IContainerControl.ActiveControl Property

Definition

Gets or sets the control that is active on the container control.

C#
public System.Windows.Forms.Control ActiveControl { get; set; }
C#
public System.Windows.Forms.Control? ActiveControl { get; set; }

Property Value

The Control that is currently active on the container control.

Examples

The following example inherits from the ScrollableControl class and implements the IContainerControl interface. Implementation is added to the ActiveControl property and the ActivateControl method.

C#
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Drawing;

    public class MyContainer : ScrollableControl, IContainerControl
    {
        private Control activeControl;
        public MyContainer() 
        {
            // Make the container control Blue so it can be distinguished on the form.
            this.BackColor = Color.Blue;
            
            // Make the container scrollable.
            this.AutoScroll = true;
        }

        // Add implementation to the IContainerControl.ActiveControl property.
        public Control ActiveControl
        {
            get
            {
                return activeControl;
            }

            set
            {
                // Make sure the control is a member of the ControlCollection.
                if(this.Controls.Contains(value))
                {
                    activeControl = value;
                }
            }
        }

        // Add implementations to the IContainerControl.ActivateControl(Control) method.
        public bool ActivateControl(Control active)
        {
            if(this.Controls.Contains(active))
            {
                // Select the control and scroll the control into view if needed.
                active.Select();
                this.ScrollControlIntoView(active);
                this.activeControl = active;
                return true;
            }
            return false;
        }
    }

Notes to Implementers

When implemented in a class, this property activates or retrieves the active control on the container control.

Applies to

Product Versions
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
Windows Desktop 3.0, 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

See also