When designing the user interface of your Windows application, you can lock the controls once they are positioned correctly, so that you do not inadvertently move or resize them when setting other properties.

To lock a control

• In the Properties window, click the Locked property and select true. (Double-clicking the name toggles the property setting.)

  Alternatively, right-click the control and choose Lock Controls.

  Note   Locking controls prevents them from being dragged to a new size or location on the design surface. However, you can still change the size or location of controls by means of the Properties window or in code.

Additionally, you can lock all the controls on the form at once, which is helpful for forms with many controls. Once you have placed all the controls where you want them on the form, lock them all in place to prevent erroneous movement.

To lock all the controls on a form

• From the Format menu, choose Lock Controls.

  Note   This command locks the form's size as well, because a form is a control.

To unlock all locked controls on a form

• From the Format menu, choose Lock Controls.

  All previously-locked controls on the form are now unlocked.

To unlock locked controls individually

• Right-click the control and choose Lock Controls.

See Also

Windows Forms Controls | Controls by Category | Arranging Controls on Windows Forms | Labeling Individual Windows Forms Controls and Providing Shortcuts to Them | Controls You Can Use on Windows Forms | Windows Forms Controls by Function | Creating Windows Forms