Project Description
DocToolTip library allows creating screenshots of winform forms with the name and type of component controls.
Motivation
This library-tool was thought for creating paper-documentation in a handover. It can look useless, because any programmer can understand the GUI component structure using VS designer or other designers that allow navigating between GUI components pretty well. But I think that it can provide a quick view of the window-components, so, we don’t need to navigate between the controls to see which control is used.
Features
- Move the tool tips
- Show/Hide tool tips
- Change tool tips properties
- BackColor
- Font
- ForeColor
- Opacity
- Caption, it can show name or type control or a custom text
- Padding
- Relative position of the tooltip from the associated control
- Visibility
Screenshots
A winform form | Doc Tooltip Manager |
 |  |
How does it work?
This tool works when our target application is running. A control can subscribe to this tool the following way:
if (!DvesignMode)
{
DocToolTipHelper.Instance.AddControl(this);
}
In runtime, a icon is visible in sys-tray that allows showing the Doc ToolTip Manager,
The menu entry "List Controls" contains an entry by each control subscribed. When a menu of a control is clicked, the doc tooltip are created and shown over the winform control.
Doc ToolTip Manager
This window can be accessed by double clicking on the icon in the systray. It allows to show the doc tooltips for any control that is subscribed to this tool.
Menu Bar
Menu | Description |
Control List | It contains all controls subscribed to this tool. |
Tools |
Relocate | If the current control is moved, the tool tips are not moved. This command allows relocating the tooltips respect the position of the associated component control. |
Clear all | This command unloads the current control and removes all the tooltips from the screen. |
Help |
About |
Tabs
Document OutlineIt allows to see the logic control tree, and showing or hiding the tooltips. We can work on a single tooltip or multiple tooltips, also we can select all controls under a container control.
The property grid shows the properties of the tooltips selected allowing change the appearance and layout.
Let's see an example in the following snapshot:
Type MapIt shows the hierarchy class type of control contained within the selected control. This view allows showing/hiding the controls by type. The commands "Hide Children" and "Show Children" show and hide the controls contained within the controls are of the selected type.
Systray Icon
It shows a information balloon when a control is subscribed. And it allows showing the doc tool tip manager by a double click.
Funny things…
This tool was thought to use when the application is running. But it happens that can also be used from the designer of VS. When we work with a form in the designer, VS load the assembly, so, if we don't check DesignMode flag, we could work with doc tooltip manager as well in VS. I have hardly tested this feature, but it doesn't make sense to use this tool with the designer (that you can navigate between component controls), at least for me.
Acknowledges
Mikael Wiberg for his MWTreeView control, it’s great!
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/tree/mwcontrols.aspx