Creating a MDI Tabbed Forms in C#

Download Source Code : 451_mditab.zip

In this article I will try to explain you, how you can create a Multi-Documented Tabbed Interface in C#.

Create a new application in C#. Change the Form1 into mdi from by changing its property isMdiContainer to true. create another form i.e. from2

Drag a tab control and main menu control on form1.create a file menu with new as a sub menu and window menu with cascade, tile Horizontal and tile vertical sub menus. Create a global variable in form1 to count the number of the child forms:

int childCount = 1;

Now write following code on cascade menu item click event:

private void menuItem4_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

{

                  this.LayoutMdi(MdiLayout.Cascade);

}

Write following code on tile Horizontal menu item click event:

private void menuItem5_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

            {

                  this.LayoutMdi(MdiLayout.TileHorizontal);

            }

Write following code on tile vertical menu item click event:

private void menuItem6_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

            {

                  this.LayoutMdi(MdiLayout.TileVertical);

            }

Now double click on the tab control and write following code on tabControl1 SelectedIndexChanged event:

private void tabControl1_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

            {

                  foreach (Form2 childForm in this.MdiChildren)

                  {

                        if (childForm.TabPag.Equals(tabControl1.SelectedTab))

                        {

                              childForm.Select();

                        }

                  }

            }

Write following code on new menu item click event:

private void menuItem2_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

            {

                  Form2 childForm = new Form2();

                  childForm.Text = "MDIChild " + childCount.ToString();

                  childForm.MdiParent = this;

                  childForm.TabCtrl = tabControl1;

                  TabPage tp = new TabPage();

                  tp.Parent = tabControl1;

                  tp.Text = childForm.Text;

                  tp.Show();

                  childForm.TabPag = tp;

                  childForm.Show();

                  childCount++;

                  tabControl1.SelectedTab = tp;

            }

Now on child from create a following global variabels:

private TabControl tabCtrl;

private TabPage tabPag;

Set the get,set properties fro tabCtrl and tabPag variabels:

public TabPage TabPag

            {

                  get

                  {

                        return tabPag;

                  }

                  set

                  {

                        tabPag = value;

                  }

            }

            public TabControl TabCtrl

            {

                  set

                  {

                        tabCtrl = value;

                  }

            }

Now write the following code on Form2 Closing event

private void Form2_Closing(object sender, System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs e)

            {

                 

                  this.tabPag.Dispose();

                  if (!tabCtrl.HasChildren)

                  {

                        tabCtrl.Visible = false;

                  }

            }

Now write the following code on Form2 Activated event:

private void Form2_Activated(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

            {

                 

                  tabCtrl.SelectedTab = tabPag;

                  if (!tabCtrl.Visible)

                  {

                        tabCtrl.Visible = true;

                  }

            }

ref : http://www.devasp.net/net/articles/display/451.html