Introduction
Version 1.1 of the .NET framework introduced the method System.Windows.Forms.Application.EnableVisualStyles
. Calling this method prior to the creation of any Forms or Controls, will cause Windows XP to apply a theme when rendering Windows Common Controls and many of the native .NET controls like Buttons and CheckBoxes.
Using .NET 1.0, MFC, WTL or VB6, it is necessary to include a manifest, either in the same directory as the executable, or compiled into it as a resource, in order to make use of Windows XP visual styles. While not overly difficult, providing a manifest for every executable one creates is tedious, and Visual Studio has very little tool support for helping you to do so.
The introduction of EnableVisualStyles
to v1.1 of the framework is a nice addition because it allows WinForms applications to easily adopt the new look and feel of Windows XP styles