How to set bmp for your UserControl in the toolbox

1.       Add a new UserControl.cs. Of course, you could create it bases on Component Class, but UserControl is easier. 

2.       Modify base class name

3.       In the designer file, remove

this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;

 

If you forget to remove this line, an error message will be prompted when compiling. Then you may delete it.

 

4.       Add Bitmap shown in the toolbar

4.1   Add the specified bmp into Resource of project. The size of bmp file should be 16*16.  I always use the bitmaps that issued with Visual Studio.

4.2   Visual Studio creates a folder names Resources automatically to keep all bitmaps together.

4.3   In the Properties Window of bmp file, choose “Embedded Resource” for the Build Action property.

4.4   Create an internal class. Please note, this class could not be included in any namespace. This is the tricky solution for showing pictures in the toolbox. For the reason, please search it in the MSDN.

using System;   internal class ResFinder { }

 

4.5   In your control class. The name of bmp must be full path which includes namespace of project plus Resources Folder name.

namespace XXXX.Windows.Controls {     [ToolboxItem ( true )]     [Description ( "Your description here" )]     [ToolboxBitmap ( typeof ( ResFinder ), "XXXX.Windows.Controls.Resources.MYTextBox.bmp" )]       public partial class MYTextBox : TextBox {

 

5.       Build your control library project

6.       If another project is referring this library, please do “Choose Items” in toolbox again in that project. The picture in toolbox is not refreshed sometimes, so you need reload this library time and again.