KryptonPrintPreviewControl

Overview

KryptonPrintPreviewControl is a Windows Forms control that provides a themed print preview display for PrintDocument objects. It wraps the standard .NET PrintPreviewControl and applies Krypton theming to create a visually consistent preview experience that matches your application's theme.

This control provides:

Full Krypton palette theming integration
All standard PrintPreviewControl functionality
Customizable appearance through palette states
Anti-aliasing support for improved rendering
Multiple page layout options (columns and rows)

Namespace

using Krypton.Toolkit;

Class Hierarchy

Control
└── VisualControlBase
    └── KryptonPrintPreviewControl

Features

Core Features

Themed Preview: Displays print documents with full Krypton theming
Standard Functionality: Inherits all features from PrintPreviewControl
Multiple Page Layouts: Display 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 pages simultaneously
Zoom Control: Adjustable zoom levels with auto-zoom support
Anti-Aliasing: Configurable anti-aliasing for smoother rendering
Page Navigation: Navigate through document pages

Theming Features

Palette Integration: Full integration with Krypton palette system
State Management: Normal and disabled states with customizable appearance
Style Customization: Configurable panel background style
Dynamic Updates: Responds to palette changes automatically

API Reference

Constructors

`KryptonPrintPreviewControl()`

Initializes a new instance of the KryptonPrintPreviewControl class.

Example:

var previewControl = new KryptonPrintPreviewControl();

Notes:

Creates an internal PrintPreviewControl instance
Sets up Krypton theming infrastructure
Initializes with default panel style (PanelAlternate)
Control is not selectable (only the child PrintPreviewControl is)

Properties

`Document` (PrintDocument?)

Gets or sets the PrintDocument to preview.

Type: PrintDocument?
Default Value: null
Category: Behavior
Description: The PrintDocument to preview.

Example:

var document = new KryptonPrintDocument();
previewControl.Document = document;

Notes:

Can be any PrintDocument, including KryptonPrintDocument
Setting to null clears the preview
Changes are reflected immediately

`Columns` (int)

Gets or sets the number of pages displayed horizontally across the page.

Type: int
Default Value: 1
Category: Behavior
Description: The number of pages displayed horizontally across the page.

Example:

previewControl.Columns = 2; // Show 2 pages side by side

Common Values:

1: Single column (default)
2: Two columns
3: Three columns

Notes:

Combined with Rows to determine total pages shown
Typical combinations: 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 2x2, 2x3

`Rows` (int)

Gets or sets the number of pages displayed vertically down the page.

Type: int
Default Value: 1
Category: Behavior
Description: The number of pages displayed vertically down the page.

Example:

previewControl.Rows = 2; // Show 2 rows of pages

Common Values:

1: Single row (default)
2: Two rows

Notes:

Combined with Columns to determine total pages shown
Typical combinations: 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 2x2, 2x3

`Zoom` (double)

Gets or sets the zoom level of the pages.

Type: double
Default Value: 0.3 (30%)
Category: Behavior
Description: The zoom level of the pages.

Example:

previewControl.Zoom = 1.0;  // 100% zoom
previewControl.Zoom = 0.5; // 50% zoom
previewControl.Zoom = 2.0; // 200% zoom

Valid Range:

Typically 0.25 (25%) to 5.0 (500%)
Values depend on the underlying PrintPreviewControl

Notes:

1.0 represents 100% (actual size)
Values less than 1.0 zoom out, greater than 1.0 zoom in
Setting AutoZoom to true overrides this value

`AutoZoom` (bool)

Gets or sets a value indicating whether the control automatically resizes to fit its contents.

Type: bool
Default Value: false
Category: Behavior
Description: Indicates whether the control automatically resizes to fit its contents.

Example:

previewControl.AutoZoom = true; // Automatically fit pages to control size

Notes:

When true, the Zoom property is ignored
Control automatically calculates zoom to fit all pages
Useful for ensuring all pages are visible

`StartPage` (int)

Gets or sets the starting page number.

Type: int
Default Value: 0
Category: Behavior
Description: The starting page number.

Example:

previewControl.StartPage = 0; // Start at first page
previewControl.StartPage = 5; // Start at page 6 (0-based)

Notes:

Zero-based index (0 = first page)
Raises StartPageChanged event when changed
Must be within valid page range

`UseAntiAlias` (bool)

Gets or sets a value indicating whether anti-aliasing is used when rendering the page.

Type: bool
Default Value: true
Category: Behavior
Description: Indicates whether anti-aliasing is used when rendering the page.

Example:

previewControl.UseAntiAlias = true; // Smooth rendering
previewControl.UseAntiAlias = false; // Faster rendering, may appear jagged

Notes:

Anti-aliasing improves visual quality but may impact performance
Recommended for high-quality previews
May be slower on complex documents

`PanelBackStyle` (PaletteBackStyle)

Gets and sets the panel style.

Type: PaletteBackStyle
Default Value: PaletteBackStyle.PanelAlternate
Category: Visuals
Description: Panel style.

Example:

previewControl.PanelBackStyle = PaletteBackStyle.PanelClient;
previewControl.PanelBackStyle = PaletteBackStyle.PanelAlternate;

Common Values:

PaletteBackStyle.PanelClient
PaletteBackStyle.PanelAlternate
PaletteBackStyle.PanelCustom1
PaletteBackStyle.PanelCustom2
PaletteBackStyle.PanelCustom3

Notes:

Affects the background appearance of the control
Changing this property triggers a repaint

`StateCommon` (PaletteBack)

Gets access to the common print preview control appearance that other states can override.

Type: PaletteBack
Category: Visuals
Description: Overrides for defining common print preview control appearance that other states can override.
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Content

Example:

previewControl.StateCommon.Back.Color1 = Color.LightGray;

Notes:

Use this to set common appearance properties
Other states inherit from this unless overridden
Changes trigger a repaint

`StateDisabled` (PaletteBack)

Gets access to the disabled print preview control appearance.

Type: PaletteBack
Category: Visuals
Description: Overrides for defining disabled print preview control appearance.
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Content

Example:

previewControl.StateDisabled.Back.Color1 = Color.Gray;

Notes:

Applied when Enabled is false
Inherits from StateCommon unless overridden
Changes trigger a repaint

`StateNormal` (PaletteBack)

Gets access to the normal print preview control appearance.

Type: PaletteBack
Category: Visuals
Description: Overrides for defining normal print preview control appearance.
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Content

Example:

previewControl.StateNormal.Back.Color1 = Color.White;

Notes:

Applied when Enabled is true
Inherits from StateCommon unless overridden
Changes trigger a repaint

`PrintPreviewControl` (PrintPreviewControl)

Gets access to the contained PrintPreviewControl instance.

Type: PrintPreviewControl
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Always
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Hidden

Example:

var baseControl = previewControl.PrintPreviewControl;
// Access standard PrintPreviewControl members if needed

Notes:

Provides direct access to the underlying .NET control
Use for advanced scenarios requiring standard control features
Most functionality is exposed through wrapper properties

`TabStop` (bool)

Gets and sets if the control is in the tab chain.

Type: bool
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Visible

Example:

previewControl.TabStop = true; // Control can receive focus via Tab key

Notes:

Actually controls the tab stop of the internal PrintPreviewControl
The wrapper control itself is not selectable

`BackColor` (Color) - Hidden

Gets or sets the background color for the control.

Type: Color
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Hidden

Notes:

Hidden from property grid (use palette instead)
Background color comes from the palette system
Setting this property has no effect

`ForeColor` (Color) - Hidden

Gets or sets the foreground color for the control.

Type: Color
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Hidden

Notes:

Hidden from property grid (use palette instead)
Foreground color comes from the palette system
Setting this property has no effect

`BackgroundImage` (Image?) - Hidden

Gets or sets the background image displayed in the control.

Type: Image?
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Hidden

Notes:

Hidden from property grid (use palette instead)
Background images come from the palette system
Setting this property has no effect

`BackgroundImageLayout` (ImageLayout) - Hidden

Gets or sets the background image layout.

Type: ImageLayout
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never
DesignerSerializationVisibility: Hidden

Notes:

Hidden from property grid (use palette instead)
Layout comes from the palette system
Setting this property has no effect

Events

`StartPageChanged`

Occurs when the starting page changes.

Type: EventHandler?
Category: Property Changed
Description: Occurs when the starting page changes.

Example:

previewControl.StartPageChanged += (sender, e) =>
{
    var control = (KryptonPrintPreviewControl)sender;
    UpdatePageLabel(control.StartPage);
};

Notes:

Raised when StartPage property changes
Useful for updating UI elements that display current page

`BackColorChanged` - Hidden

Occurs when the value of the BackColor property changes.

Type: EventHandler?
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never

Notes:

Hidden event (use palette change events instead)
Not typically used in application code

`BackgroundImageChanged` - Hidden

Occurs when the value of the BackgroundImage property changes.

Type: EventHandler?
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never

Notes:

Hidden event (use palette change events instead)
Not typically used in application code

`BackgroundImageLayoutChanged` - Hidden

Occurs when the value of the BackgroundImageLayout property changes.

Type: EventHandler?
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never

Notes:

Hidden event (use palette change events instead)
Not typically used in application code

`ForeColorChanged` - Hidden

Occurs when the value of the ForeColor property changes.

Type: EventHandler?
Browsable: false
EditorBrowsable: Never

Notes:

Hidden event (use palette change events instead)
Not typically used in application code

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

using Krypton.Toolkit;
using System.Drawing.Printing;

// Create a print document
var document = new KryptonPrintDocument();
document.DocumentName = "My Document";

// Set up print event handlers
document.PrintPage += (sender, e) =>
{
    e.Graphics.DrawString("Hello, World!", 
        new Font("Arial", 12), 
        Brushes.Black, 
        new PointF(100, 100));
    e.HasMorePages = false;
};

// Create and configure preview control
var previewControl = new KryptonPrintPreviewControl
{
    Document = document,
    Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
    Zoom = 0.5,  // 50% zoom
    Columns = 1,
    Rows = 1,
    UseAntiAlias = true
};

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(previewControl);

Custom Form with Preview Control

public partial class PreviewForm : KryptonForm
{
    private KryptonPrintPreviewControl _previewControl;
    private KryptonPrintDocument _document;

    public PreviewForm(KryptonPrintDocument document)
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        
        _document = document;
        
        // Create preview control
        _previewControl = new KryptonPrintPreviewControl
        {
            Document = _document,
            Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
            Zoom = 1.0,
            Columns = 1,
            Rows = 1,
            UseAntiAlias = true,
            PanelBackStyle = PaletteBackStyle.PanelClient
        };
        
        // Add to form
        Controls.Add(_previewControl);
        
        // Set up toolbar for zoom and navigation
        SetupToolbar();
    }
    
    private void SetupToolbar()
    {
        // Add zoom buttons, page navigation, etc.
        // ... toolbar setup code
    }
}

Multiple Page Layout

// Show 2 pages side by side
previewControl.Columns = 2;
previewControl.Rows = 1;

// Show 4 pages in a 2x2 grid
previewControl.Columns = 2;
previewControl.Rows = 2;

// Show 6 pages in a 2x3 grid
previewControl.Columns = 3;
previewControl.Rows = 2;

Zoom Control

// Set specific zoom level
previewControl.Zoom = 0.25; // 25% - see more pages
previewControl.Zoom = 0.5;  // 50% - standard view
previewControl.Zoom = 1.0;  // 100% - actual size
previewControl.Zoom = 2.0;  // 200% - zoomed in

// Enable auto-zoom to fit
previewControl.AutoZoom = true;
// Now Zoom property is ignored, pages fit to control size

Custom Appearance

// Customize appearance through palette states
previewControl.PanelBackStyle = PaletteBackStyle.PanelAlternate;

// Customize common state
previewControl.StateCommon.Back.Color1 = Color.White;
previewControl.StateCommon.Back.Color2 = Color.LightGray;

// Customize normal state
previewControl.StateNormal.Back.Color1 = Color.White;

// Customize disabled state
previewControl.StateDisabled.Back.Color1 = Color.Gray;
previewControl.StateDisabled.Back.Color2 = Color.DarkGray;

// Navigate to specific page
previewControl.StartPage = 0;  // First page
previewControl.StartPage = 5;  // Sixth page (0-based)

// Handle page changes
previewControl.StartPageChanged += (sender, e) =>
{
    var control = (KryptonPrintPreviewControl)sender;
    statusLabel.Text = $"Page {control.StartPage + 1}";
};

Integration with KryptonPrintPreviewDialog

// The dialog uses this control internally
var dialog = new KryptonPrintPreviewDialog
{
    Document = document
};

// Access the control after showing dialog
dialog.ShowDialog();

// Access control (may be null if dialog not shown)
var control = dialog.PrintPreviewControl;
if (control != null)
{
    control.Zoom = 1.0;
    control.Columns = 2;
}

Dynamic Document Updates

// Update document and refresh preview
var newDocument = new KryptonPrintDocument();
newDocument.PrintPage += NewDocument_PrintPage;

previewControl.Document = newDocument;
// Preview updates automatically

// Clear preview
previewControl.Document = null;

Responding to Palette Changes

// Control automatically responds to palette changes
KryptonManager.GlobalPaletteMode = PaletteMode.Office365Blue;
// Control appearance updates automatically

// Or customize per control
previewControl.PanelBackStyle = PaletteBackStyle.PanelCustom1;

Integration with Krypton Toolkit

Palette Integration

KryptonPrintPreviewControl fully integrates with the Krypton theming system:

Automatic Theming: Uses the current global palette by default
Visual Consistency: Matches the appearance of other Krypton controls
Dynamic Updates: Responds to global palette changes automatically
State Management: Supports normal and disabled states

KryptonPrintDocument: The document class used for printing
KryptonPrintPreviewDialog: Dialog that contains this control
VisualPrintPreviewForm: Internal form class that uses this control
PrintPreviewControl: The underlying .NET control

Architecture

The control uses a composition pattern:

KryptonPrintPreviewControl (wrapper)
└── InternalPrintPreviewControl (internal PrintPreviewControl)
    └── ViewManager (Krypton rendering)
        └── ViewDrawDocker (themed border/background)
            └── ViewLayoutFill (content area)

Design-Time Support

Toolbox Integration

Toolbox Item: true
Toolbox Bitmap: ToolboxBitmaps.KryptonPrintPreview.bmp
Default Event: StartPageChanged
Default Property: Document
Designer Category: Code

Property Grid Support

All properties are visible in the Visual Studio property grid with appropriate categories:

Behavior: Document, Columns, Rows, Zoom, AutoZoom, StartPage, UseAntiAlias, TabStop
Visuals: PanelBackStyle, StateCommon, StateDisabled, StateNormal

Designer Support

Can be added to forms via toolbox
Properties can be set in property grid
Events can be wired in designer
Supports standard WinForms designer features

Thread Safety

This class is not thread-safe. All operations should be performed on the UI thread.

Disposal Pattern

The class implements proper disposal:

protected override void Dispose(bool isDisposing)
{
    if (!_disposed)
    {
        if (isDisposing)
        {
            _previewControl?.Dispose();
        }
        _disposed = true;
    }
}

Best Practice: The control is disposed automatically when its parent form is disposed. For manual disposal:

previewControl.Dispose();

Performance Considerations

Rendering: Anti-aliasing improves quality but may impact performance
Large Documents: Complex documents with many pages may render slowly
Zoom Changes: Changing zoom triggers a full repaint
Layout Changes: Changing Columns or Rows triggers a full repaint
Memory: Caches rendered pages internally

Best Practices

Set Document First: Set the Document property before configuring other properties
Use Appropriate Zoom: Start with AutoZoom = true or a reasonable zoom level
Disable Anti-Aliasing if Needed: Disable for better performance on slower systems
Handle Page Changes: Subscribe to StartPageChanged for navigation UI
Use Palette States: Customize appearance through palette states rather than direct color properties

Limitations

Standard Control Wrapper: Wraps standard PrintPreviewControl; some limitations may apply
Page Count: Does not expose direct page count (must be determined from document)
Printing: Does not handle printing directly (use KryptonPrintDialog or document's Print() method)
Custom Rendering: Limited ability to customize the page rendering (handled by PrintPreviewControl)

Internal Implementation Details

InternalPrintPreviewControl

The control uses an internal class that extends PrintPreviewControl:

Purpose: Wraps the standard control with Krypton-specific behavior
Hit Testing: Handles hit testing in design mode
AutoZoom: Initialized with AutoZoom = false (controlled by wrapper)

View Manager

Uses Krypton's view manager system for rendering:

ViewDrawDocker: Provides themed border and background
ViewLayoutFill: Manages the fill area for the preview control
Palette States: Applies appropriate palette state based on Enabled property

KryptonPrintPreviewControl

Overview

Namespace

Class Hierarchy

Features

Core Features

Theming Features

API Reference

Constructors

KryptonPrintPreviewControl()

Properties

Document (PrintDocument?)

Columns (int)

Rows (int)

Zoom (double)

AutoZoom (bool)

StartPage (int)

UseAntiAlias (bool)

PanelBackStyle (PaletteBackStyle)

StateCommon (PaletteBack)

StateDisabled (PaletteBack)

StateNormal (PaletteBack)

PrintPreviewControl (PrintPreviewControl)

TabStop (bool)

BackColor (Color) - Hidden

ForeColor (Color) - Hidden

BackgroundImage (Image?) - Hidden

BackgroundImageLayout (ImageLayout) - Hidden

Events

StartPageChanged

BackColorChanged - Hidden

BackgroundImageChanged - Hidden

BackgroundImageLayoutChanged - Hidden

ForeColorChanged - Hidden

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

Custom Form with Preview Control

Multiple Page Layout

Zoom Control

Custom Appearance

Page Navigation

Integration with KryptonPrintPreviewDialog

Dynamic Document Updates

Responding to Palette Changes

Integration with Krypton Toolkit

Palette Integration

Related Components

Architecture

Design-Time Support

Toolbox Integration

Property Grid Support

Designer Support

Thread Safety

Disposal Pattern

Performance Considerations

Best Practices

Limitations

Internal Implementation Details

InternalPrintPreviewControl

View Manager

See Also

`KryptonPrintPreviewControl()`

`Document` (PrintDocument?)

`Columns` (int)

`Rows` (int)

`Zoom` (double)

`AutoZoom` (bool)

`StartPage` (int)

`UseAntiAlias` (bool)

`PanelBackStyle` (PaletteBackStyle)

`StateCommon` (PaletteBack)

`StateDisabled` (PaletteBack)

`StateNormal` (PaletteBack)

`PrintPreviewControl` (PrintPreviewControl)

`TabStop` (bool)

`BackColor` (Color) - Hidden

`ForeColor` (Color) - Hidden

`BackgroundImage` (Image?) - Hidden

`BackgroundImageLayout` (ImageLayout) - Hidden

`StartPageChanged`

`BackColorChanged` - Hidden

`BackgroundImageChanged` - Hidden

`BackgroundImageLayoutChanged` - Hidden

`ForeColorChanged` - Hidden