Interaction & Tool-tip

A control feature that enables interactive modification of the gauge value via mouse input and displays a customizable tool-tip on hover.

Overview

The Interaction & Tooltip feature allows users to directly manipulate the gauge value by clicking and dragging, while providing immediate visual feedback through a tooltip that shows the current value. Key properties include InteractiveMode, ShowTooltip, and TooltipFormat, and the control manages mouse events to update the gauge value dynamically. This feature improves user engagement and clarity by offering both interactive adjustment and context-sensitive tooltips.

---

Key Points

Aspect	Description	Code Reference / Example
Interactive Mode	Enables users to change the gauge value using mouse interaction (click-and-drag).	csharp\nmyGauge.InteractiveMode = true;
Tooltip Visibility	Shows or hides a tooltip on hover to display the current gauge value.	csharp\nmyGauge.ShowTooltip = true;
Tooltip Customization	Allows developers to set a custom format for the tooltip text using the TooltipFormat property.	csharp\nmyGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}"; // e.g., displays value with one decimal place

---

Best Practices

Recommendation	Details	Example / Explanation
Enable Interactive Mode Appropriately	Use InteractiveMode when the application benefits from direct user input; otherwise, disable to prevent accidental changes.	csharp\n// Enable interactive mode for dashboards\nmyGauge.InteractiveMode = true;
Use Informative Tooltip Formats	Choose a tooltip format that clearly communicates the gauge value without overwhelming the user.	csharp\nmyGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}"; // e.g., displays "45.7" for a value of 45.7
Combine with Other Visual Cues	When enabling interactivity, ensure the gauge’s appearance provides clear feedback (e.g., hover states).	Consider updating colors or border effects on hover to signal interactivity.

---

Common Pitfalls

Issue	Details	Resolution / Code Example
Accidental Value Changes	Enabling interactive mode in inappropriate contexts may lead to unintended modifications of the gauge value.	Use interactive mode selectively, e.g., only in dashboards where user input is expected:csharp\nmyGauge.InteractiveMode = false;
Misconfigured Tooltip Format	An incorrect tooltip format string can cause runtime exceptions or display unintended text.	Validate the format string and test it with sample values:csharp\nmyGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}";
Overly Aggressive Mouse Event Handling	Unmanaged mouse events may result in jittery or unresponsive gauge updates if not handled correctly.	Ensure that the mouse handling logic smoothly calculates and updates the gauge value. Refer to the built-in methods like UpdateValueFromMousePosition(e.Location).

---

Usage Scenarios

Scenario	Description	Sample Code
Direct Value Adjustment	Allowing users to modify the gauge value directly through mouse interactions in a control panel or dashboard.	csharp\n// Enable interactive mode for direct value manipulation\nmyGauge.InteractiveMode = true;
Contextual Feedback	Providing immediate feedback with a tooltip when the user hovers over the gauge to see the current value in a precise format.	csharp\n// Enable tooltip with custom format\nmyGauge.ShowTooltip = true;\nmyGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}";
Mixed-Mode Control	Combine both interactive updates and tooltip displays so that users can both see and modify the gauge value interactively.	csharp\nmyGauge.InteractiveMode = true;\nmyGauge.ShowTooltip = true;\nmyGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}";

---

Real Life Usage Scenarios

Scenario	Description	Sample Integration Code
Data Visualization Dashboard	In a monitoring dashboard, users can click or drag on the gauge to update parameters (e.g., threshold levels) while a tooltip shows the precise current value.	csharp\n// Configure gauge for interactive threshold adjustment\ndataGauge.InteractiveMode = true;\ndataGauge.ShowTooltip = true;\ndataGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}";
Configuration Panels	In settings screens where users need to fine-tune parameters visually, interactive gauges with tooltips provide intuitive and immediate feedback.	csharp\n// Settings panel gauge configuration\nsettingsGauge.InteractiveMode = true;\nsettingsGauge.ShowTooltip = true;\nsettingsGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F0}"; // Whole number display
Educational Applications	In interactive learning modules, users can adjust values to see real-time effects and view detailed numerical information via tooltips.	csharp\n// Enable interactive and tooltip functionality in an educational tool\neduGauge.InteractiveMode = true;\neduGauge.ShowTooltip = true;\neduGauge.TooltipFormat = "{0:F2}"; // Two decimal places

---

Troubleshooting Tips

Tip	Explanation	Action
Validate Tooltip Format	Ensure that the format string provided to TooltipFormat is valid to avoid runtime errors or incorrect displays.	Test the tooltip format in isolation, e.g., use a test value with string.Format(myGauge.TooltipFormat, 123.456f) to verify the output before assigning it to the control.
Monitor Mouse Event Performance	If the gauge updates lag during rapid mouse movements, consider optimizing the mouse event handling logic.	Review the implementation of UpdateValueFromMousePosition() and ensure that it calculates the value efficiently; reduce any unnecessary computations in the event handler.
Confirm InteractiveMode Impact	If users report unintended gauge value changes, double-check that InteractiveMode is enabled only where appropriate.	Limit the use of InteractiveMode to specific parts of your application or provide an option to disable it when not needed, for example, by using a toggle button.

---

Review

Aspect	Comments	Suggestions
Ease of Use	The interactive and tooltip features are straightforward to enable with simple property assignments.	Ensure thorough testing of mouse events and tooltip display on different screen resolutions.
User Engagement	Provides immediate feedback and control over the gauge value, increasing the overall user experience.	Consider additional visual cues (e.g., hover highlights) to signal interactivity more clearly.
Integration Complexity	Integration is simple due to clear property settings and event handling; however, performance should be monitored in data-intensive environments.	Test the interactive responsiveness in the context of your application, especially when multiple gauges are used concurrently.

---

Summary

Summary Point	Description
Feature Overview	Allows users to interactively update the gauge value with mouse input and see real-time feedback through customizable tooltips.
Core Properties	InteractiveMode, ShowTooltip, and TooltipFormat are the key properties that control user interaction and tooltip display.
Integration and Customization	Enable interactivity for intuitive user input and customize tooltips to match the application's design and data precision requirements.
Best Practices and Troubleshooting	Use interactive mode judiciously, validate tooltip formats, and optimize mouse event handling to maintain performance and prevent unintended behavior.

---

Integration Demo

Below is a complete sample code snippet to demonstrate how to integrate and customize the Interaction & Tooltip feature into a WinForms application:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using SiticoneNetFrameworkUI;  // Use the namespace from your provided code

public class InteractionTooltipDemoForm : Form
{
    private SiticoneGaugeNumeric myGauge;
    private Button toggleInteractionButton;
    
    public InteractionTooltipDemoForm()
    {
        // Initialize the gauge with interactive and tooltip settings
        myGauge = new SiticoneGaugeNumeric
        {
            MinValue = 0f,
            MaxValue = 100f,
            Value = 50f,
            AnimationSpeed = 5f,
            ShowAnimation = true,
            Size = new Size(300, 300),
            Location = new Point(50, 30),
            
            // Enable interactive value modification
            InteractiveMode = true,
            
            // Enable tooltip and set its format (e.g., display one decimal place)
            ShowTooltip = true,
            TooltipFormat = "{0:F1}"
        };
        
        // Button to toggle interactive mode on and off
        toggleInteractionButton = new Button
        {
            Text = "Toggle Interaction",
            Location = new Point(50, 350),
            Width = 150
        };
        toggleInteractionButton.Click += ToggleInteractionButton_Click;
        
        // Add controls to the form
        Controls.Add(myGauge);
        Controls.Add(toggleInteractionButton);
    }
    
    private void ToggleInteractionButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Toggle interactive mode
        myGauge.InteractiveMode = !myGauge.InteractiveMode;
        MessageBox.Show("Interactive mode is now " + (myGauge.InteractiveMode ? "enabled" : "disabled") + ".");
        myGauge.Invalidate();
    }
    
    [STAThread]
    static void Main()
    {
        Application.EnableVisualStyles();
        Application.Run(new InteractionTooltipDemoForm());
    }
}

---

API Reference

Member	Type	Description
InteractiveMode	bool	Enables or disables mouse interaction to modify the gauge value.
ShowTooltip	bool	Determines whether a tooltip is displayed on mouse hover over the gauge.
TooltipFormat	string	Gets or sets the format string used to display the current gauge value in the tooltip.

---

This documentation provides a detailed guide for integrating and using the Interaction & Tooltip feature in your WinForms applications. Use the provided code examples, tables, and best practices to ensure that users can interact with the gauge seamlessly while receiving accurate, formatted feedback through tooltips.