.netgdi+powerpacks

.NET PowerPacks RectangleShape flickers on form resize


I can do something as simple as:

  1. Create a new .NET form application
  2. Put a single RectangleShape onto the form
  3. add the following into the InitializeComponent method in the designer code

    Me.SetStyle(ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint Or _
        ControlStyles.UserPaint Or _
        ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer, True)
    Me.UpdateStyles()
    
  4. Run the program
  5. Resize the form
  6. Watch angrily as the rectangle flickers

Is it possible to get rid of this? Or is the ShapeContainer internally flawed and I need to find a different solution?


Solution

  • It's fairly flawed. It uses its own window that's overlaid onto the form with the WS_EX_TRANSPARENT style turned on. That style makes it invisible, but also prevents any kind of double-buffering from working properly. Double-buffering the form has no effect, wrong window.

    It is otherwise a rather expensive way to draw shapes. The cheap and flicker-free way is using e.Graphics.FillRectangle() in the form's OnPaint() override or Paint event handler.