Center Align the TExt of Form Title Bar.

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

, +

I want the text of the form to appear in the middle of title bar. It's Windows Application.
I tried this code:

C#

Graphics g = this.CreateGraphics();
            double start = (this.Width / 2) -(g.MeasureString(this.Text.Trim(), this.Font).Width / 2);
            double widthspace = g.MeasureString(this.Text.Trim(), this.Font).Width / 2;
            string tmp = "         ";
            double tmpwidth = 0;
            do
            {
                tmp += "     ";
                tmpwidth += widthspace;
            }
            while ((tmpwidth + widthspace) < start);
            this.Text = tmp + this.Text.Trim() + tmp;

But still not perfect.
Any other solution, plz help me.

Thanks in Advance !!!

Posted 9-Aug-12 8:06am

Ank_ush

Updated 9-Aug-12 8:15am

Christian Amado

v3

Add a Solution

Comments

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:10pm

Windows Forms, WPF, Silverlight?

Ank_ush 9-Aug-12 14:13pm

Its Windows Application. Windows Forms.

[no name] 9-Aug-12 14:12pm

How is "But still not perfect" a description of your problem?

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:13pm

Good point, Wes.

Ank_ush 9-Aug-12 14:15pm

Title Bar text is not coming perfectly in center of title bar.

3 solutions

Solution 2

If cannot be perfect, by definition. You should not do it, because this is controlled by OS. For example, when I run my .NET applications on the version of Ubuntu I use right now, it centers the form titles, but it depends on desktop manager. If I used something like you do, the system would try to center a padded text, and it would look shifted right. And you don't know how next versions of Windows will look, and what skinning will be available. So, never do such things.

Now, you still can fully customize the look of the title bar if you use directly opposite approach. But you cannot use a combined approach.

First, you can totally re-draw non-client area of your form, using raw (unmanaged) Windows API and non-client Windows messages. I would not recommend it either, as this is too much Windows specific. .NET tries to go out of Windows, and CLR is designed for platform compatibility. If you write your Forms applications accurately, you can run them on different OS without recompilation. With Windows-specific tricks, you will break this compatibility, and pretty likely, compatibility with future Microsoft systems.

Second approach is the most radical and the safest at the same time, it does not require any interop. You can show your form without any non-client areas at all. To do it, set the form property System.Windows.Forms.FormFormBorderStyle to System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.None:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.form.formborderstyle.aspx[^],
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hw8kes41.aspx[^].

When this is done, simply simulate all non-client controls (such as title bar) in the regular client area. Just create and add some custom controls simulating requires non-client form elements.

Now, a bonus advice: if some developers use such highly customized forms, they often make a step further to make the forms non-rectangular, but of some funky-looking shapes. This is easily done using the property System.Windows.Forms.Control.Region:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.control.region.aspx[^].

—SA

Posted 9-Aug-12 8:27am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Updated 9-Aug-12 8:28am

v3

Comments

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:32pm

I totally agree with you. It's not recommended to change the normal behavior of the predefined things in the OS.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 9-Aug-12 14:44pm

Thank you, Cristian.
--SA

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:45pm

You're welcome.

Solution 1

May be helps you a little: Easy Customize Title Bar[^]

What about this one: WinForm Extended[^]

Regards.

Posted 9-Aug-12 8:17am

Christian Amado

Updated 9-Aug-12 8:19am

v2

Comments

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 9-Aug-12 14:29pm

Good links, my 5.
In my answer, I just explain the principle, and, importantly, motivation -- please see.
--SA

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:31pm

Hey! Nice Solution below! +5 too =)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 9-Aug-12 14:45pm

Thank you, Cristian.
--SA

Christian Amado 9-Aug-12 14:46pm

You're welcome =)

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)

Ank_ush · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-14T01:54:00

I created this method and called in Form Load event.

C#

private void Center_Text()
        {
            Graphics g = this.CreateGraphics();
            Double startingPoint = (this.Width / 2) - (g.MeasureString(this.Text.Trim(), this.Font).Width / 2);
            Double widthOfASpace = g.MeasureString(" ", this.Font).Width;
            String tmp = " ";
            Double tmpWidth = 0;
            while ((tmpWidth + widthOfASpace) < startingPoint)
            {
                tmp += " ";
                tmpWidth += widthOfASpace;
            }
            this.Text = tmp + this.Text.Trim();
        }

Center Align the TExt of Form Title Bar.

3 solutions

Solution 3

Solution 2

Solution 1

Add your solution here

Preview 0

Existing Members

...or Join us