Programming Windows Application without using Windows Forms.

[kadirerdogan]

Hi,

Is it Possible that programming Windows Application without using Windows Forms.

Maybe We can draw a control with GDI+ but how events and properties should it be used?

Good Working...

[TLord]

yes it is possible.

look at this example that I wrote 100% programmatically

Public Module AppMain
    Sub Main()
        Application.Run(New MainForm)
    End Sub
End Module
 
Public Class MainForm
    Inherits Form
    'Controls
    Private WithEvents ButtonA As Button
    Private WithEvents ButtonB As Button
    Private WithEvents TBox As TextBox
    'Instantiation
    Sub New()
        'Set form's properties
        With Me
            .FormBorderStyle = FormBorderStyle.FixedSingle
            .ClientSize = New Size(200, 170)
            .Text = "This form was drawn programically"
            .Font = New Font("Tahoma", 10, FontStyle.Regular, GraphicsUnit.Point)
        End With
        'Controls
        '   ButtonA
        ButtonA = New Button
        With ButtonA
            .FlatStyle = FlatStyle.Popup
            .Text = "Button A"
            .Size = New Size(80, 20)
            .Location = New Point(5, 5)
        End With
        '   ButtonB
        ButtonB = New Button
        With ButtonB
            .FlatStyle = FlatStyle.Popup
            .Text = "Button B"
            .Size = New Size(80, 20)
            .Location = New Point(5, 5)
        End With
        '   TBox
        TBox = New TextBox
        With TBox
            .Multiline = True
            .ScrollBars = ScrollBars.Both
            .Text = "This is a multilined scrollable textbox"
            .BackColor = Color.WhiteSmoke
            .Size = New Size(165, 135)
            .Location = New Point(5, 30)
        End With
        'Add controls
        With Me.Controls
            .Add(ButtonA)
            .Add(ButtonB)
            .Add(TBox)
        End With
    End Sub
    'Example event handler
    Sub ClickedButtonA(ByVal Sndr As Object, ByVal EvArgs As EventArgs) Handles ButtonA.Click
        MessageBox.Show("You just clicked Button A!!", "Won the 99999$", MessageBoxButtons.OK)
    End Sub
End Class

as you see it's very simple and easy, all you have to do is just to initialize the controls on the form's instantiation.

Here I included also how you can play with the properties of the controls as normal after initializing them .

[nemaroller]

A 'Windows application' can be a console application, or a Forms application (or service but anyway).

If you are asking to make an application without using Forms, then create a console project.

TLord's example would still require a reference to the Windows.Forms library, because the code obviously inherits the Form class from it.

If what you are asking is how to draw graphics to the screen without including the Forms library, I haven't the foggiest clue if that's possible without DirectX or calls to Win32 GDI (unmanaged).

[kadirerdogan]

Thank you for answers...

A 'Windows application' can be a console application, or a Forms application (or service but anyway).

But, don't we program a game without including Forms by using VB.NET ?

Good Working...

[kadirerdogan]

I think that Form is a Object, namely a Class, and no different from Textbox or Button (both of them class) for Object Oriented Programming. As We can program without using Textbox or Button, we can program without using Form Control.

I am wrong?

[brown monkey]

imports system
public class sample
   shared sub x(o as object)
      console.writeline(o.tostring())
   end sub
   shared sub main()
      sample.x("hello world")
   end sub
end class

now sample is a class, i can run it with a console coz of course it's a console. but this

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   inherits form
   shared sub main()
      dim s as new sample()
   end sub
end class

can't run it coz it's not run as an application. as well as this

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   inherits button
   shared sub main()
      dim s as new sample()
   end sub
end class

yah, it runs but does nothing at all. check this

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   inherits form
   shared sub main()
      application.run(new sample())
   end sub
end class

application class has most shared methods receiving form. so this won't compile

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   inherits button
   shared sub main()
      application.run(new sample())
   end sub
end class

they are all control alright but they have differences. as with coding without form, i don't know unmanaged so i can't post example. perhaps someone can do that and post it here hopefully. main is the entry point though, every code has to have one main for the program to know where to start but

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   inherits form
   shared sub main()
      dim f as new sample()
      f.show()
      application.run()
   end sub
end class

it runs as an application what it is that running? i don't know. the app itself. just like this

imports system
imports system.windows.forms
public class sample
   shared sub main()
      application.run()
   end sub
end class

buttons, textboxes are controls but form is a different thing. it's used in the application class.

sooo... i don't know how to run button that floats. just like... i don't know how to build a house with a floating roof without a base foundation. perhaps in the near future - anti-gravity tech.

[TLord]

Originally posted by kadirerdogan
Thank you for answers...



But, don't we program a game without including Forms by using VB.NET ?

Good Working...

I don't use visual baisc for game programming, actually I know 6 languages else than VB.Net, and I think that when you want to program a game you should cut sides to C++ or C# because as I have readen VB.Net is ideal only for simple games like Tetris or snake-like. For now I'm learning C# for graphics-based reasons like 3D with DirectX, but I wrote very good and powerfull VB.Net programs so far.