C#•9mo ago

✅ is there a Winforms API reference?

i have to build a winforms app as part of this school project i'm doing, and i'm opting not to use VS or the designer.

i need an API reference and found this https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.windows.forms?view=windowsdesktop-9.0 but I want to ask if everything i'm going to need for the UI stuff is under System.Windows.Forms or are there other namespaces I'd need to look at?

right now i'm mainly interessted in the controls, layout managers, etc that I'd need to put together a basic, non-functioning UI

System.Windows.Forms Namespace

Contains classes for creating Windows-based applications that take full advantage of the rich user interface features available in the Microsoft Windows operating system.

jcotton42•4/11/25, 4:21 AM

that is indeed where all the Forms stuff is, but also

and i'm opting not to use VS or the designer

why? @enrico11011

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:23 AM

Vs is kinda slow on my laptop, and the screen's small so its kinda cluttered by default

jcotton42•4/11/25, 4:24 AM

If you were doing WPF, sure.
But Forms without the designer is ah
deeply unpleasant

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:24 AM

Im already using vs code for a bunch of other programming languages (mainly python) so making the project with the CLI and working through there was just easier and faster for me

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:26 AM

Oh im sure, im still not sure if were expected to do all this "manually" so im covering my bases

Eenrico11011 Oh im sure, im still not sure if were expected to do all this "manually" so im c...

jcotton42•4/11/25, 4:27 AM

Professors can be weird sometimes, but I cannot imagine one genuinely expecting you to do anything but the most trivial Forms UI entirely by hand.
Even if you do most of your C# work in VSC, I strongly suggest you at least do the UI layout in VS.

leowest•4/11/25, 4:32 AM

I will second jcotton on this one

leowest•4/11/25, 4:32 AM

writing winform with no designer is just awful

leowest•4/11/25, 4:32 AM

if it was wpf that's fine because wpf have hot reload which lets u see the ui live as u do changes to it while your app is running

leowest•4/11/25, 4:33 AM

winform does not and it has a lot of peculiarities which the designer helps u see

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

plus u will waste a lot of time fine tunning position of things because u will have to run the app

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

adjust

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

run again

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

over and over

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

as oppose to just drag drop be done

leowest•4/11/25, 4:34 AM

it would make a lot more sense if u did the entire thing in a console app so you have all the logic of the app

leowest•4/11/25, 4:35 AM

and then just do the ui on visual studio and migrate the code

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:47 AM

Sure, ive already asked im just waiting for a reply

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:47 AM

If he lets us use it then ill use it

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:48 AM

At the same time this kinda is a a "simple" ui so i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:48 AM

Ill try to be ready either way

Lleowest it would make a lot more sense if u did the entire thing in a console app so you...

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 4:50 AM

Yeah thats the plan. Im reading up on Entity Framework and ill start with thr "data layer" stuff on a console app and then port the stuff over when im ready to start the ui

leowest•4/11/25, 4:52 AM

that would be better but again do use vs for the designer u wont regret even if its slow

leowest•4/11/25, 4:53 AM

$close

Lleowest $close

MODiX•4/11/25, 4:53 AM

If you have no further questions, please use /close to mark the forum thread as answered

Eenrico11011 Yeah thats the plan. Im reading up on Entity Framework and ill start with thr "d...

jcotton42•4/11/25, 4:57 AM

Make sure you're looking at the docs for EF Core... unless, god help you, you're being made to use the old stuff.

enrico11011OP•4/11/25, 5:03 AM

will do, thank you @jcotton42 @leowest