GDI+ programming : creating custom controls using C♯

Whether you are using Windows Forms to build rich-client business applications or the ASP.NET framework to build powerful web applications or web services, the use of well-designed graphics will greatly enhance their usability, impact, and visual appeal. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the use of GDI+ in .NET applications and aims to provide developers with all the information they need to build effective custom controls. The opening section of the book investigates the .NET Framework classes that implement GDI+. It covers all of the classes, methods and techniques needed to create, manipulate, and display precise graphics in a form, a page being sent to a printer or an image. On this foundation, the second section describes how to design and build effective custom controls for use in a business environment. Topics covered include building composite controls, implementing keyboard navigation, and enhancing design-time support. The final section of the book explores the use of GDI+ and ASP.NET to build custom controls that can provide reusable, GUI components for web projects and to deliver customized graphics over the Internet. This book is designed for the professional developer or tecnhical lead who needs to write GDI+ code for either Windows Forms or for Web Forms applications. Upon completion of this book, the reader will be able to: *Program in GDI+ and understand the concepts on which GDI+ is based *Build custom controls in Windows Forms and Web forms *Enhance design-time support *Construct a custom server side bitmap file and display it on a Web page *Create a Web Service that serves up custom images The book is oriented towards a business applications audience and presents designs and techniques that will be useful in such an environment. The information in the book regarding the semantics of GDI+ is language agnostic and the examples are written in C#. A good working knowledge of C# syntax and of the .Net framework is assumed. Author Biography: Eric White is an independent software consultant with over 20 years experience in building Management Information Systems, accounting systems, and other types of rich client and n-tier database applications. He has written custom controls in numerous windowing systems, including all versions of Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, OS/2, X/Motif, and others. Eric has particular interest in Object-Oriented design methodologies, including use case analysis, UML, and design patterns. After years of working with too many varieties of technologies to list, he is currently specializing in C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, XML, COM+, GDI+, SQL Server and other Microsoft technologies.