Net windows forms z-order

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Feedback will be sent to Microsoft: By pressing the submit button, your feedback will be used to improve Microsoft products and services. Privacy policy. When you create a complex user interface, or work with a multiple document interface MDI form, you will often want to layer both controls and child forms to create more complex user interfaces UI. To move and keep track of controls and windows within the context of a group, you manipulate their z-order.

Z-order is the visual layering of controls on a form along the form's z-axis depth. The window at the top of the z-order overlaps all other windows. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Collectives on Stack Overflow. Learn more.

Asked 11 years, 6 months ago. Active 3 years, 9 months ago. Viewed 84k times. I'm writing a custom TextBox that upon gaining focus changes its border style.

Is this possible preferably in a simple way! Improve this question. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. SLaks SLaks k gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Great - Led astray by BringToFront I looked in the wrong place for these methods: at the control's methods, not the parent's controls' methods.

No need example, the answer it self it's enough! Active 8 years, 11 months ago. Viewed 1k times. One issue with using DrawToBitmap with a control is that: Controls inside containers are rendered in reverse order. My current plan is to: Call SuspendLayout Recursively reverse the Z-Order of all controls on the form Call ResumeLayout Call DrawToBitmap , which will create an image showing the correct order Execute steps 1, 2, and 3 once more to put everything back the way it was before.

Does that sound about right? Improve this question. Kevin Fairchild. Kevin Fairchild Kevin Fairchild I don't think reversing z-order for all controls on the form, and back, is efficient to start with. Neolisk, how would you recommend accomplishing this, then? The goal is to have the image of the control in this case a form match what's visible to the user. Could you update your question with how it looks now i. I am having trouble visualizing your comment. Can't you just negate all z-order?

Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection. Show 3 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. OfType Of Control. OrderBy Function c Me.

GetChildIndex c ctl. BringToFront Next And then run same thing again, to revert it back: If you have nested controls on your form, you might want to linearise this tree into an array , for easier processing i. Improve this answer. Neolisk Neolisk