Prologue: Comctl32.dll, version 6. Comctl32.dll, or the Common Controls, have been around for a very long time. This library provided basic common controls while User32.dll provided user controls. In version 6 of the Common Controls, all of the controls were put in Comctl32.dll so that all the controls could support theming. Comctl32.dll, version 6, is not redistributable, however, unlike previous versions of Comctl32.dll. In order to use the new Windows XP Visual Styles, you must be using an operating system that contains Comctl32.dll, such as Windows XP.
For supported controls, the control style is associated with a particular theme resource that is drawn in the client area of the control. For controls deriving from ButtonBase, GroupBox, and Label, these controls must use the FlatStyle.System enumeration member in their FlatStyle property so that they allow the operating system to draw the controls.
In order to tell Windows to use theming for your controls, you need to tell Windows to bind to Comctl32.dll, version 6. By default, Windows binds to Comctl32.dll, version 5. Similar to the binding policies of .NET, however, we can tell executables at runtime to bind to other assemblies, or Win32 libraries in this case.
So, add a new XML file to your project and call it
.exe.manifest, where is the name of the output file your project generates, which is your project name by default. Set the Compile Type to "None", since we'll only including this in your project for simplicity.
If you used the "AssemblyInfo.cs" code above, your newly created .exe.manifest should look like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<assemblyIdentity
version="1.0.0.0"
processorArchitecture="X86"
name="Theme Test" type="win32" />
<description>Windows XP Styles.</description>
<dependency>
<dependentAssembly>
<assemblyIdentity
type="win32"
name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls"
version="6.0.0.0"
processorArchitecture="X86"
publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"
language="*" />
</dependentAssembly>
</dependency>
</assembly>
You should replace the first "version" and "name" attributes with appropriate values for your project, which are the AssemblyVersion and AssemblyTitle attributes respectively. The "description" element should also match your AssemblyDescription attribute.
Next, open a command prompt and change directories to your project output directory, which should be "bin\Debug" with your project directory as the root. Assuming that you have "sn.exe" in your PATH (part of the .NET Framework SDK), type the following:
sn.exe -k ..\..\KeyFile.snk
This should put a public key file named KeyFile.snk - which we referred to earlier in our AssemblyInfo.cs file - in your project directory. This public key is necessary to sign your assembly with a strong name, which is required in many situations and is recommend for every assembly.
Adding the Manifest and the Final Touches
1. You should now be in the same directory as your project output file. In my example, my application is simply "WindowsApplication1.exe", which I'll refer to later.
2. Now, back in Visual Studio .NET, click on the File->Open... menu, browse to your application such as "WindowsAppication1.exe", and click open. You should now see your resources in a tree view.
3. Right-click on the root node ("WindowsApplication.exe") and select "Add Resource...".
4. Click "Import...", browse for "WindowsApplication.exe.manifest" in your project directory, and click "Open".
5. In the "Resource Type" text box, type RT_MANIFEST and click "OK".
6. Save all files and go back to your resource view you were previously in. You should now see a folder named "RT_MANIFEST".
7. Click on the newly added RT_MANIFEST resource, probably named 101. Change its ID to 1 in the property grid and save your application again.
After closing the resource view in which your application was open, go back to the command prompt and type the following:
sn -R WindowsApplication1.exe ..\..\KeyFile.snk
The tool should print some version info and then display:
Assembly 'WindowsApplication1.exe' successfully re-signed
Run your application and see Windows XP Visual Styles at work in your .NET application!
Summary
Windows XP Visual Styles can be a very good addition to your applications and control libraries and they don't take a lot of work. Supporting this new visual style will give your application a common look-and-feel with Windows, which is always a definite plus in commercial applications. Many companies strive to keep up with Windows standards and now you can do it without a lot of work.
Just remember to set the FlatStyle property of any applicable control to FlatStyle.System and to embed the manifest resource like the boilerplate above in your executable after compiling. After having done all that, you need only finish signing your assembly, otherwise it won't pass validation if you specified an AssemblyKeyFile. If you need to test your application or have an authority sign it, you can turn off validation for that assembly by typing the following:
sn.exe -Vr WindowsApplication1.exe
Resource:
Windows XP Visual Styles for Windows Forms
MSDN
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