To begin the user first opens Microsoft's Visual Studio 2005. Once Visual Studio 2005 is open the user opens the DirectForms Designer application. Upon opening, DirectForms Designer begins to interface with Visual Studio 2005.

The user then selects a project. The project files will now show up in the Code File drop down list. The user is allowed to either select an already created DirectForms code file or creates a new one.

Now that a project and code file have been established for the session the user simply drags forms and controls from the opened ToolBox into the Designer window.

DirectForms Designer 2005 ©
DirectForms makes the task of designing Windows-type components easy for DirectX applications. Much like the form designer supplied with Microsoft's Visual Studio. Simply drag and edit components visually. A code file is created in the background which compiles into your application.

Object Editor,
Color
(left,
click to enlarge)

In the background, DirectForms Designer's engine automatically creates and adjusts the opened code files based on every action taken by the user. The created code file will compile with your project along with the required DirectForms core library references. The created code files are fully editable. Although user editing should be limited to the user file. The user code file is meant for the user to adjust at their will. This is also where event delegate methods are placed when the user hooks an event via the Object Editor's event tab area.

Designer Maintained Code File.
(left, click to enlarge)

User Maintained Code File
(right, click to enlarge)

Sample Render Loop
(right, click to enlarge)

Once created, the DirectForms system handles user interaction and control/form display as well as other behavior on it's own thru a proprietary and copyrighted code library. There is nothing else left for the user to do other than to add three lines of code to their render loop. The first line scans for user interaction with the mouse and keyboard. The next line performs any processing that's required. The last line draws the forms and controls of the current layout group within the system to the screen. It's as easy as that!

Button: The button control has 3 images to display. Normal, hovered and clicked.

CheckBox
Displays check mark when it's Checked property is set to true.

Container
Invisible control used to group controls together for movement purposes.

ContextMenu
Right clicking the background or another control that has a context menu assigned brings up a context menu. Multiple context menus allowed.

DropDownList
Displays a horizontal and vertical scrolling drop down list when the user clicks the down arrow. This allows for selecting items within the list but only displaying the selected item. List items are made up of text or other controls. Designer allows dragging of items from one index to another for placement.

Form
Re sizable and moveable control that supports children. Can minimize and maximize and cancel.

Grid
A 2-dimensional grid that's items can be made up of text or other controls. Designer allows dragging of items from one cell to another for placement.

Label
The basic text label control. Supports advanced text layout including word wrap and basic alignment modes. ie: left, center, right, top, middle, bottom. User controls the Font and Color of text.

VerticalLevelBar
The vertical level bar allows for display of a level value along the Y axis.

HorizontalLevelBar
The horizontal level bar allows for display of a level value along the X axis.

ListBox
Displays a horizontal and vertical scrolling control that displays a list of items. Allows single or multiple selection of items. May contain text items or other controls. Designer allows dragging of items from one index to another for placement.

OrbitView
Displays objects which implement the IDrawable interface. The control is typically used for displaying 3D mesh objects. Supports multiple view types from a user controlled 3D rotate and pan to a auto-rotate type with user set axis and rates.

ProgressBar
The progress bar allows for display of the current progress of an action along it's life time.

RadioButton
Displays a radio button. When the user clicks this control it's checked property is set to true. If any other radio buttons exist in the same container control they are unchecked automatically.

VerticalScrollBar
Vertical scroll bar for slider value based action.

HorizontalScrollBar
Horizontal scroll bar for slider value based action.

TextBox
The text box is a full functioning text editing control that allows mouse highlighting as well as arrow key, home, end and other functionality. Supports word wrap and alignment modes: left, center, right, top, middle, bottom. User controls the Font and color of text.

TextButton
The text button operates identically to the button with the exception that it adds text on top of it's background surface.

ToolTip
The systems tool tip control has fade in and fade out settings as well as delay. Simply set the ToolTip string property of a control to display this popup.

TrackBar
The track bar control allows selection of enumerated values and/or increments along a value range.

DragEnd
Drawn
DrawOrderChanged
DroppedInto
ExclusiveFocused
FocusAquired
FocusReleased
ForegroundColorChanged Hidding
Hover

AlignmentChanged
BackgroundColorChanged
Click
ClippingChanged
ContextMenuChanged
ControlSelected
Disposing
DoubleClick
Drag
DragBegin

ParentChanged
PickedFrom
Processed
RegisteredHit
Showing
SizeChanged
TransparencyChanged VisibilityChanged

KeyPress
LocationChanged
MaximumSizeChanged
MinimumSizeChanged
MouseDown
MouseEnter
MouseLeave
MouseMove
MouseUp
PaddingChange

Customizing the look and feel of the controls and forms within the system is important, that's why we've created a unique system that allows the user to create each type of control just how they want with the look and feel of their own. A special style DLL file can be loaded into any Designer session that controls how each type of control is created before drag and drop operations drop the control into the Designer window. A project is included with DirectForms Designer that compiles into this type of DLL file.

Within the project is a class named Style that implements interface IStyle. Modifying this to suite your needs is easy and powerful since it is code based and can draw on the resources of the dot net universe. Simply compile this file and save it with a unique file name, and don't forget to set the Style classes Name property to match the file name.

Texture and images used for your unique style can be embedded resources in the project so that it's a stand alone that requires no other texture or image files.

Style Class
(above, click to enlarge)