A specific project type is required to create a custom user control?

Question

0.00/5 (No votes)

See more:

I used a freely available User Control solution project as template to create a new User Control from scratch for myself. As far as I can see my project has everything important included when I compare it with the template project, but it seems like I did something fundamental wrong. When I hit Debug in the template project(Output Type is Class Library), VS runs a test application called UserControlTestContainer. When I hit Debug in my project VS simply shows the error "Output Type of Class Library cannot be started directly". The only thing I could imagine is that I eventually used the wrong Project template. When I want to create a new UserControl, is Windows Forms App the wrong choice?. Otherwise I really don't know the problem.

What I have tried:

Could it be that Windows Forms Control Library will be the correct Project type?

Posted 22-Nov-19 4:45am

Member 13920025

Updated 22-Nov-19 5:14am

v5

Add a Solution

Comments

[no name] 22-Nov-19 11:00am

Most probably:
The original solution has a test project which is set as default project to run

While your project has only the class library project, which as you know can not be startet without a host application.

1 solution

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

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

OriginalGriff · Accepted Answer · 2019-11-22T05:14:00

Solution 1

No, you don't create a project type in order to create a UserControl: you can add it to any assembly, but for reusable controls, I tend to create a Class Library just to hold them, and a WinForms project to Test them - because you can;t execute a Class library directly. Once you have the assembly created, just add a UserControl to the Project and build it all up.

Then add a reference to the ClassLibrary in the Test project and drag and drop the UserControl onto the form design surface.

Posted 22-Nov-19 5:14am

OriginalGriff

Comments

Member 13920025 22-Nov-19 11:42am

Thanks for explaining your method. The other solution with Windows Forms Control Library will work fine too. I tested this now. With this Project type I can run the test application in Debug Mode independently from Output type ClassLibrary or Application to test my User Control. Then I can build the Release file .dll or .exe and add the new User Control to the Toolbox as new Toolbox Item in another solution.