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.NET Framework 2.0
PropertyTab Class
This page is specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/.NET Framework 2.0

Other versions are also available for the following:
.NET Framework Class Library
PropertyTab Class

Provides a base class for property tabs.

Namespace: System.Windows.Forms.Design
Assembly: System.Windows.Forms (in system.windows.forms.dll)

Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public MustInherit Class PropertyTab
    Implements IExtenderProvider
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim instance As PropertyTab
C#
public abstract class PropertyTab : IExtenderProvider
C++
public ref class PropertyTab abstract : IExtenderProvider
J#
public abstract class PropertyTab implements IExtenderProvider
JScript
public abstract class PropertyTab implements IExtenderProvider

The PropertyTab class provides the base class behavior for a property tab. Property tabs are displayed on the toolbar of the PropertyGrid control of the Properties window, and allow a component to display different views of its properties or other data.

User code will usually not create an instance of a PropertyTab directly. Instead, a PropertyTabAttribute that indicates the type of the property tab or property tabs to display for a component can be associated with the properties or types that the PropertyTab should be displayed for.

The PropertyGrid will instantiate a PropertyTab of the type specified by a PropertyTabAttribute associated with the type or property field of the component that is being browsed.

The following code example provides an example PropertyTab that lists any properties on a component, arranged by type name.

Visual Basic
Imports System
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.ComponentModel.Design
Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.IO
Imports System.Reflection
Imports System.Runtime.Serialization
Imports System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Imports System.Windows.Forms.Design

' This component adds a TypeCategoryTab to the property browser
' that is available for any components in the current design mode document.
<PropertyTabAttribute(GetType(TypeCategoryTab), PropertyTabScope.Document)>  _
Public Class TypeCategoryTabComponent
   Inherits System.ComponentModel.Component
   
   Public Sub New()
    End Sub
End Class

' A TypeCategoryTab property tab lists properties by the 
' category of the type of each property.
<System.Security.Permissions.PermissionSetAttribute(System.Security.Permissions.SecurityAction.Demand, Name:="FullTrust")> _
Public Class TypeCategoryTab
    Inherits PropertyTab

    ' This string contains a Base-64 encoded and serialized example property tab image.
    <BrowsableAttribute(True)> _
    Private img As String = "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"

    Public Sub New()
    End Sub

    ' Returns the properties of the specified component extended with 
    ' a CategoryAttribute reflecting the name of the type of the property.
    Public Overloads Overrides Function GetProperties(ByVal component As Object, ByVal attributes() As System.Attribute) As System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptorCollection
        Dim props As PropertyDescriptorCollection
        If attributes Is Nothing Then
            props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(component)
        Else
            props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(component, attributes)
        End If
        Dim propArray(props.Count - 1) As PropertyDescriptor
        Dim i As Integer
        For i = 0 To props.Count - 1
            ' Create a new PropertyDescriptor from the old one, with 
            ' a CategoryAttribute matching the name of the type.
            propArray(i) = TypeDescriptor.CreateProperty(props(i).ComponentType, props(i), New CategoryAttribute(props(i).PropertyType.Name))
        Next i
        Return New PropertyDescriptorCollection(propArray)
    End Function

    Public Overloads Overrides Function GetProperties(ByVal component As Object) As System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptorCollection
        Return Me.GetProperties(component, Nothing)
    End Function

    ' Provides the name for the property tab.
    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property TabName() As String
        Get
            Return "Properties by Type"
        End Get
    End Property

    ' Provides an image for the property tab.
    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property Bitmap() As System.Drawing.Bitmap
        Get
            Dim bmp As New Bitmap(DeserializeFromBase64Text(img))
            Return bmp
        End Get
    End Property

    ' This method can be used to retrieve an Image from a block of Base64-encoded text.
    Private Function DeserializeFromBase64Text(ByVal [text] As String) As Image
        Dim img As Image = Nothing
        Dim memBytes As Byte() = Convert.FromBase64String([text])
        Dim formatter As New BinaryFormatter()
        Dim stream As New MemoryStream(memBytes)
        img = CType(formatter.Deserialize(stream), Image)
        stream.Close()
        Return img
    End Function
End Class
C#
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
using System.Drawing;
using System.IO;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;

namespace TypeCategoryTabExample
{    
    // This component adds a TypeCategoryTab to the propery browser 
    // that is available for any components in the current design mode document.
    [PropertyTabAttribute(typeof(TypeCategoryTab), PropertyTabScope.Document)]
    public class TypeCategoryTabComponent : System.ComponentModel.Component
    {           
        public TypeCategoryTabComponent()
        {
        }
    }

    // A TypeCategoryTab property tab lists properties by the 
    // category of the type of each property.
    [System.Security.Permissions.PermissionSet(System.Security.Permissions.SecurityAction.Demand, Name = "FullTrust")] 
    public class TypeCategoryTab : PropertyTab
    {
        [BrowsableAttribute(true)]
        // This string contains a Base-64 encoded and serialized example property tab image.
        private string img = "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";

        public TypeCategoryTab()
        {            
        }

        // Returns the properties of the specified component extended with 
        // a CategoryAttribute reflecting the name of the type of the property.
        public override System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptorCollection GetProperties(object component, System.Attribute[] attributes)
        {
            PropertyDescriptorCollection props;
            if( attributes == null )
                props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(component);    
            else
                props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(component, attributes);    
            
            PropertyDescriptor[] propArray = new PropertyDescriptor[props.Count];            
            for(int i=0; i<props.Count; i++)           
            {                
                // Create a new PropertyDescriptor from the old one, with 
                // a CategoryAttribute matching the name of the type.
                propArray[i] = TypeDescriptor.CreateProperty(props[i].ComponentType, props[i], new CategoryAttribute(props[i].PropertyType.Name));
            }
            return new PropertyDescriptorCollection( propArray );
        }

        public override System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptorCollection GetProperties(object component)
        {                     
            return this.GetProperties(component, null);
        }

        // Provides the name for the property tab.
        public override string TabName
        {
            get
            {
                return "Properties by Type";
            }
        }

        // Provides an image for the property tab.
        public override System.Drawing.Bitmap Bitmap
        {
            get
            {
                Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(DeserializeFromBase64Text(img));
                return bmp;
            }
        }

        // This method can be used to retrieve an Image from a block of Base64-encoded text.
        private Image DeserializeFromBase64Text(string text)
        {
            Image img = null;
            byte[] memBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(text);
            IFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter();
            MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream(memBytes);
            img = (Image)formatter.Deserialize(stream);
            stream.Close();
            return img;
        }
    }
}
C++
#using <System.Windows.Forms.dll>
#using <System.Drawing.dll>
#using <System.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::ComponentModel;
using namespace System::ComponentModel::Design;
using namespace System::Drawing;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Reflection;
using namespace System::Runtime::Serialization;
using namespace System::Runtime::Serialization::Formatters::Binary;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms;
using namespace System::Windows::Forms::Design;
using namespace System::Security::Permissions;

namespace TypeCategoryTabExample
{
   ref class TypeCategoryTab;

   // forward declaration.
   // This component adds a TypeCategoryTab to the propery browser
   // that is available for any components in the current design mode document.

   [PropertyTabAttribute(TypeCategoryTabExample::TypeCategoryTab::typeid,PropertyTabScope::Document)]
   public ref class TypeCategoryTabComponent: public System::ComponentModel::Component
   {
   public:
      TypeCategoryTabComponent(){}
   };

   // A TypeCategoryTab property tab lists properties by the
   // category of the type of each property.
   public ref class TypeCategoryTab: public PropertyTab
   {
   private:

      // This String^ contains a Base-64 encoded and serialized example property tab image.

      [BrowsableAttribute(true)]
      String^ img;

   public:
      TypeCategoryTab()
      {
         img = "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";
      }

      // Returns the properties of the specified component extended with
      // a CategoryAttribute reflecting the name of the type of the property.
      [ReflectionPermission(SecurityAction::Demand, Flags=ReflectionPermissionFlag::MemberAccess)]
      virtual System::ComponentModel::PropertyDescriptorCollection^ GetProperties( Object^ component, array<System::Attribute^>^attributes ) override
      {
         PropertyDescriptorCollection^ props;
         if ( attributes == nullptr )
                  props = TypeDescriptor::GetProperties( component );
         else
                  props = TypeDescriptor::GetProperties( component, attributes );

         array<PropertyDescriptor^>^propArray = gcnew array<PropertyDescriptor^>(props->Count);
         for ( int i = 0; i < props->Count; i++ )
         {
            // Create a new PropertyDescriptor from the old one, with
            // a CategoryAttribute matching the name of the type.
            array<Attribute^>^temp0 = {gcnew CategoryAttribute( props[ i ]->PropertyType->Name )};
            propArray[ i ] = TypeDescriptor::CreateProperty( props[ i ]->ComponentType, props[ i ], temp0 );

         }
         return gcnew PropertyDescriptorCollection( propArray );
      }

      virtual System::ComponentModel::PropertyDescriptorCollection^ GetProperties( Object^ component ) override
      {
         return this->GetProperties( component, nullptr );
      }

      property String^ TabName 
      {
         // Provides the name for the property tab.
         virtual String^ get() override
         {
            return "Properties by Type";
         }
      }

      property System::Drawing::Bitmap^ Bitmap 
      {
         // Provides an image for the property tab.
         virtual System::Drawing::Bitmap^ get() override
         {
            System::Drawing::Bitmap^ bmp = gcnew System::Drawing::Bitmap( DeserializeFromBase64Text( img ) );
            return bmp;
         }
      }

   private:

      // This method can be used to retrieve an Image from a block of Base64-encoded text.
      Image^ DeserializeFromBase64Text( String^ text )
      {
         Image^ img = nullptr;
         array<Byte>^memBytes = Convert::FromBase64String( text );
         IFormatter^ formatter = gcnew BinaryFormatter;
         MemoryStream^ stream = gcnew MemoryStream( memBytes );
         img = dynamic_cast<Image^>(formatter->Deserialize( stream ));
         stream->Close();
         return img;
      }
   };
}
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows 98, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 2.0, 1.1, 1.0
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Implementing PropertyTab      Nulkris   |   Edit   |  
When implementing this class, ensure that you override the Bitmap property and have it return a valid Bitmap, otherwise the code will silently fail and no tab will be displayed.
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