Form Pattern

Patterns for Windows Forms.

Creating a new Form
Make a duplicate of OpenDental\Forms\BasicTemplate.cs, or possibly of some other form that closely matches your needs.  Important: Make sure first that Options\Windows Forms Designer\General\Refactoring=false. Otherwise, you will damage the form that you are making a copy of. In the solution explorer, right click Copy. Then, right click the Forms folder and Paste.  "Copy of BasicTemplate.cs" will appear one line down.  Right click, rename.  For example, FormSomething.cs.   Double click to open the designer.  Single click on the form in the designer.  In the properties window, rename the form from BasicTemplate to, for example, FormSomething.  Double click on the form to create the Load event.  Move the Load event to always keep OK and Cancel events at the bottom of the code.
Why: Standard button sizes for OK and Cancel.  Translation code added.  Standard look and feel for everyone.

Form Size
For now, all screens are assumed to have available 990x734. That would be a screen resolution of 1024x768 with a single width taskbar docked to any one of the four sides of the screen. Screens can be optimized to the larger 1280x1024 (1246x990 to allow for docked taskbar) as long as scrollbars appear when user is at 1024x768. This can be visualized for design purposes by placing hash lines radiating from 982,700.

The 7 main controls are slightly smaller due to menu bar on left of 51 and the toolbars on the top of 29. Max size 939x679, or the larger 1195x935 as long as it still functions acceptably at 939x679.