| The amount of built-in functionality included in the .NET Framework is amazing. One could create complex applications with lots of functionality by simply assembling the pieces you're offered for free. Among those pieces you'll find lots of powerful, flexible, and configurable controls. Who would ever need to build their own controls, right?
While some can get away without ever needing to build a custom control, many don't, or don't want to. Sometimes building a custom control is a necessity, because what you want to achieve doesn't exist, or is too expensive to buy. This is particularly true for controls with customized shapes, which need to be drawn instead of reusing other existing controls.
In some other cases, developers build custom controls as part of their architecture, allowing them to reuse more efficiently common functionality (and code) that they trust and like. There are many circumstances where building a custom control can make a programmer's life easier.
Unfortunately, programmers frequently avoided learning how to build custom controls because learning all the complexities consume lots of time and energy. Comprehensive and advanced books on the subject well exceed 1,000 pages, and the excessive amount of information can indeed be intimidating.
This book takes a lighter approach, guiding you step by step into building your first custom controls, and writing quality code. You'll build a new example in each chapter, and in the end you'll build a completely functional custom control where you'll apply most of what you've learned in the book. |
