Form Maximizer for .NET is a set of four provider controls which extends standard Windows Form controls with new properties and methods that greatly simplify the creation of complex data-entry forms.

Here's a partial list of the new features you can exploit without writing a single line of code: Calculated fields: calculated fields are automatically re-evaluated each time any other control on the form changes its contents or when the input focus leaves the control that is currently active. Expression-based control state: the state of a control (visible, readonly, disabled, invisible, etc.) can depend on the value or the state of other controls on the form – for example, a Save button can be automatically enabled only if all the textboxes on the form contain a non-empty string. Static field validation: a field can be validated against properties such as expected data type, minimum and maximum value, regular expression, minimum length (for passwords and to discern between optional and required fields). Dynamic field validation: a field can be validated by means of a math or string expression, which can reference the current field as well as other fields and even variables and properties defined in the form class. Flexible validation error handling: validation errors can be displayed in a message box, in a status bar, or by means of an Error Provider companion control. Calculated default values: all the controls can be reset to their default value (a constant or an expression) by clicking a button or invoking a method. Alternate focus style: you decide the Font, ForeColor, and BackColor properties of a control when it gets the focus. Automatic field formatting: the value in the control is formatted when the focus leaves the control – for example, numbers can be formatted with a thousand separator and a fixed number of decimal digits. Alternate control style: the font, forecolor, and backcolor properties of a control can depend on the state or the value of other controls on the form – for example, negative values or out-of-range values can be displayed in red. Field description: a short description of a control is displayed (for example, in a status bar) when the control gets the focus or the mouse hovers on the control. Auto-tab: if enabled, the input focus automatically shifts to the next control in tab order when a control reaches its maximum length. Role-based control state: the visible/enabled state of a control can depend on the role assigned to the current user – for example, some controls can be made invisible and others can be made read-only if the user's role is Guest. Common-task push buttons and menus: a LinkLabel, Button, menu item or toolbar’s button can be assigned a task at design time, for example display a common dialog, open a form or dialog box, run an external program, and more (there are fifteen to choose from, at the moment). Hot-key: a keyboard combination can be used to simulate a click on a standard button, toolbar button or LinkLabel. Non-rectangular forms: a form can be assigned a mask image and a transparent color, to give it any shape you want. It can also be dragged around by clicking anywhere on its surface and not only on its titlebar. Persistent layout for forms: a form can remember the size and position it had the last time it was closed, so that the user doesn’t need to resize it every time she re-opens it. The saved layout can be user-specific or global for all Windows users. Auto-close forms: a form can be automatically closed after a specific interval. Useful for splash screens or nag screens in demo versions of your programs. Single-instance applications: multiple instances of the same applications can be detected and cancelled. The first instance receives an event when the user tries to launch a second instance and can read the command-line argument passed to the second instance. Multiline tooltips: the controls’ tooltip and helpstring can embed \t and \n characters, which are translated into tabs and newline characters at runtime.

A textbox's Properties window with the Form Maximizer for .NET's provided properties

Form Maximizer for .NET comes with a very powerful, full-featured expression evaluator that supports a superset of the Visual Basic math and string operators and functions. It can access a collection of variables as well as any property of any object. Thanks to this expression evaluator, expressions associated with controls can access the properties of any other control on the same form, which provides unprecedented flexibility. The expression evaluator correctly recognizes and solves circular references and avoids infinite loops that occur when controls depend on one another in a circular fashion. (You receive the complete source code of the expression evaluator if you purchase Form Maximizer for .NET Enterprise Edition, in which case you can freely reuse the evaluator in your applications.)

By building on all these features, ypu can implement highly-sophisticated data entry forms by writing few or no lines of code in the form itself, because all the validation and behavioral rules can be defined in the Properties window at design time. When coupled with .NET data-binding features, this tool is a tremendous time-saver in writing Windows Forms business applications.

Form Maximizer for .NET consists of four non-visual components that you can drop to the form's tray area. Three of such components are extender provider components that extend other controls on the form with new properties. The ControlExtender component extends all the controls on the form; the EditControlExtender component adds properties to TextBox and ComboBox controls (and all controls that derive from these two types); the ButtonExtender component adds properties to Button and LinkLabel controls, and to the MenuItem and ToolBarButton components (and all controls and components that derive from these four types). The FormExtender component is a non-visual component that lets you create forms of any shape and with gradient backgrounds, remember the position and size of a form between session, create auto-closing and flashing forms, and more. Because Form Maximizer for .NET extends the standard Windows Forms controls, you can enhance existing forms without replacing any existing control or writing a single line of code.

One unique feature of Form Maximizer for .NET is its automatic support for any third-party control that derives from one of the built-in Windows Forms controls. For example, not only does the EditControlExtender component extends the TextBox, ComboBox, and RichTextBox controls, it also extends any other control from any vendor that inherits from one of these three controls. Likewise, the ButtonExtender component extends the Button and LinkLabel controls and any other control that inherits from these two controls. This important feature means that you can continue to use Form Maximizer for .NET with your favourite collection of controls and that you aren't locked with our own controls.

Form Maximizer for .NET is an electronic-only product. You can purchase it exclusively from our RegSoft reseller. On purchasing you will receive your personal download code, and a URL that points to a registration page where you can download the full product, its printable manual in Word format, and its source code (the latter one only if you purchase Form Maximizer for .NET Enterprise Edition).

NOTE: Form Maximizer for .NET is available for both .NET 1.1 (Visual Studio .NET 2003) and .NET 2.0 (Visual Studio 2005). Both versions are available with any package (compiled controls or source code) you purchase, you don't need to buy them separately.

Important: remember to write down your serial code, because you must use it to access the download page again to get patches and updates.