OSX Style Checkboxes in C#

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Introduction

Ever wanted to make your application look more like a Mac style application? Well, now you can in less than 50 lines of code! No DLLs required, just two images and some simple code. This is a great way for average beginners to add some style to their apps without having to use DLLs and a lot of code.

Background

• Hide/Show Picturebox in C#

Using the Code

Simply import the images into your project, then use the images in 2 picture boxes. One picturebox will have the unchecked image and the other should show the checked image.

private void pictureBox1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
	pictureBox2.Show();
        pictureBox1.Hide();
}
private void pictureBox2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
        pictureBox2.Hide();
        pictureBox1.Show();
}
private void pictureBox3_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
        pictureBox4.Show();
        pictureBox3.Hide();
        MessageBox.Show("Checked");
}
private void pictureBox4_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
        pictureBox4.Hide();
        pictureBox3.Show();
        MessageBox.Show("Unchecked");
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
        pictureBox2.Hide();
        pictureBox2.Location = pictureBox1.Location;
        pictureBox2.Size = pictureBox1.Size;
        pictureBox4.Hide();
        pictureBox4.Location = pictureBox3.Location;
        pictureBox4.Size = pictureBox3.Size;
}

Points of Interest

Issues

• You don't have the functions/properties that you would with a standard checkbox
• If you stretch out the checkbox (picturebox), the quality will change for more obvious reasons

Other

Note that even though you don't have the functions/properties as a standard checkbox, you can still see if it's checked. In the source code, I wrote some code allowing the app to display a messagebox telling you if it's checked or not.

Future Ideas

• It would be great if someone could make this into a DLL so that you could drag and drop from the toolbox in Visual Studio.

History

• 6/10/2011: Article creation date

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)