Display a check-box next to a Boolean value in the property grid.

This is a bit of a cheat because it is unfortunately not possible to host a control in the value area of the PropertyGrid. It is however possible to draw in that area if we have the correct UITypeEditor.

UITypeEditor has a couple of methods GetPaintValueSupported and PaintValue that enable you to draw a preview of the value. This is how the thumbnail of images is displayed next to image data in the property grid. By creating an editor and assigning it to your boolean value you can display a checkbox which shows a check-mark whenever the value is set to true.

The following listing illustrates this technique.

using System;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Drawing.Design;

using System.Collections;

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using System.Data;

namespace CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

{

  /// <summary>

  /// Summary description for Form1.

  /// </summary>

  public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form

  {

    private System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid propertyGrid1;

    /// <summary>

    /// Required designer variable.

    /// </summary>

    private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;

    public Form1()

    {

      //

      // Required for Windows Form Designer support

      //

      InitializeComponent();

      //

      // TODO: Add any constructor code after InitializeComponent call

      //

      this.propertyGrid1.SelectedObject=new CheckBoxInPropertyGrid();

    }

    /// <summary>

    /// Clean up any resources being used.

    /// </summary>

    protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )

    {

      if( disposing )

      {

        if (components != null)

        {

          components.Dispose();

        }

      }

      base.Dispose( disposing );

    }

    #region Windows Form Designer generated code

    /// <summary>

    /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify

    /// the contents of this method with the code editor.

    /// </summary>

    private void InitializeComponent()

    {

      this.propertyGrid1 = new System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid();

      this.SuspendLayout();

      //

      // propertyGrid1

      //

      this.propertyGrid1.CommandsVisibleIfAvailable = true;

      this.propertyGrid1.LargeButtons = false;

      this.propertyGrid1.LineColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ScrollBar;

      this.propertyGrid1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(48, 24);

      this.propertyGrid1.Name = "propertyGrid1";

      this.propertyGrid1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(200, 200);

      this.propertyGrid1.TabIndex = 0;

      this.propertyGrid1.Text = "propertyGrid1";

      this.propertyGrid1.ViewBackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Window;

      this.propertyGrid1.ViewForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.WindowText;

      //

      // Form1

      //

      this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13);

      this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(292, 273);

      this.Controls.Add(this.propertyGrid1);

      this.Name = "Form1";

      this.Text = "Form1";

      this.ResumeLayout(false);

    }

    #endregion

    /// <summary>

    /// The main entry point for the application.

    /// </summary>

    [STAThread]

    static void Main()

    {

      Application.Run(new Form1());

    }

  }

  public class CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

  {

    bool _cb;

    [Editor(typeof(CheckBoxInPropertyGridEditor),typeof(System.Drawing.Design.UITypeEditor))]

    public bool Cb

    {

      get{return _cb;}

      set{_cb=value;}

    }

  }

  public class CheckBoxInPropertyGridEditor : UITypeEditor

  {

    public override bool GetPaintValueSupported(ITypeDescriptorContext context)

    {

      return true;

    }

    public override void PaintValue(PaintValueEventArgs e)

    {

      ControlPaint.DrawCheckBox(e.Graphics,e.Bounds,((CheckBoxInPropertyGrid)e.Context.Instance).Cb ? ButtonState.Checked : ButtonState.Normal);

    }

  }

}

For the VB users here is the same code in Visual Basic

Imports System

Imports System.Drawing

Imports System.Drawing.Design

Imports System.Collections

Imports System.ComponentModel

Imports System.Windows.Forms

Imports System.Data

Namespace CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

   '/ <summary>

   '/ Summary description for Form1.

   '/ </summary>

   Public Class Form1

    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

    Private propertyGrid1 As System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid

    '/ <summary>

    '/ Required designer variable.

    '/ </summary>

    Private components As System.ComponentModel.Container = Nothing

    Public Sub New()

     '

     ' Required for Windows Form Designer support

     '

     InitializeComponent()

     '

     ' TODO: Add any constructor code after InitializeComponent call

     '

     Me.propertyGrid1.SelectedObject = New CheckBoxInPropertyGrid()

    End Sub 'New

    '/ <summary>

    '/ Clean up any resources being used.

    '/ </summary>

    Protected Overloads Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)

      If disposing Then

        If Not (components Is Nothing) Then

          components.Dispose()

        End If

      End If

      MyBase.Dispose(disposing)

    End Sub 'Dispose

#Region "Windows Form Designer generated code"

    '/ <summary>

    '/ Required method for Designer support - do not modify

    '/ the contents of this method with the code editor.

    '/ </summary>

    Private Sub InitializeComponent()

      Me.propertyGrid1 = New System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid

      Me.SuspendLayout()

      '

      ' propertyGrid1

      '

      Me.propertyGrid1.CommandsVisibleIfAvailable = True

      Me.propertyGrid1.LargeButtons = False

      Me.propertyGrid1.LineColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ScrollBar

      Me.propertyGrid1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(48, 24)

      Me.propertyGrid1.Name = "propertyGrid1"

      Me.propertyGrid1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(200, 200)

      Me.propertyGrid1.TabIndex = 0

      Me.propertyGrid1.Text = "propertyGrid1"

      Me.propertyGrid1.ViewBackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Window

      Me.propertyGrid1.ViewForeColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.WindowText

      '

      ' Form1

      '

      Me.AutoScaleBaseSize = New System.Drawing.Size(5, 13)

      Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(292, 273)

      Me.Controls.Add(propertyGrid1)

      Me.Name = "Form1"

      Me.Text = "Form1"

      Me.ResumeLayout(False)

    End Sub 'InitializeComponent

#End Region

    '/ <summary>

    '/ The main entry point for the application.

    '/ </summary>

    <STAThread()> _

    Shared Sub Main()

      Application.Run(New Form1)

    End Sub 'Main

  End Class 'Form1

   Public Class CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

    Private _cb As Boolean

    <Editor(GetType(CheckBoxInPropertyGridEditor), GetType(System.Drawing.Design.UITypeEditor))>  _

    Public Property Cb() As Boolean

     Get

      Return _cb

     End Get

     Set

      _cb = value

     End Set

    End Property

   End Class 'CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

   Public Class CheckBoxInPropertyGridEditor

    Inherits UITypeEditor

    Public Overloads Overrides Function GetPaintValueSupported(ByVal context As ITypeDescriptorContext) As Boolean

      Return True

    End Function 'GetPaintValueSupported

    Public Overloads Overrides Sub PaintValue(ByVal e As PaintValueEventArgs)

      ControlPaint.DrawCheckBox(e.Graphics, e.Bounds, IIf(CType(e.Context.Instance, CheckBoxInPropertyGrid).Cb, ButtonState.Checked, ButtonState.Normal))

    End Sub 'PaintValue

  End Class 'CheckBoxInPropertyGridEditor

End Namespace 'CheckBoxInPropertyGrid

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