CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#winformsperformanceuser-interface
user1162766
user1162766

Reputation:

Best way to load a heavy UI with lots of controls

I am working in a Windows Forms application, it needs a lot (and I mean a lot) of controls. Using tab controls to organize them (sometimes nested tab controls).

I was reading how to load the App faster and a lot of people said to think twice if the controls are really needed. Well, to be honest I think that it's possible to reduce the number of controls used BUT the client requested it that way, so there's almost nothing I can do about it.

I was reading that I should use multithreading tactics but there's a hardware limitation: the application MUST run on an average neetbook. It's really a pain because I'm limited in terms of load time and how much space I can use to put the controls.

I was wondering if I can just load one or two tabs before the form is shown and then load the others, would that be possible/correct/efficient? If it is, how could I achieve it? I also was planning to use MDI childs but I need to retrieve all the information in all the controls at some point (from absolutely all the tabs and nested tabs).

Can you please give me some tips? Do you have any experience working on something similar?

Upvotes: 2

Views: 2095

Answers (3)

user1222021
user1222021

Reputation:

One strategy is creating your main page with a TabControl holding empty TabPages. Then you can design several auxiliary forms (one for each TabPage you require) each containing a single Panel control with Public visibility (change the Panel's Modifiers property to Public) holding the real UI elements that you would have placed on the TabPage.

When the empty TabPage is clicked by the user, then you create the auxiliary Form (you don't show it, just create it), and then access the Panel control in the auxiliary Form, then you can reparent it to your empty tab Page, like this

AuxForm1 frm = new AuxForm1();
frm.MainPanel.Parent = this.tabControl1.TabPages[0];

This will delay the TabPage's control creation until the panel is clicked by the user :) Hope this helps!

Upvotes: 3

Dour High Arch
Dour High Arch

Reputation: 21712

"lots of controls" is not a requirement anyone can answer. A dropdown list with tens of millions of rows is a very different problem than a wizard UI with thousands of steps and require different answers.

Why has the client "requested it that way"? We need to know the actual deliverable requirements to answer your question. Have you shown them alternatives?

First, post some of your mockups. If you don't have mockups yet, make some and perform paper testing with them, then post them.

Who's "a lot of people"? Testers? Customers? Anonymous forum posters? Post your mockups to https://ux.stackexchange.com/ and ask for comments.

"I can just load one or two tabs before the form is shown"? Of course you can do that, but why are you presupposing that your UI will be "one or two tabs" before you have shown us any requirements at all? Get requirements, make mockups, then ask specific, answerable questions.

Upvotes: 1

Reed Copsey
Reed Copsey

Reputation: 564413

I was wondering if I can just load one or two tabs before the form is shown and then load the others

You could make each "tab" contain a UserControl, and load that UserControl on demand, when the tab is activated. That would, at least, prevent you from having to initialize everything on startup.

Upvotes: 2

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