Essential Styling

Essential Styling provides the primary customization options for the panel’s shape and border appearance, allowing developers to define the corner radii and border properties to match their apps's UI.

Overview

The Essential Styling feature of the SiticoneAdvancedPanel control exposes properties for defining the curvature of each corner and the visual appearance of the panel's border. Developers can control individual corner radii (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right) as well as set the border’s color and width, ensuring the panel seamlessly integrates with the overall UI aesthetics.

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Property Details

The table below summarizes the available properties for Essential Styling:

Property Name	Description	Data Type	Default Value
TopLeftRadius	Sets the radius of the top-left corner of the panel.	int	5
TopRightRadius	Sets the radius of the top-right corner of the panel.	int	5
BottomLeftRadius	Sets the radius of the bottom-left corner of the panel.	int	5
BottomRightRadius	Sets the radius of the bottom-right corner of the panel.	int	5
BorderColor	Defines the color of the panel’s border.	Color	Gray
BorderWidth	Determines the width of the panel’s border.	float	1.0

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Code Examples

Basic Integration

Below is a sample code snippet demonstrating how to set up the Essential Styling properties when creating an instance of the SiticoneAdvancedPanel in a .NET WinForms application:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using SiticoneNetFrameworkUI;

namespace DemoApp
{
    public class MainForm : Form
    {
        public MainForm()
        {
            // Initialize the advanced panel control
            var advancedPanel = new SiticoneAdvancedPanel
            {
                // Essential Styling: Corner radii
                TopLeftRadius = 10,
                TopRightRadius = 10,
                BottomLeftRadius = 10,
                BottomRightRadius = 10,

                // Essential Styling: Border properties
                BorderColor = Color.Black,
                BorderWidth = 2.0f,

                // Set additional properties as needed
                BackColor = Color.White,
                Size = new Size(300, 200),
                Location = new Point(50, 50)
            };

            // Add the panel to the form
            Controls.Add(advancedPanel);
        }

        [STAThread]
        public static void Main()
        {
            Application.EnableVisualStyles();
            Application.Run(new MainForm());
        }
    }
}

Advanced Customization

For scenarios requiring dynamic adjustments or theme changes at runtime, consider the following code sample:

// Assuming 'advancedPanel' is an instance of SiticoneAdvancedPanel
private void ApplyTheme(bool isDarkTheme)
{
    if (isDarkTheme)
    {
        advancedPanel.TopLeftRadius = 15;
        advancedPanel.TopRightRadius = 15;
        advancedPanel.BottomLeftRadius = 15;
        advancedPanel.BottomRightRadius = 15;
        advancedPanel.BorderColor = Color.White;
        advancedPanel.BorderWidth = 3.0f;
        advancedPanel.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(30, 30, 30);
    }
    else
    {
        advancedPanel.TopLeftRadius = 5;
        advancedPanel.TopRightRadius = 5;
        advancedPanel.BottomLeftRadius = 5;
        advancedPanel.BottomRightRadius = 5;
        advancedPanel.BorderColor = Color.Gray;
        advancedPanel.BorderWidth = 1.0f;
        advancedPanel.BackColor = Color.White;
    }
    advancedPanel.Invalidate(); // Redraw to reflect the changes
}

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Key Points

Aspect	Details
Property Granularity	Each corner radius is independently configurable, providing precise control over panel shape.
Immediate Feedback	Changes to styling properties trigger the Invalidate() method, ensuring the control is redrawn immediately.
Integrated with Base Color	The border styling works in tandem with the BackColor and state-dependent colors when state styles are enabled.

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Best Practices

Recommendation	Explanation
Consistent Design	Use similar radii and border widths across related controls to maintain a consistent UI design.
Use Invalidate After Updates	Always trigger a redraw (using Invalidate()) after changing styling properties to ensure updates are visible.
Validate Input	Avoid setting negative values for radii and border widths, as the control validates and throws exceptions.

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Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	How to Avoid It
Negative Values	Ensure values for TopLeftRadius, TopRightRadius, BottomLeftRadius, BottomRightRadius, and BorderWidth are non-negative.
Overlapping Radii	Adjust corner radii carefully to avoid overlaps; the control automatically scales values, but extreme values may produce unexpected results.
Ignoring Invalidate	Forgetting to call Invalidate() after programmatically updating properties may result in the control not redrawing correctly.

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Usage Scenarios

Scenario	Description
Custom Themed UI	Adjust corner radii and border properties to match custom themes in modern and minimalistic UIs.
Dynamic User Interface Changes	Modify styling properties at runtime to reflect different application states (e.g., active/inactive modes).
Responsive Design	Use varying radii and border widths based on the control size to maintain visual consistency across devices.

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Review

Review Point	Key Consideration
Flexibility	Essential Styling provides granular control over the panel's appearance, crucial for creating appealing UIs.
Ease of Integration	The intuitive property naming and immediate visual feedback facilitate quick adoption and iteration.
Error Handling	Built-in validations help prevent improper values, though developers must handle any exceptions during design-time configuration.

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Summary

Essential Styling in the SiticoneAdvancedPanel offers developers the ability to finely tune the appearance of the panel through individual control over corner radii and border properties. This feature is instrumental for achieving a cohesive and customizable UI design, enabling rapid integration and dynamic runtime adjustments with minimal code changes.

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Additional Sections

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Suggested Solution
Panel not redrawing	Property changes may not trigger a redraw automatically in certain dynamic scenarios.	Ensure that Invalidate() is called after modifying styling properties.
Inconsistent Corner Appearance	Extreme values for radii may cause overlapping or unexpected behavior.	Test with moderate values and adjust proportionally to the panel size.

Integration Checklist

Step	Description
Instantiate the Control	Create an instance of SiticoneAdvancedPanel.
Configure Essential Styling Properties	Set TopLeftRadius, TopRightRadius, BottomLeftRadius, BottomRightRadius, BorderColor, and BorderWidth.
Test in Different Themes	Verify appearance in both light and dark modes to ensure consistency.
Validate at Runtime	Dynamically adjust properties and call Invalidate() to ensure immediate visual updates.

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This comprehensive documentation on Essential Styling is designed to help developers integrate and customize the SiticoneAdvancedPanel easily, ensuring that the control meets both aesthetic and functional requirements in various application scenarios.