organizing gui code in c#

Question

what are the best ways to manage code in a single-form app that has many different components? for example, think of a financial app that has a product picker for browsing/choosing a product to view; a handful of real-time tickers for prices, interest rates, or whatever; a scrolling news feed; various charts; a grid displaying locally calculated values; etc.

would you create a custom control for each distinct component, even if they're not going to be used outside of this app? or could you do it with classes that implement the logic for each component and somehow update that actual control in the gui? two components may need to interact with each other, e.g. you click a cell in a grid, and it brings up some chart (would the main form handle sending the message?)

I have a habit of letting form code get bloated as features are added and I really want to get familiar with a better way. I'm working with c# (not using WPF) but I guess basic design principles aren't necessarily language-specific.

Answer 1

You can try the MVP pattern.

Answer 2

It somewhat depends on how large the application scale is, and also the lifetime of the application.

In nearly any reasonably sized application, I'd recommend separating individual sections into separate UserComponents. That being said, there are many ways to move beyond that, including using plugins/DI, etc.

I'd recommend reading (or at least skimming) the Composite Client Application Guidance for ideas. The message passing questions as well as the questions on different approaches to tie together individual components are discussed in detail.

There are many gems that would be relevant in the Composite Client Appilcation Guidance, even though you're not using WPF or Silverlight. Many of the sections in the guidance are not technology specific - they relate more to how to bring together multiple pieces, promote reusability and flexibility in the design, etc. These apply no matter what technology you are using.

Answer 3

See - Gui Architectures by Martin Fowler

Answer 4

I tend to do everything as a custom control and them use panels for my placement. I then create a new instance of the control and add it to the panel.

This allows for me to do custom constructors, which I have been finding more useful as I am trying to use a DI/IOC framework on my current project.