Create Your Own TabControl In C#

• Download demo - 23.8 KB
• Download control source - 234.2 KB

Let's create our own simple TabControl using Buttons & Panels. Create a C# Windows Forms Application project in Visual Studio. I named it MyTabControl. I used simple customized buttons but you can create your own.

                     http://customcontrolsincs.blogspot.in/

Using the Code

Step 1

Go to Project -> Add Class & enter name ButtonX and copy/paste the following code. Well, you know we need a button as a tab, but whenever click action is performed on that button, its back color must not change, but remaining buttons must change whenever mouse enters or leaves.

In the following code, this action is controlled using isChanged boolean variable. Change the following code as you want to customize it.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Data;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace MyTabControl
{
    public class ButtonX : System.Windows.Forms.Button
    {
        Color clr1;
        private Color color = Color.Teal;
        private Color m_hovercolor = Color.FromArgb(0, 0, 140);
        private Color clickcolor = Color.FromArgb(160, 180, 200);
        private int textX = 6;
        private int textY = -20;
        private String text = "_";
        private bool isChanged = true;

        public String DisplayText
        {
            get { return text; }
            set { text = value; Invalidate(); }
        }
        public Color BXBackColor
        {
            get { return color; }
            set { color = value; Invalidate(); }
        }

        public Color MouseHoverColor
        {
            get { return m_hovercolor; }
            set { m_hovercolor = value; Invalidate(); }
        }

        public Color MouseClickColor1
        {
            get { return clickcolor; }
            set { clickcolor = value; Invalidate(); }
        }

        public bool ChangeColorMouseHC
        {
            get { return isChanged; }
            set { isChanged = value; Invalidate(); }
        }


        public int TextLocation_X
        {
            get { return textX; }
            set { textX = value; Invalidate(); }
        }
        public int TextLocation_Y
        {
            get { return textY; }
            set { textY = value; Invalidate(); }
        }
        public ButtonX()
        {
            this.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(31, 24);
            this.ForeColor = Color.White;
            this.FlatStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FlatStyle.Flat;
            this.Text = "_";
            text = this.Text;
        }

        //method mouse enter
        protected override void OnMouseEnter(EventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnMouseEnter(e);
            clr1 = color;
            color = m_hovercolor;
        }

        //method mouse leave
        protected override void OnMouseLeave(EventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnMouseLeave(e);
            if (isChanged)
            {
                color = clr1;
            }
        }

        protected override void OnMouseDown(MouseEventArgs mevent)
        {
            base.OnMouseDown(mevent);
            if (isChanged)
            {
                color = clickcolor;
            }
        }

        protected override void OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
        {
            base.OnMouseUp(mevent);
            if (isChanged)
            {
                color = clr1;
            }
        }

        protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs pe)
        {
            base.OnPaint(pe);
            text = this.Text;
            if (textX == 100 && textY == 25)
            {
                textX = ((this.Width) / 3) + 10;
                textY = (this.Height / 2) - 1;
            }

            Point p = new Point(textX, textY);
            pe.Graphics.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(color), ClientRectangle);
            pe.Graphics.DrawString(text, this.Font, new SolidBrush(this.ForeColor), p);
        }
    }
}

Step 2

Go to Project -> Add User Control & enter name TabControlX. Give whatever back color to it and the components which we are going to add on it. 

Step 3

• Add Panel on TabControlX, give it a BackTopPanel name, set Dock property to Top and Height to 40.
• Add Panel on BackTopPanel, give it a RibbonPanel name, set Dock property to Bottom and Height to 2.
• Add Panel on BackTopPanel, give it a TabButtonPanel name, Anchor to Left-Top-Right, set Location to (0,0) and specific Width leaving some extra portion of BackTopPanel at end and Height to 30.
• Add ToolStrip on BackTopPanel, Set Dock property to None, Anchor to Top-Right, add DropDownButton from added ToolStrip and add DropDownOpening event to it.
• Add Panel on TabControlX, give it a TabPanel name, set Dock property to Fill.

Step 4

Go to Project -> Add User Control & enter name TabPanelControl. TabPanelControl is used to hold the components that we want to add to tabs. Download the source code.

Step 5

Now we need to create a list of buttons that represent tabs and a list of added components (TabPanelControl).

        int selected_index = -1;
        public List<ButtonX> buttonlist = new List<ButtonX> { };
        public List<TabPanelControl> tabPanelCtrlList = new List<TabPanelControl> { };

        void UpdateButtons()
        {
            if (buttonlist.Count > 0)
            {
                for (int i = 0; i < buttonlist.Count; i++)
                {
                    if (i == selected_index)
                    {
                        buttonlist[i].ChangeColorMouseHC = false;
                        buttonlist[i].BXBackColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                        buttonlist[i].ForeColor = Color.White;
                        buttonlist[i].MouseHoverColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                        buttonlist[i].MouseClickColor1 = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        buttonlist[i].ChangeColorMouseHC = true;
                        buttonlist[i].ForeColor = Color.White;
                        buttonlist[i].MouseHoverColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                        buttonlist[i].BXBackColor = Color.FromArgb(40, 40, 40);
                        buttonlist[i].MouseClickColor1 = Color.FromArgb(20, 80, 200);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        void createAndAddButton(string tabtext, TabPanelControl tpcontrol, Point loc)
        {
            ButtonX bx = new ButtonX();
            bx.DisplayText = tabtext;
            bx.Text = tabtext;
            bx.Size = new Size(130, 30);
            bx.Location = loc;
            bx.ForeColor = Color.White;
            bx.BXBackColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
            bx.MouseHoverColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
            bx.MouseClickColor1 = Color.FromArgb(20, 80, 200);
            bx.ChangeColorMouseHC = false;
            bx.TextLocation_X = 10;
            bx.TextLocation_Y = 9;
            bx.Font = this.Font;
            bx.Click += button_Click;
            TabButtonPanel.Controls.Add(bx);
            buttonlist.Add(bx);
            selected_index++;

            tabPanelCtrlList.Add(tpcontrol);
            TabPanel.Controls.Clear();
            TabPanel.Controls.Add(tpcontrol);

            UpdateButtons();
        }

        void button_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            string btext = ((ButtonX)sender).Text;
            int index = 0, i;
            for (i = 0; i < buttonlist.Count; i++)
            {
                if (buttonlist[i].Text == btext)
                {
                    index = i;
                }
            }
            TabPanel.Controls.Clear();
            TabPanel.Controls.Add(tabPanelCtrlList[index]);
            selected_index = ((ButtonX)sender).TabIndex;

            UpdateButtons();
        }

        public void AddTab(string tabtext, TabPanelControl tpcontrol)
        {
            if (!buttonlist.Any())
            {
                createAndAddButton(tabtext, tpcontrol, new Point(0, 0));
            }
            else
            {
                createAndAddButton(tabtext, tpcontrol, 
                new Point(buttonlist[buttonlist.Count - 1].Size.Width + 
                buttonlist[buttonlist.Count - 1].Location.X, 0));
            }
        }

        private void toolStripButton1_DropDownOpening(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            toolStripDropDownButton1.DropDownItems.Clear();
            int mergeindex = 0;
            for (int i = 0; i < buttonlist.Count; i++)
            {
                ToolStripMenuItem tbr = new ToolStripMenuItem();
                tbr.Text = buttonlist[i].Text;
                tbr.MergeIndex = mergeindex;
                if (selected_index == i)
                {
                    tbr.Checked = true;
                }
                tbr.Click += tbr_Click;
                toolStripDropDownButton1.DropDownItems.Add(tbr);
                mergeindex++;
            }
        }

        List<string> btstrlist = new List<string> { };
        void BackToFront_SelButton()
        {
            int i = 0;

            TabButtonPanel.Controls.Clear();
            btstrlist.Clear();
            for (i = 0; i < buttonlist.Count; i++)
            {
                btstrlist.Add(buttonlist[i].Text);
            }

            buttonlist.Clear();

            for (int j = 0; j < btstrlist.Count; j++)
            {
                if (j == 0)
                {
                    ButtonX bx = new ButtonX();
                    bx.DisplayText = btstrlist[j];
                    bx.Text = btstrlist[j];
                    bx.Size = new Size(130, 30);
                    bx.Location = new Point(0,0);
                    bx.ForeColor = Color.White;
                    bx.BXBackColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                    bx.MouseHoverColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                    bx.MouseClickColor1 = Color.FromArgb(20, 80, 200);
                    bx.ChangeColorMouseHC = false;
                    bx.TextLocation_X = 10;
                    bx.TextLocation_Y = 9;
                    bx.Font = this.Font;
                    bx.Click += button_Click;
                    TabButtonPanel.Controls.Add(bx);
                    buttonlist.Add(bx);
                    selected_index++;
                }
                else if (j > 0)
                {
                    ButtonX bx = new ButtonX();
                    bx.DisplayText = btstrlist[j];
                    bx.Text = btstrlist[j];
                    bx.Size = new Size(130, 30);
                    bx.ForeColor = Color.White;
                    bx.BXBackColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                    bx.MouseHoverColor = Color.FromArgb(20, 120, 240);
                    bx.MouseClickColor1 = Color.FromArgb(20, 80, 200);
                    bx.ChangeColorMouseHC = false;
                    bx.TextLocation_X = 10;
                    bx.TextLocation_Y = 9;
                    bx.Font = this.Font;
                    bx.Click += button_Click;
                    bx.Location = new Point(buttonlist[j - 1].Size.Width + 
                                  buttonlist[j - 1].Location.X, 0);
                    TabButtonPanel.Controls.Add(bx);
                    buttonlist.Add(bx);
                    selected_index++;
                }
            }
            TabPanel.Controls.Clear();
        }

        void tbr_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            int i;
            for (int k = 0; k < ((ToolStripMenuItem)sender).MergeIndex; k++)
            {
                int j = 0;
                for (i = ((ToolStripMenuItem)sender).MergeIndex; i >= 0; i--)
                {
                    ButtonX but = buttonlist[i];
                    ButtonX temp = buttonlist[j];
                    buttonlist[i] = temp;
                    buttonlist[j] = but;

                    TabPanelControl uct1 = tabPanelCtrlList[i];
                    TabPanelControl tempusr = tabPanelCtrlList[j];
                    tabPanelCtrlList[i] = tempusr;
                    tabPanelCtrlList[j] = uct1;
                }
            }

            string btext = ((ToolStripMenuItem)sender).Text;
            BackToFront_SelButton();
            selected_index = 0;
            TabPanel.Controls.Add(tabPanelCtrlList[buttonlist[0].TabIndex]);
            UpdateButtons();
        }

        public void RemoveTab(int index)
        {
            if (index >= 0 && buttonlist.Count > 0 && index < buttonlist.Count)
            {
                buttonlist.RemoveAt(index);
                tabPanelCtrlList.RemoveAt(index);
                BackToFront_SelButton();
                if (buttonlist.Count > 1)
                {
                    if (index - 1 >= 0)
                    {
                        TabPanel.Controls.Add(tabPanelCtrlList[index - 1]);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        TabPanel.Controls.Add(tabPanelCtrlList[(index - 1) + 1]);
                        selected_index = (index - 1) + 1;
                    }
                }
                selected_index = index - 1;

                if (buttonlist.Count == 1)
                {
                    TabPanel.Controls.Add(tabPanelCtrlList[0]);
                    selected_index = 0;
                }
            }
            UpdateButtons();
        }

    tabControlX1.AddTab("TabPage 1", null);  

        int cnt = 1;
        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            tabControlX1.AddTab("Tab "+cnt, null);
            cnt++;
        }

        private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            TabPanelControl tpc = new TabPanelControl();
            tpc.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
            RichTextBox rtb = new RichTextBox();
            rtb.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
            tpc.Controls.Add(rtb);
            tabControlX1.AddTab("Tab " + cnt, tpc);
            cnt++;
        }