Create Your First C# Windows Forms Application using Visual Studio

Summary

This video tutorial guides viewers on creating a Windows Form application using C# in Visual Studio. It begins with creating a new project, selecting the appropriate template, and naming the project. The video then demonstrates how to use the designer to customize the form's appearance, add components like buttons and labels, and adjust their properties. The tutorial concludes with a simple coding example that shows how to display user input from a text box in a message box when a button is clicked, providing a basic foundation for Windows Form application development.

Takeaways

• 💻 Start by opening Visual Studio and creating a new Windows Form application project in C# for the desktop platform.
• 🔍 You can find the Windows Form application template by searching or selecting it from the list under C# and Desktop.
• 📝 Name your project carefully, avoiding spaces for better compatibility with file systems and tools.
• 🎯 Choose the latest .NET version available, such as .NET 6.0, to ensure you're using up-to-date features and optimizations.
• 🖼️ The designer view allows you to visually manipulate the form's layout and properties, including resizing and setting titles.
• 🔧 Use the toolbox to drag and drop UI components like buttons, labels, and text boxes onto your form.
• 📑 The properties window is key for adjusting the appearance and behavior of components, such as changing text, font size, and anchoring.
• 🔄 Anchoring components ensures they resize or move appropriately when the form's size changes, maintaining a responsive layout.
• 💬 Write event handlers for components, like a button click, to define what happens when an action is performed, such as displaying a message box.
• ✅ After coding, save your work and run the application to see the results, ensuring that the UI behaves as expected and that your code executes correctly.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is creating a Windows Form application using C# in Visual Studio.

How does one start creating a new Windows Form application in Visual Studio?

To start creating a new Windows Form application, one should open Visual Studio, click on 'Create a new project', and then select 'Windows Form Application' under C# and Desktop platform.

What are the project type options available for Windows Forms in the video?

In the video, the project type options available for Windows Forms are 'Windows Forms App (.NET Core)' and 'Windows Forms App (.NET Framework)'.

What is the significance of not using spaces in the project name as mentioned in the video?

Not using spaces in the project name is significant because it avoids potential issues with file paths and command-line operations related to the project.

How can one access the designer view for the form in a Windows Form application?

To access the designer view for the form, one can double-click on the 'Form1.cs' file in the Solution Explorer, or expand the 'Form1.cs' node and double-click on 'Form1.Designer.cs'.

What is the default name given to the first form in a newly created Windows Forms application?

The default name given to the first form in a newly created Windows Forms application is 'Form1'.

How can one change the title of the form window in the designer?

To change the title of the form window, one can simply click on the title bar of the form in the designer and type the new title.

What is the purpose of the 'Toolbox' in a Windows Forms application?

The 'Toolbox' in a Windows Forms application is used to drag and drop components such as buttons, labels, and text boxes onto the form.

How can one anchor a control to a specific side or corner of the form?

To anchor a control, one can select the control, go to the 'Properties' window, find the 'Anchor' property, and choose the desired side or corner from the drop-down options.

What is the code that needs to be written to display a message box with the text entered in a text box when a button is clicked?

The code to display a message box with the text from a text box involves creating a string variable to store the text from the text box, and then using the 'MessageBox.Show' method to display the text when the button is clicked.

How does one run the Windows Form application after writing the code?

After writing the code, one can run the Windows Form application by clicking on the 'Start' button or the green play icon in Visual Studio.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Creating Your First Windows Form Application

The video begins with a tutorial on creating a Windows Form application using C# in Visual Studio. The presenter guides viewers through the process of opening Visual Studio and initiating a new project. They emphasize selecting the 'Windows Form Application' option and choosing the .NET Core framework. The presenter then demonstrates how to name the project, avoiding spaces, and proceed with the creation. Upon project creation, they introduce the solution explorer and the main form file, explaining how to open the designer view. The video shows how to customize the form's title and manipulate its properties, such as font size and behavior, using the properties window. The presenter also explains how to use the toolbox to add components like buttons, labels, and text boxes to the form.

05:01

🔧 Customizing Form Components and Behavior

In this segment, the presenter focuses on customizing the form's components and their behavior. They demonstrate how to change the text of a label and anchor it to different sides of the form to ensure it resizes appropriately when the form's dimensions change. The video also covers how to adjust the button's text and anchor it to the bottom of the form. The presenter explains the use of the properties window to modify the appearance and behavior of form elements. They show how to change the background color of the form and its components. The video then transitions into writing code to create an interaction where text entered in a text box is displayed in a message box when a button is clicked. The presenter provides a step-by-step guide on how to write this functionality, including creating a string variable to store the text from the text box and using a message box to display it.

10:01

🚀 Running and Testing the Application

The final part of the video script describes the process of running and testing the newly created Windows Form application. The presenter instructs viewers to save their code and use the run icon in Visual Studio to execute the application. They demonstrate the application's responsive design, showing how the form's components resize and adjust as the form's size changes. The presenter tests the functionality of the 'click me' button, which triggers a message box displaying the text entered in the text box. The video concludes with the presenter expressing hope that the viewers enjoyed the tutorial and hints at future content by mentioning the next video.

Keywords

💡Windows Form Application

A Windows Form Application is a type of GUI (Graphical User Interface) application that runs on the Windows operating system. It is designed to provide a user-friendly interface for tasks such as data entry, processing, and display. In the video, the tutorial focuses on creating a Windows Form Application using C# in Visual Studio, which is a fundamental step for beginners in desktop application development.

💡Visual Studio

Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft that is used to develop applications for various platforms, including Windows, Android, and iOS. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for software developers, including a code editor, debugger, and designer tools. In the context of the video, Visual Studio is used to create a Windows Form Application, showcasing its capabilities for desktop application development.

💡C#

C# (pronounced 'C sharp') is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft. It is widely used for developing various types of applications, including web, mobile, and desktop applications. In the video, C# is the programming language chosen for creating a Windows Form Application, highlighting its role in building interactive user interfaces.

💡.NET Core

.NET Core is an open-source, cross-platform framework for building applications. It is a modular runtime and library implementation that allows developers to build applications that can run on multiple platforms. In the video, the tutorial selects 'Windows Form app using .NET Core' as the project type, indicating the use of .NET Core for creating a cross-platform Windows Form Application.

💡Project

In the context of software development, a project refers to a planned set of tasks that aim to achieve a specific goal, such as creating a software application. In the video, the process of creating a new project in Visual Studio is demonstrated, which is the initial step in starting a Windows Form Application development.

💡Designer

A Designer in Visual Studio is a tool that allows developers to create and modify the user interface of their applications without writing code. It provides a visual representation of the application's UI components. In the video, the designer is used to modify the form's appearance, such as changing the title and resizing the form.

💡Components

Components in a Windows Form Application refer to the various UI elements that can be added to the form to create a functional and interactive interface. These can include buttons, labels, text boxes, and more. The video demonstrates how to drag and drop components like buttons and labels onto the form using the toolbox in Visual Studio.

💡Properties

Properties in the context of a Windows Form Application are the attributes or characteristics of UI components that can be set or modified, such as the text, size, color, and behavior. The video shows how to change the properties of components, like setting the text of a label or resizing a text box, to customize the appearance and functionality of the form.

💡Anchor

Anchoring in Windows Forms is a layout feature that allows UI components to remain positioned relative to the form's edges or corners when the form is resized. This ensures that the components do not overlap or become misaligned. The video explains how to use anchoring to ensure that a button and a text box resize and maintain their positions relative to the form's edges.

💡Event Listener

An event listener in programming is a mechanism that allows code to respond to user actions or system events. In the video, a button click event listener is created by double-clicking the button in the designer. This action generates an event handler method that is called when the button is clicked, which is used to execute the code that displays a message box with the text entered in the text box.

💡Message Box

A Message Box is a small dialog window that displays a message to the user. It is a common UI element used for alerting users or gathering simple input. In the video, a Message Box is used to display text entered by the user in a text box when a button is clicked, demonstrating how to handle events and interact with the user in a Windows Form Application.

Highlights

Introduction to creating a Windows Form application in C# using Visual Studio.

Creating a new project in Visual Studio and selecting the Windows Form application template.

Choosing the .NET Core framework for the Windows Form application.

Naming the project and setting up the framework version.

Overview of the project solution and form file structure in Visual Studio.

Accessing the form designer to modify the form's appearance.

Changing the form's title to customize the application's name.

Using the toolbox to add components like buttons and labels to the form.

Customizing component properties such as text and anchoring.

Adjusting the form's behavior and appearance through properties.

Demonstration of resizing components and form with anchoring.

Changing the background color of the form and its components.

Writing code to handle button click events and display text from a textbox.

Using the MessageBox component to display user input.

Explanation of how to retrieve text from a textbox and use it in code.

Running the application to test the functionality of the form and components.

Demonstration of the form resizing and button click functionality in action.

Conclusion and invitation to the next video in the series.

Transcripts

hey guys in this video I'm going to show

you how you can create your first

Windows Form application since C sharp

on your Visual Studio

so let's get started and let's see how

we can do it

so when you open Visual Studio it will

look like this here we are going to

create a new project so just click on

create a new project

and then here either you can search for

Windows Form application or you can just

select these drop Doms and select C

sharp here and the platform will be

desktop so you can just select windows

for example and then you can choose the

all project type and the project type

here is desktop and from here you can

see two Windows Form app options so here

we can select this option which is

Windows Form app using.net core so just

select this option and then click on

next

on the next window you can give the name

of your project I'm going to name my

project as my first project for example

and you can see I don't like to give

spaces in the project name so if

possible just write or give a project

name without spaces right and then click

on next

and here the framework will be dot net

6.0 or whatever is the latest version of

dotnet in my case it's dotnet 6.0 click

on create

and this is going to create a Windows

Form application in c-sharp for you so

now you can see my project has been

created

you will be able to see this kind of

solution on the left hand side and on

the right hand side you can see this

form one dot CS file so this is the

program file where you will write the

program

now how you can open the designer you

can see this form one dot CS file right

and when you just expand this uh you

will be able to see C sharp form one

designer also here right so when you

double click on this form one dot CS

file it's also going to open the

designer for you so just wait for the

designer to load for this form one so

now you can see this form one dot CS

design window is open

you can resize

this form one window here you can even

give the title to it right now the title

here is form one you can change the text

of this let's say you want to change the

text to uh my app and then press enter

the title has been changed to my app

right so you can change the text for

your form by just changing the title

here you have all the other options to

change the appearance of your form or

you can even change the font size

if you are using some fonts in your form

or you can also change the behavior of

your form so you can drag and drop some

components in your form from the toolbox

so if you don't see the toolbox just

click on this toolbox option here which

is going to load all the toolbox if you

want to pin the toolbox

window you can just click on pin and to

box window will be pinned here so you

can easily drag and drop all the

components from here

so you can see

all Windows Form components you can see

buttons labels and other components

I'm going to use a button so I'm going

to just drag and drop this button into

my form I can even use the label so I

can drag and drop this label into my

form

and let me also use the text box so let

me search for

this text box and put it here okay

so I can

you can see a drag and drop all these

components here now for this label

I can change the label text

from this

properties window so the text here is

label one I can just write

enter some text for example or enter

your value because I want the user to

enter something into the text box right

so I'm going to just write enter

some

text here and then press enter and you

can see this label shows that I will

just drag this text box here also

and now

in the behavior you will be able to see

uh all these Behavior options

I want to change the anchor option here

so you can see the anchor is right now

top and left I can even

click on this option to Anchor it to the

right side so what it's going to do is

let me just

resize it according to my form

and I can even

do the same for this label but I do not

need this for the label

so what I it's going to do is when I

anchor it to the right when I resize my

window you can see the text box resizes

right

same I can do with the button also so

this button text says button one I'm

going to just change it to

click me for example

and then press enter and you can see the

button text is changed

I can even change the anchor for it so

right now it's top left I can anchor it

to the right and then I can just move it

here and

then just

resize my button

until it shows this kind of

line here right

so now

when I even resize my window it's going

to uh

just resize according to the width of my

frame right I can even anchor this

button to the bottom so that

it moves to the bottom let's see how can

we do that so I can anchor it to the

bottom and then

what happens is when I just make it

bigger this button size becomes bigger

for example right so this is how you can

change the behavior so you need to play

with all these options and see what you

can do

for example I can change the background

color from here

so here I have all these options for

changing the background color

let's say I want to just choose this one

and then you can see the background

color of my form has been changed and

the background color of my button also

has been changed

so now let's write some code so what I

want to do here is whenever some text is

entered into this text box and when I

click the button I want to open a

message box with the same text for

example right so

the main thing to note here is the name

of this text box so when I select this

text box the name of the text box is

text box one so for using this name I'm

going to use this text box text and show

the text on the message box for example

right so just copy this ah name from

here and then select your click me

button just double click on this button

which is going to

create a listener for your button right

so the button name was Button one you

can even verify that by going here and

then you can see the name of this button

you can see the name of the button is

button one and the method which is

created is button one click listener

right so let me just write some code I'm

going to create a

string variable I am going to name it as

text is equal to and I am going to take

the name of my text box right which was

text box one so I'm going to just write

Dot

text which is going to uh

give me the text whatever I write in the

text box it's going to just take the

text and assign it to the text variable

right now I want to show this text into

a message box so I can just use a

message box component just write

message box

dot show

and then

I can just write

U entered and then semicolon space and

then plus and then the text variable

which is text okay once you are done

just save your code and then you can run

your code by just clicking on this run

Icon so I'm going to run my code

and hopefully everything works fine you

can see my code is running

when I resize you can see the button and

the text box resizes according to the

size when I move down the button size is

changed right now let me enter something

so I'm going to just write

Dom here and then I'm going to click on

click me button and it says you entered

Dom right I can just write 34 here and

I'm going to just click on click me and

it says you entered 34 okay

so it is going to open this message box

every time when I click on the button

and it's going to show whatever text I

wrote here

so this is the basic Foundation of how

you can create a Windows Form

application in Visual Studio using C

sharp and create your forms and use your

forms in Windows Form application so I

hope you've enjoyed this video and I

will see you in the next video