Pro .NET 2.0 Graphics Programming, Apress
Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio
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Contents |
C# Online.NET Book Review
Graphical Design Interface (GDI+) is the part of the .NET Framework Base Class Library (BCL) which enables developers to perform custom drawing in Web or Windows controls. In many ways, GDI+ is merely a .NET wrapper for the old GDI; but, GDI+ provides an object model for use by .NET developers.
This book sets out to instruct the reader in everything he might need to know in order to write custom controls. This leads to a little bit of a disconnect between the stated purpose of the book—"aimed at… those writing GDI+ code for Windows forms in order to create custom controls"—the subtitle of the book—Building Custom Controls using GDI+—and the text. The disconnect is that in covering everything a custom control developer might need, the book ends up covering virtually the entire GDI+ Windows graphics subsystem.
For those who might want a book dedicated only to topics directly related to custom control development, there may be disappointment. But, for most developers, this is a good thing.
The coverage of GDI+ topics is exhaustive. This makes the book an excellent introduction and reference to GDI+. The reader will get a through grounding in GDI+.
The author's writing style is pleasant and he obviously knows his GDI+.
In a future edition of the book, I would like to see more involved examples of custom control development and issues.
All the source code examples are in the C# language. The book assumes you have Visual Studio .NET available; but, you can download the Express Edition for free.
| Namespaces | Description |
System.Drawing
| basic graphics functionality—brushes, colors, drawing surfaces, fonts, images, pens. |
System.Drawing.Design
| design-time support of custom controls |
System.Drawing.Drawing2D
| raster and vector graphics functionality |
System.Drawing.Imaging
| advanced imaging functionality |
System.Drawing.Printing
| printing and print preview functionality |
System.Drawing.Text
| advanced font functionality |
Bottom line
Pro .NET 2.0 Graphics Programming is an exhaustive guide and reference for GDI+ developers.
Publisher's description
Whether you are using Windows Forms to build rich-client business applications, or the ASP.NET 2.0 framework to build powerful web applications or web services, the use of well-designed graphics will greatly enhance their usability, impact, and visual appeal. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the use of graphics in .NET applications and aims to provide you with all the information you need to build effective custom controls.
The opening section of the book investigates the .NET Framework classes that implement graphics. It covers all of the classes, methods, and techniques needed to create, manipulate, and display precise graphics in a form, a page being sent to a printer, or an image.
On this foundation, the second section describes how to design and build effective custom controls for use in a business environment. Topics covered include building composite controls, implementing keyboard navigation, and enhancing design-time support.
The final section of the book explores the use of GDI+ and ASP.NET to build custom controls that can provide reusable, GUI components for web projects, and to deliver customized graphics over the Internet.
About the author(s)
Eric White is an independent software consultant with over twenty years of experience building management information systems, accounting systems, and other types of rich-client and n -tier database applications. He has written custom controls in numerous windowing systems, including all versions of Microsoft Windows since 2.0, Macintosh, OS/2, X/Motif, and others. White has particular interest in object-oriented design methodologies, including use case analysis, UML, and design patterns. After years of working with too many varieties of technologies to list, he currently specializes in C#, Visual Basic .NET, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, XML, COM+, GDI+, SQL Server, and other Microsoft technologies.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
CHAPTER 1 .NET Graphics Programming
CHAPTER 2 Drawing Surfaces
CHAPTER 3 Pens and Brushes
CHAPTER 4 Text and Fonts
CHAPTER 5 Images
CHAPTER 6 GraphicsPaths and Regions
CHAPTER 7 Clipping and Invalidation
CHAPTER 8 Transformations
CHAPTER 9 Printing
CHAPTER 10 An Alternative Coordinate System
CHAPTER 11 Architecture and Design of Windows Forms CustomControls
CHAPTER 12 Design-Time Support
CHAPTER 13 Scrolling
CHAPTER 14 Mouse Events and Cursors
APPENDIX A Using Namespaces
APPENDIX B Using the Console in Windows Applications
APPENDIX C Using the Dispose Method with Classes That Implement IDisposable
