In addition to using the standard GeneXus controls in your panels, GeneXus allows you to create your own custom controls! These controls are called "User Controls" and can be easily created. User controls will make it easy to create rich user interfaces that will give users an incredible experience when using your application. After a User Control is installed, it can be used and works like any standard control.
When developing a Knowledge Base, sometimes you need a control functionality that doesn't come built-in in GeneXus Standard Controls. In those cases you have two options:
- Your needs can be met by standard controls so you can write a GeneXus Web Component.
- Your needs include features that are not built-in in GeneXus so you should look for a User Control or write your own.
Web Components are substantially easier to create than user controls because you can write them using GeneXus.
User Controls like these ones can be included in GeneXus applications
GeneXus provides a User Control Editor in order to help you get started creating user controls.
Probably, you've already imagined more such as various controls that differ in functionality and complexity. For this reason, we are developing an extensible control platform to let you integrate a broad set of controls.
User Control Structure
After a user control is installed in GeneXus it should be used as any other standard control. This means that:
- You will have User Controls available in the Toolbox.
- You manipulate User Controls like any other standard control at design time.
- Some controls may be bound to variables or attributes. They may also be used in attribute control information
- Programming with user controls is the same as programming with standard controls:
- Setting Properties: control.PropertyName = value
- Handling Server Events: Event control.Click EndEvent
- So, when somebody develops a user control, GeneXus is extended!
User controls are available for Web applications, which doesn't mean that you can use HTML Controls only! Your User Control could be:
A Web User Control is any control that can be embedded in HTML.
Documentation
Now that you have a general idea about User Controls, take a look at the following documentation:
User Controls Catalog
Also, take a look at:
Take a look at http://gallery.genexus.com to see more User Controls and share and discuss or ask experts about User Controls in the User Controls Forum
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