Implementing TextBoxes (TextBoxExt)

An enhanced textbox control for Windows Forms that provides custom border styling, Office themes, multiline text support, character casing, overflow indicators, and complete appearance customization.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Enhanced TextBox: Replace standard TextBox with styled, theme-enabled alternatives
• Custom Borders: Apply custom border colors, 3D styles, and border side configurations
• Office Themes: Match textbox appearance to Office 2016/2019 or Metro application themes
• Multiline Text: Display multiline text with word wrap, scrollbars, and overflow indicators
• Text Formatting: Control character casing (uppercase/lowercase), text alignment, and RTL layouts
• Readonly Displays: Create styled readonly text fields for labels or non-editable displays
• Overflow Tooltips: Show tooltips when text exceeds textbox boundaries
• Size Constraints: Enforce minimum or maximum textbox dimensions

Component Overview

The TextBoxExt is an advanced textbox control derived from the standard TextBox that provides:

• Custom border colors and 3D border styles
• Eight built-in visual themes (Office2016, Office2019, Metro, Office2007, Office2010, Default)
• Theme assembly integration with SkinManager
• Multiline text with word wrap and configurable scrollbars
• Character casing transformation (Upper, Lower, Normal)
• Text alignment (Left, Center, Right)
• Right-to-left layout support for international applications
• Overflow indicators with customizable tooltips
• Size constraints (MaximumSize/MinimumSize)
• ReadOnly mode with active drawing when disabled
• Twelve property-changed events for customization

Key Capabilities:

• BorderColor and BorderStyle for custom borders
• Style property for selecting visual themes
• ThemeName property for runtime theme switching
• CharacterCasing for automatic case transformation
• ShowOverflowIndicator for text overflow detection
• MaxLength for input length restrictions
• DrawActiveWhenDisabled for active appearance when disabled

Documentation and Navigation Guide

Getting Started

📄 Read: references/getting-started.md

When to read: Starting new implementation, setting up dependencies, first-time usage, basic textbox creation

Topics covered:

• Assembly deployment (Syncfusion.Shared.Base.dll)
• NuGet package installation (Syncfusion.Shared.WinForms)
• Namespace requirements (Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools)
• Adding TextBoxExt via designer (drag-and-drop)
• Adding TextBoxExt programmatically
• Basic TextBoxExt instantiation and configuration
• Size configuration (MaximumSize/MinimumSize)
• Multiline text setup with word wrap and scrollbars
• Initial text display

---

Text Configuration

📄 Read: references/text-configuration.md

When to read: Configuring text properties, multiline text, character casing, alignment, overflow indicators, RTL support

Topics covered:

• Text and SelectedText properties
• CharacterCasing (Upper, Lower, Normal case transformation)
• TextAlign (Left, Center, Right alignment)
• RightToLeft layout for Arabic/Hebrew applications
• DrawActiveWhenDisabled (active appearance when disabled)
• Multiline text configuration
• WordWrap property for line wrapping
• ScrollBars (Horizontal, Vertical, Both, None)
• Overflow indicators (ShowOverflowIndicator property)
• Overflow tooltip customization (OverflowIndicatorToolTipText)
• Text manipulation methods (AppendText, Cut, Copy, Paste, Select, SelectAll)
• ScrollToCaret() method for caret positioning

---

Border Settings

📄 Read: references/border-settings.md

When to read: Customizing border appearance, applying border colors, configuring 3D borders, selecting border sides

Topics covered:

• BorderStyle property (Fixed3D, FixedSingle, None)
• Border3DStyle property (Raised, Sunken, Etched, etc.)
• BorderColor customization with Color values
• BorderSides configuration (All, Top, Bottom, Left, Right, combinations)
• Complete border examples with code
• Border customization patterns
• Matching borders to application themes

---

Appearance and Styling

📄 Read: references/appearance-styling.md

When to read: Applying visual themes, customizing colors, selecting Office styles

Topics covered:

• BackColor property for background customization
• ForeColor property for text color
• Style property overview
• Eight built-in visual styles:
  • Office2016Colorful
  • Office2016White
  • Office2016Black
  • Office2016DarkGray
  • Office2019Colorful
  • Metro (flat modern design)
  • Office2007 (classic Ribbon style)
  • Office2010 (refined Office look)
  • Default (standard appearance)
• Visual style selection and configuration
• Style comparison examples
• Matching textbox style to application design

---

Themes Configuration

📄 Read: references/themes-configuration.md

When to read: Loading theme assemblies, configuring application-wide themes, runtime theme switching, advanced theming

Topics covered:

• ThemesEnabled property (XP themes for Fixed3D borders)
• ThemeName property for runtime theme selection
• Theme assembly loading requirements
  • Syncfusion.Office2016Theme.WinForms (4 variations)
  • Syncfusion.Office2019Theme.WinForms
  • Syncfusion.HighContrastTheme.WinForms
• SkinManager.LoadAssembly() method
• Loading themes in Program.Main()
• Office2016 theme variations (Colorful, White, Black, DarkGray)
• Office2019Colorful theme
• HighContrastBlack accessibility theme
• Application-wide theme setup
• Theme switching at runtime
• Theme consistency across controls

---

Behavior and Events

📄 Read: references/behavior-events.md

When to read: Configuring behavior properties, handling events, enforcing input restrictions, responding to property changes

Topics covered:

• MaxLength property (input length restriction)
• ReadOnly mode (prevent text editing)
• Layout settings (MaximumSize, MinimumSize)
• Twelve property-changed events:
  • Border3DStyleChanged
  • BorderColorChanged
  • BorderSidesChanged
  • BorderStyleChanged
  • CharacterCasingChanged
  • HideSelectionChanged
  • MaximumSizeChanged
  • MinimumSizeChanged
  • MultilineChanged
  • ReadOnlyChanged
  • TextAlignChanged
  • ThemesEnabledChanged
• Event handler implementation patterns
• Event-driven customization
• Validation and input control scenarios
• Dynamic property updates

---

Quick Start Example

Basic Themed TextBox with Custom Border

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools;
using System.Drawing;

// Create TextBoxExt instance
TextBoxExt textBoxExt1 = new TextBoxExt();
textBoxExt1.Location = new Point(50, 50);
textBoxExt1.Size = new Size(300, 25);
textBoxExt1.Text = "Enter your text here";

// Apply Office2016 Colorful theme
textBoxExt1.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Office2016Colorful;

// Customize border
textBoxExt1.BorderColor = Color.FromArgb(0, 120, 215); // Blue border
textBoxExt1.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(textBoxExt1);

VB.NET:

Imports Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools
Imports System.Drawing

' Create TextBoxExt instance
Dim textBoxExt1 As New TextBoxExt()
textBoxExt1.Location = New Point(50, 50)
textBoxExt1.Size = New Size(300, 25)
textBoxExt1.Text = "Enter your text here"

' Apply Office2016 Colorful theme
textBoxExt1.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Office2016Colorful

' Customize border
textBoxExt1.BorderColor = Color.FromArgb(0, 120, 215) ' Blue border
textBoxExt1.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle

' Add to form
Me.Controls.Add(textBoxExt1)

---

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Multiline Text Editor with Overflow Indicator

Scenario: Create a multiline textbox for notes or comments with scrollbars and overflow tooltips

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools;

TextBoxExt notesTextBox = new TextBoxExt();
notesTextBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(20, 20);
notesTextBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(400, 200);

// Enable multiline with word wrap
notesTextBox.Multiline = true;
notesTextBox.WordWrap = true;
notesTextBox.ScrollBars = System.Windows.Forms.ScrollBars.Vertical;

// Configure overflow indicator
notesTextBox.ShowOverflowIndicator = true;
notesTextBox.ShowOverflowIndicatorToolTip = true;
notesTextBox.OverflowIndicatorToolTipText = "Text content exceeds visible area. Scroll to view more.";

// Apply Metro theme
notesTextBox.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Metro;

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(notesTextBox);

---

Pattern 2: Readonly Display Field with Active Appearance

Scenario: Display readonly information (e.g., calculated values, status) that looks active even when disabled

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools;
using System.Drawing;

TextBoxExt displayField = new TextBoxExt();
displayField.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(150, 100);
displayField.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(250, 25);
displayField.Text = "Total: $1,234.56";

// Make readonly but keep active appearance
displayField.ReadOnly = true;
displayField.DrawActiveWhenDisabled = true;

// Apply custom styling
displayField.BackColor = Color.WhiteSmoke;
displayField.ForeColor = Color.DarkGreen;
displayField.BorderColor = Color.LightGray;
displayField.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;

// Align text to right (common for currency)
displayField.TextAlign = System.Windows.Forms.HorizontalAlignment.Right;

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(displayField);

---

Pattern 3: Uppercase Input Field with Length Restriction

Scenario: Create an input field that automatically converts to uppercase (e.g., product codes, license keys)

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools;
using System.Drawing;

TextBoxExt productCodeBox = new TextBoxExt();
productCodeBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(120, 80);
productCodeBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(200, 25);

// Enforce uppercase and length
productCodeBox.CharacterCasing = System.Windows.Forms.CharacterCasing.Upper;
productCodeBox.MaxLength = 10;

// Apply Office2019 theme
productCodeBox.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Office2019Colorful;

// Customize border
productCodeBox.BorderColor = Color.SteelBlue;
productCodeBox.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;

// Center align for codes
productCodeBox.TextAlign = System.Windows.Forms.HorizontalAlignment.Center;

// Add placeholder behavior
productCodeBox.ForeColor = Color.Gray;
productCodeBox.Text = "ENTER-CODE";

productCodeBox.Enter += (s, e) => {
    if (productCodeBox.Text == "ENTER-CODE")
    {
        productCodeBox.Text = "";
        productCodeBox.ForeColor = Color.Black;
    }
};

productCodeBox.Leave += (s, e) => {
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(productCodeBox.Text))
    {
        productCodeBox.Text = "ENTER-CODE";
        productCodeBox.ForeColor = Color.Gray;
    }
};

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(productCodeBox);

---

Key Properties

Appearance Properties

Property	Type	Description
Style	TextBoxExt.theme	Visual theme: Office2016Colorful, Office2016White, Office2016Black, Office2016DarkGray, Office2019Colorful, Metro, Office2007, Office2010, Default
ThemeName	string	Runtime theme name (requires theme assembly loaded)
BackColor	Color	Background color of textbox
ForeColor	Color	Text color
BorderStyle	BorderStyle	Border style: Fixed3D, FixedSingle, None
BorderColor	Color	Custom border color
Border3DStyle	Border3DStyle	3D border effect: Raised, Sunken, Etched, etc.
BorderSides	Border3DSide	Border sides: All, Top, Bottom, Left, Right

Text Properties

Property	Type	Description
Text	string	Textbox content
SelectedText	string	Currently selected text
CharacterCasing	CharacterCasing	Case transformation: Normal, Upper, Lower
TextAlign	HorizontalAlignment	Text alignment: Left, Center, Right
RightToLeft	RightToLeft	RTL layout: Yes, No
DrawActiveWhenDisabled	bool	Draw text as active even when control is disabled

Multiline Properties

Property	Type	Description
Multiline	bool	Enable multiline text display
WordWrap	bool	Wrap text to next line automatically
ScrollBars	ScrollBars	Scrollbar visibility: None, Horizontal, Vertical, Both

Overflow Indicator Properties

Property	Type	Description
ShowOverflowIndicator	bool	Show indicator when text overflows
ShowOverflowIndicatorToolTip	bool	Show tooltip on overflow indicator
OverflowIndicatorToolTipText	string	Custom tooltip text for overflow

Behavior Properties

Property	Type	Description
MaxLength	int	Maximum character count (default: 32767)
ReadOnly	bool	Prevent text editing
MaximumSize	Size	Maximum control dimensions
MinimumSize	Size	Minimum control dimensions

Theme Properties

Property	Type	Description
ThemesEnabled	bool	Enable XP themes for Fixed3D borders

---

Common Use Cases

1. Product Search Box with Themed Appearance

Styled textbox for searching products in inventory system:

TextBoxExt searchBox = new TextBoxExt();
searchBox.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Office2016Colorful;
searchBox.BorderColor = Color.DodgerBlue;
searchBox.Text = "Search products...";

2. Multiline Description Field

Large textbox for product descriptions or notes:

TextBoxExt descriptionBox = new TextBoxExt();
descriptionBox.Multiline = true;
descriptionBox.WordWrap = true;
descriptionBox.ScrollBars = ScrollBars.Vertical;
descriptionBox.Size = new Size(500, 150);

3. Uppercase License Key Entry

Automatic uppercase conversion for license keys:

TextBoxExt licenseBox = new TextBoxExt();
licenseBox.CharacterCasing = CharacterCasing.Upper;
licenseBox.MaxLength = 25;
licenseBox.TextAlign = HorizontalAlignment.Center;

4. Readonly Status Display

Display-only field that shows active appearance:

TextBoxExt statusBox = new TextBoxExt();
statusBox.ReadOnly = true;
statusBox.DrawActiveWhenDisabled = true;
statusBox.BackColor = Color.LightYellow;
statusBox.Text = "Status: Active";

5. RTL Text Input for Arabic

Right-to-left textbox for international applications:

TextBoxExt arabicTextBox = new TextBoxExt();
arabicTextBox.RightToLeft = RightToLeft.Yes;
arabicTextBox.TextAlign = HorizontalAlignment.Right;

6. Custom Bordered Input Field

Textbox with custom border color matching brand:

TextBoxExt brandedBox = new TextBoxExt();
brandedBox.BorderStyle = BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
brandedBox.BorderColor = Color.FromArgb(255, 87, 34); // Orange
brandedBox.Style = TextBoxExt.theme.Metro;

7. Size-Constrained Textbox

Textbox with enforced dimensions:

TextBoxExt constrainedBox = new TextBoxExt();
constrainedBox.MinimumSize = new Size(200, 25);
constrainedBox.MaximumSize = new Size(400, 25);

---

Additional Resources

Assembly: Syncfusion.Shared.Base.dll
Namespace: Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools
NuGet Package: Syncfusion.Shared.WinForms
Minimum .NET Framework: 4.5

Key Classes:

• TextBoxExt - Main enhanced textbox control class
• SkinManager - Theme assembly loading manager

Related Controls:

• MaskedEditBox (for formatted input)
• CurrencyTextBox (for currency values)
• IntegerTextBox (for integer input)
• DoubleTextBox (for decimal input)

Related Skills:

• Form theming and styling
• Input validation
• Multiline text editors
• Readonly field displays