understanding Graphics and pixels

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Suppose you create a Form and set the Height Property to say 1000 and the Width Property to say 1000.

Then you use the VS Designer and draw a GUI.

I understand that, unless changed, sizing is based on Pixels.

If the form looks good on my monitor, but is then installed on a monitor with my higher resolution, will my form look smaller?

If installed on a wide monitor, and the user maximizes the form, i would imagine there is a lot of dead space?

Do Desktop application designers do anything about this behaviour?

Posted 14-Nov-10 5:47am

Ryan Minor

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OriginalGriff · Answer 1 · 2010-11-14T06:12:00

"will my form look smaller?" Yes, if the monitors are the same physical size. Try it: run your program, then change your monitor resolution. See what I mean?

"i would imagine there is a lot of dead space?" Oh yes! But there is a way round this: Try changing the Anchor property of your controls. That way they will stretch when your form does. Again: try it!

"Do Desktop application designers do anything about this behaviour?" in WinForms, generally no. Design your form to hold the information the user needs, not more. Too much information is seriously unhelpful - the user can't find what he needs if it is hidden in a lot of other info. Use Tab controls and so forth to group logical information together, and open new forms when necessary. In WPF you can scale things more easily - but that probably isn't what the user wants, either!