The Caption of a Button

After adding a button to a form (by design or with code), you can change its caption with code by assigning the desired string to the Text property. For example, you can change the caption of a button as follows:

button1.Text = "Let it Go!";

After specifying the Text of a button, by default, it's positioned in the middle center of the button:

The position of the text of a button is controlled through the TextAlign property which is a value of the ContentAlignment enumerator. The possible values are:

TopLeft	TopCenter	TopRight
MiddleLeft	MiddleCenter	MiddleRight
BottomLeft	BottomCenter	BottomRight

Here is an example:

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    Button btnResume;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    private void InitializeComponent()
    {
        btnResume = new Button();
        btnResume.Text = "Resume";
        btnResume.Location = new Point(32, 20);
        btnResume.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(120, 48);
        btnResume.TextAlign = ContentAlignment.BottomCenter;

        Controls.Add(btnResume);
    }
}

1. Access each tab page and add a button to it
2. Add a button to the form and under the tab control
3. Complete the design of the form as follows:
    

   Control Text Name Button Calculate btnCalcFactorial Button Close btnClose

   Control Text Name Button Calculate btnCalcPermutation

   Control Text Name Button Calculate btnCalcCombination

4. Access the Factorial tab page and double-click its Calculate button
5. Implement the event as follows:
    

   private void btnCalcFactorial_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { long number = 0; long result; try { number = long.Parse(txtFactNumber.Text); result = Algebra.Factorial(number); txtFactorial.Text = result.ToString(); } catch (FormatException) { MessageBox.Show("Invalid Number"); } }

6. Return to the form
7. Access the Permutation tab page and double-click its Calculate button
8. Implement the event as follows:
    

   private void btnCalcPermutation_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { long n = 0, r = 0; long result; try { n = long.Parse(txtPermutationN.Text); } catch (FormatException) { MessageBox.Show("Invalid Number"); } try { r = long.Parse(txtPermutationR.Text); result = Algebra.Permutation(n, r); txtPermutation.Text = result.ToString(); } catch (FormatException) { MessageBox.Show("Invalid Number"); } }

9. Return to the form
10. Access the Combination tab page and double-click its Calculate button
11. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void btnCalcCombination_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { long n = 0, r = 0; long result; try { n = long.Parse(txtCombinationN.Text); } catch (FormatException) { MessageBox.Show("Invalid Number"); } try { r = long.Parse(txtCombinationR.Text); result = Algebra.Combinatorial(n, r); txtCombination.Text = result.ToString(); } catch (FormatException) { MessageBox.Show("Invalid Number"); } }

12. Return to the form and double-click the Close button
13. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void btnClose_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { Close(); }

14. Execute the application to test the calculations
     
15. Close the form and return to your programming environment

Besides, or instead, of a caption, a button can display a picture on top. If you want a button to display a bitmap, you should first create, design, or have a picture. Then, in the Properties window, use the Image field to select a bitmap or an icon. You can also programmatically assign an Image object to the Image property. Here is an example:

private void InitializeComponent()
{
    btnResume = new Button();
    btnResume.Text = "Resume";
    btnResume.Location = new Point(32, 20);
    btnResume.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(120, 48);
    btnResume.Image = Image.FromFile(@"E:\Programs\neutral.gif");
        
    Controls.Add(btnResume);
}

This would produce:

By default, both the caption and the image display ion the middle-center of the button. To make them distinct and allow the user to see both, you can design a bitmap that has both and assign that bitmap as the image of the button. Alternatively, you can use a separate string and a separate picture. Fortunately, each can have its own alignment. We already saw how to control the alignment of the caption.

Besides displaying an image, the Button class is equipped with the ImageAlign property that allows you to specify the alignment of the image. The ImageAlign property is inherited from the ButtonBase class. The ButtonBase.ImageAlign property is based on the ContentAlignment enumeration that we are already familiar with. Here is an example:

private void InitializeComponent()
{
        btnResume = new Button();
        btnResume.Location = new Point(32, 20);
        btnResume.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(120, 48);
        btnResume.Text = "Resume";
        btnResume.TextAlign = ContentAlignment.BottomCenter;
        btnResume.Image = Image.FromFile(@"E:\Programs\neutral.gif");
        btnResume.ImageAlign = ContentAlignment.TopCenter;

        Controls.Add(btnResume);
}

This would produce:

Instead of using the Image property, you can first create an image list and add some pictures to it. Then, using the ImageList property, assign it to the button. Use the ImageIndex property to specify what picture would be displayed on the button.

A regular button displays with raised borders as originally set by the operating system. To give your button a fancy look and behavior, you can use the FlatStyle property. The FlatStyle property is based on an enumeration of the same name. It provides 4 values that are:

• Flat: The button appears flat. When the mouse is over it, it becomes highlighted

• Popup: The button appears flat. When the mouse is over it, the borders of the button are raised

• Standard: The button appears and behave like all regular buttons you have seen

• System: The appearance of the button depends on the operating system

Obviously the most important and the most intuitive event of a button occurs when clicked. This event is of type EventArgs, which indicates that it doesn't provide nor does it need any formal details about what is going on. To launch this event, you can double-click the button on the form. To create this event programmatically, first implement the method that would carry its assignment, then increment-add (with the += operator) it to the Click property of the button by assigning it the EventHandler constructor.

After the user has used a form or dialog box, to close it, the user would click a button. When the user does this, you must find out what button was clicked. Although there are various ways you can get this information, to assist you, the .NET Framework provides a convenient mechanism through an enumeration named DialogResult.

When creating a form or a dialog box, after adding a button, in the Properties window, click DialogResult and select on the values:

Except for None, by default, it does not matter what value you select but, you should follow Windows standard to select the right value.

After specifying the returned value of a button, access the properties of the form or dialog box:

• If you had selected OK as the DialogResult value of a button, you should select the name of that button for the AcceptButton property of the form
• If you had selected Cancel as the DialogResult value of a button, you should select the name of that button for the CancelButton property of the form

After configuring the DialogResult of the button(s), when the user clicks one of the buttons to close the form or dialog box, you can get the value of the Form.ShowDialog() method which returns one of the values of the DialogResult enumeration.

Applications:

Algebra

Simple Interest