stuff.
Possible solution is to create instance of Bitmap and paint there. Then just set this Bitmap as BackgroundImage of the panel. You can find more information on that here. Of course you would need to think about stuff like resizing and what should happen to the bitmap if application window gets shrunk or enlarged.
Here is some code that I quickly put together to get you started:
namespace WinForms_PaintTest
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Pen pen;
private Bitmap bitmap;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
this.pen = new Pen(Color.Black, 1);
this.bitmap = new Bitmap(this.panel1.Width, this.panel1.Height);
this.panel1.BackgroundImage = this.bitmap;
}
private void panel1_MouseMove(Object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
{
using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(this.bitmap))
{
g.DrawRectangle(this.pen, e.Location.X, e.Location.Y, 1, 1);
}
this.panel1.Refresh();
}
}
private void Form1_FormClosed(Object sender, FormClosedEventArgs e)
{
this.pen.Dispose();
this.bitmap.Dispose();
}
}
}
Also regarding this:
this.DoubleBuffered = true;
I believe your intention was to prevent the flickering when relevant control is being redrawn? If that is case you need to set this property against the panel and not against the form itself. It is little bit tricky though because DoubleBuffered property of the panel is protected so you will need to either inherit from the panel or resort to reflection. You can find more information here .

Mouse OnDrag event on GDI graphics object

I have a simple question about mouse events.
I have a WinForms application and I used the GDI+ graphics object
to draw simple shape, a circle.
Now what I want to do is to drag this shape with the mouse.
So when the user is moving the mouse, when the left button is still pressed
I want to move the object.
my question is how to detect if the user is still pressing on the mouse's left button?
I know that there is no onDrag event in winforms.
any ideas?

Check this very simplified example. It doesn't cover many aspects of GDI+ drawing, but gives you an idea how to handle mouse event's in winforms.
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace WindowsFormsExamples
{
public partial class DragCircle : Form
{
private bool bDrawCircle;
private int circleX;
private int circleY;
private int circleR = 50;
public DragCircle()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void InvalidateCircleRect()
{
this.Invalidate(new Rectangle(circleX, circleY, circleR + 1, circleR + 1));
}
private void DragCircle_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
circleX = e.X;
circleY = e.Y;
bDrawCircle = true;
this.Capture = true;
this.InvalidateCircleRect();
}
private void DragCircle_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
bDrawCircle = false;
this.Capture = false;
this.InvalidateCircleRect();
}
private void DragCircle_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (bDrawCircle)
{
this.InvalidateCircleRect(); //Invalidate region that was occupied by circle before move
circleX = e.X;
circleY = e.Y;
this.InvalidateCircleRect(); //Add to invalidate region the rectangle that circle will occupy after move.
}
}
private void DragCircle_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
if (bDrawCircle)
{
e.Graphics.DrawEllipse(new Pen(Color.Red), circleX, circleY, circleR, circleR);
}
}
}
}

2D Array of RectangleShapes

I am developing a very rudimentary drawing program: A 2D grid comprised of multiple RectangleShapes, around 20x30 pixels each, which when clicked change color based on user RGB input, which works just fine:
Color SelectedColor = new Color();
private void Pixel_1_1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) // on Rectangle click
{
Pixel_1_1.FillColor = SelectedColor; // change to currently desired color.
}
Since the number of squares is rising dramatically, I'm looking for a way to arrange the "pixel" rectangles into a 2D array. (I really don't want to have to make a Pixel_Click method for every single Rectangle on the screen!) Hoping eventually to be able to call something like:
private void Pixel_[x]_[y]_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Pixel_[x]_[y].FillColor = SelectedColor;
}
My friends suggest the use of an anonymous delegate, but I don't understand how to fully use one to solve my problem.
What would be the best way to generate a 2D array of rectangles in a C# Windows Form? And once generated, how can I access them with a single method for variant values of x and y?

While you are probably correct in thinking of each rectangle as an object, it probably isn't correct to think of each rectangle as a windows control, especially since you have so many of them.
So try creating your own rectangle object:
public class MyRect {
public Color FillColor { get; set; }
public Rectangle Rectangle { get; set; }
public MyRect(Rectangle r, Color c) {
this.Rectangle = r;
this.FillColor = c;
}
}
Now you just need to keep a list of your objects and paint on a single Panel control (or PictureBox) all of your rectangles:
private List<MyRect> myRectangles = new List<MyRect>();
public Form1() {
InitializeComponent();
myRectangles.Add(new MyRect(new Rectangle(10, 10, 64, 16), Color.Blue));
myRectangles.Add(new MyRect(new Rectangle(20, 48, 16, 64), Color.Red));
}
private void panel1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e) {
foreach (MyRect mr in myRectangles) {
using (SolidBrush sb = new SolidBrush(mr.FillColor)) {
e.Graphics.FillRectangle(sb, mr.Rectangle);
}
}
}
To handle the "click" event of the rectangles, you just handle the MouseDown or MouseClick event of your container control and determine yourself which rectangle is being clicked on:
void panel1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e) {
if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left) {
foreach (MyRect mr in myRectangles) {
if (mr.Rectangle.Contains(e.Location)) {
ChangeColor(mr, Color.Green);
}
}
panel1.Invalidate();
}
}
private void ChangeColor(MyRect mr, Color newColor) {
mr.FillColor = newColor;
}

If you want to maintain the rectangles as components on screen then you can assign all of them the same click event, the click event will have a little dropdown to pick an existing event. To know which recantangle was clicked use the sender parameter ((Pixel)sender).FillColor = SelectedColor;
For ease I would recommend using something like a panel and drawing rectangles on it, That means you only have a single click event to deal with. So now your question becomes "How do I draw a grid of rectangles on a panel" and "How do I know which rectangle was clicked"
So for the first part you could use this not the very efficient way.
Create a class which stores the information about your pixels
class MyPixel
{
public Color PixelColour;
public Rectangle Bounds;
}
Keep a list of them in memory
List<MyPixels> MyGrid = new List<MyPixels>();
then in the onpaint event of the panel Draw the pixels on the panel
foreach(MyPixel Pixel in MyGrid)
{
using(Brush B = new SolidBrush(Pixel.PixelColor))
{
e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(B, Pixel.Bounds);
}
}
Now in the click event you'll need to know which pixel was clicked
foreach(MyPixel Pixel in MyGrid)
{
if (Pixel.Bounds.Contains(e.Location))
{
PixelClicked(Pixel);
}
}

I believe you're going about this the wrong way. What you want to do is to draw directly into a bitmap. Here is some code that uses a PictureBox to allow the user to draw into it.
using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace WindowsFormsApplication1
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Pen _pen;
private bool _mouseDown;
private int _startX;
private int _startY;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
pictureBox1.Image = new Bitmap(pictureBox1.Width, pictureBox1.Height);
_pen = new Pen(Color.Black);
}
private void pictureBox1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
_mouseDown = true;
_startX = e.X;
_startY = e.Y;
}
private void pictureBox1_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
_mouseDown = false;
}
private void pictureBox1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (_mouseDown)
{
using (var graphics = Graphics.FromImage(pictureBox1.Image))
{
graphics.DrawLine(_pen, _startX, _startY, e.X, e.Y);
_startX = e.X;
_startY = e.Y;
}
pictureBox1.Invalidate();
}
}
}
}
This is the normal method to write a painting app and is quite performant as well. You can also easily save, write new tools or manipulate images better in this way.

How do I draw a rectangle based on the movement of the mouse?

I found sample code here for drawing on a form:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa287522(v=vs.71).aspx
As a followup to this requirement (discovering which controls are beneath a rectangle described by
the user dragging the mouse):
There seems to be a mismatch between the location of my controls and the location of my MouseDown and -Up events
...I want to provide the user instant/constant feedback about just what they are about to select
(when/if they release the mouse button). I want to not just draw a line following the mouse's
movement, but draw the rectangle that is being described by their mousewrangling efforts.
I'm thinking the MouseMove event, coupled with code from the two links above, could do the trick, but is that fired too often/would that have a malevolent impact on performance? If so, what would be a preferable event to hook, or would a timer be the way to go here?
UPDATE
This code, adapted from John's example below (the only difference is the StackOverflow-inducing calls to base.* are commented out, and I changed the color from red to black (no reference to Stendahl intended)), works except that previously drawn rectangles display again after releasing the mouse. IOW, the first rectangle draws perfectly - it disappears with the mouse up click (as intended). However, when I describe a second rectangle by depressing the left mouse key and dragging down and to the right, the first rectangle displays again! And this continues to happen - every previously drawn rectangle is remembered and brought back to the fore when a new rectangle is being drawn.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Point? _start;
private Rectangle _previousBounds;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
_start = e.Location;
//base.OnMouseDown(e);
}
private void Form1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
if (_start.HasValue)
DrawFrame(e.Location);
//base.OnMouseMove(e);
}
private void Form1_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
ReverseFrame();
_start = null;
//base.OnMouseUp(e);
}
private void ReverseFrame()
{
ControlPaint.DrawReversibleFrame(_previousBounds, Color.Black, FrameStyle.Dashed);
}
private void DrawFrame(Point end)
{
ReverseFrame();
var size = new Size(end.X - _start.Value.X, end.Y - _start.Value.Y);
_previousBounds = new Rectangle(_start.Value, size);
_previousBounds = this.RectangleToScreen(_previousBounds);
ControlPaint.DrawReversibleFrame(_previousBounds, Color.Black, FrameStyle.Dashed);
}
}

ControlPaint.DrawReversibleFrame() will do what you want. Performance is not generally a problem - just keep it small and clean.
--
EDIT: Added a code sample. StackOverflowException indicates something is wrong - but without seeing yours, can't answer directly.
private Point? _start;
private Rectangle _previousBounds;
protected override void OnMouseDown(MouseEventArgs e)
{
_start = e.Location;
base.OnMouseDown(e);
}
protected override void OnMouseMove(MouseEventArgs e)
{
if( _start.HasValue ) {
ReverseFrame();
DrawFrame(e.Location);
}
base.OnMouseMove(e);
}
protected override void OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e)
{
ReverseFrame();
_start = null;
base.OnMouseUp(e);
}
private void ReverseFrame()
{
ControlPaint.DrawReversibleFrame(_previousBounds, Color.Red, FrameStyle.Dashed);
}
private void DrawFrame(Point end)
{
ReverseFrame();
var size = new Size(end.X - _start.Value.X, end.Y - _start.Value.Y);
_previousBounds = new Rectangle(_start.Value, size);
_previousBounds = this.RectangleToScreen(_previousBounds);
ControlPaint.DrawReversibleFrame(_previousBounds, Color.Red, FrameStyle.Dashed);
}