Creating your own component in vb.net 2008

Question

How do you create your own custom component for vb.net 2008? I want it to simply output to a .dll, not a whole winforms app.

So, here is what I have done so far:

1. Made a class library project
2. Added a custom control object
3. Confused myself badly
4. Googled it, to no avail

How can I control the component? For example, I want my component to not have a visible design view, I want it to stay below like the stopwatch component and the notifyicon component and such, it is not something to be designed. Then, how do I edit the possible properties a user can control, and make them effect the end result? What do I place the code which powers the component on? The class library file, or something else?

Thanks for your help! I have a whole set of components I am going to create, this will get me going much faster than trial and error.

Answer 1

OK... This is a really abbreviated example. You should start by basing yous off of an existing .net component.

Public Class MyControl
 Inherits DataGridView

'...add your properties/functionality...'

End Class

Then compile the DLL, and add it as a reference to whatever project you are working on. Once added, you can add the controls in the DLL into your toolbox.

This has more instructions on how to modify a UserControl (slightly different from the one above, but it explains well. This is a general explanation.

@comments - Yes, there, are things that will do what you want. Start with a class that inherits Form instead of DataGridView in the example I gave you, and the changes described in the links provided.

"Your properties and functionality" is whatever you want to do that the base control does not do.

Answer 2

I think you may want to check some walkthrough on how to create components. Such as this one: Walkthrough: Authoring a Component with Visual Basic. Once you are done with that one, there are more walkthroughs on various related topics, such as how to use design-time support, implementing designers and so on.