CoreSuite.CentralizedComboBox 1.0.0

CentralizedComboBox

A Windows Forms ComboBox that keeps its selected text and drop-down items horizontally centered.

Overview

CentralizedComboBox extends the standard Windows Forms ComboBox. It uses owner drawing to center every item in the drop-down list and applies the native Windows ES_CENTER style to the internal editable text field.

Because it inherits from ComboBox, existing properties, data binding, events and designer support remain available.

Features

• Centers the selected value.
• Centers all items displayed in the drop-down list.
• Supports editable and selection-only ComboBox styles.
• Preserves standard data binding and selection behavior.
• Works in the Visual Studio Windows Forms designer.
• Requires no external NuGet dependencies.
• Designed for .NET 8 Windows Forms applications.

Requirements

• Windows
• Windows Forms
• .NET 8 for Windows (net8.0-windows)

The control uses native Windows APIs and is intended exclusively for Windows applications.

Installation

Install the package from NuGet:

dotnet add package CoreSuite.CentralizedComboBox

Or search for CoreSuite.CentralizedComboBox in the Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager.

Namespace

Imports CoreSuite.Controls

Quick start

Imports CoreSuite.Controls
Public Class MainForm
    Private Sub MainForm_Load(Sender As Object, E As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Dim StatusComboBox As New CentralizedComboBox With {
            .DropDownStyle = ComboBoxStyle.DropDownList,
            .Location = New Point(20, 20),
            .Width = 220
        }
        StatusComboBox.Items.AddRange({"Pending", "In progress", "Completed"})
        StatusComboBox.SelectedIndex = 0
        Controls.Add(StatusComboBox)
    End Sub
End Class

Data binding

The control supports the same binding properties as a standard ComboBox:

Dim StatusComboBox As New CentralizedComboBox With {
    .DataSource = StatusItems,
    .DisplayMember = "Name",
    .ValueMember = "Id",
    .DropDownStyle = ComboBoxStyle.DropDownList
}

Designer usage

After installing or referencing the package:

1. Open a Windows Forms form in the Visual Studio designer.
2. Add CentralizedComboBox from the Toolbox.
3. Configure it with the standard ComboBox properties.
4. Add items through Items or configure DataSource, DisplayMember and ValueMember.

No additional property is required to enable centering.

API reference

CentralizedComboBox

Public Class CentralizedComboBox
    Inherits ComboBox

The control does not introduce new public properties or events. All public configuration is inherited from ComboBox.

Common inherited members include:

• Items
• SelectedIndex
• SelectedItem
• SelectedValue
• DataSource
• DisplayMember
• ValueMember
• DropDownStyle
• AutoCompleteMode
• AutoCompleteSource
• SelectedIndexChanged
• SelectionChangeCommitted

Rendering behavior

The control sets DrawMode to OwnerDrawFixed. Item text is rendered with horizontal and vertical centering. When the native handle is created, the editable portion also receives the Windows centered-text style.

If application code changes DrawMode or implements separate owner-drawing behavior, that code may replace the built-in centered item rendering.

Package information

License

This package is distributed under the MIT License.