dynamically add controls to a form at runtime in C#?

Question

I need to generate form fields based on user selection or external data. What’s the most efficient way to add controls like TextBox, ComboBox, or Button dynamically during runtime? Also, how can I manage their layout and event handling?

Deepika Sawant · Answer

Dynamically generating form controls like TextBox , ComboBox , or Button during runtime is a common requirement in responsive UI scenarios—especially when the form structure depends on user input or external data. Here's a structured approach to doing this efficiently in .NET (WinForms or WPF): Dynamic Control Creation You can create controls programmatically using their constructors and set properties as needed: TextBox textBox = new TextBox(); textBox.Name = "txtName"; textBox.Text = "Enter name"; textBox.Location = new Point(10, 10); // For WinForms For WPF: TextBox textBox = new TextBox(); textBox.Name = "txtName"; textBox.Text = "Enter name"; Canvas.SetLeft(textBox, 10); Canvas.SetTop(textBox, 10); Layout Management WinForms Use layout containers like: FlowLayoutPanel : Automatically arranges controls in flow. TableLayoutPanel : Grid-based layout. Panel : Manual positioning. Example with FlowLayoutPanel : FlowLayoutPanel panel = new FlowLayoutPanel(); panel.Dock = DockStyle.Fill; this.Controls.Add(panel); TextBox txt = new TextBox(); panel.Controls.Add(txt); WPF Use containers like: StackPanel : Vertical or horizontal stacking. Grid : Flexible row/column layout. WrapPanel : Wraps controls based on available space. Example with StackPanel : StackPanel stackPanel = new StackPanel(); this.Content = stackPanel; Button btn = new Button { Content = "Click Me" }; stackPanel.Children.Add(btn); Event Handling Attach event handlers dynamically: Button btn = new Button(); btn.Text = "Submit"; btn.Click += (sender, e) => { MessageBox.Show("Button clicked!"); }; In WPF: btn.Click += new RoutedEventHandler((s, e) => { MessageBox.Show("Clicked!"); }); Managing Control State To manage dynamically added controls: Use a Dictionary to track them by name. Use Tag property to store metadata. Use LINQ to query controls from the container. var textBoxes = this.Controls.OfType ().Where(tb => tb.Tag?.ToString() == "dynamic"); Responding to External Data If you're generating controls based on JSON or a database schema: Parse the data. Loop through fields. Create controls based on type. Add them to the layout container. Example: foreach (var field in fieldsFromJson) { if (field.Type == "text") { TextBox txt = new TextBox { Name = field.Name }; panel.Controls.Add(txt); } else if (field.Type == "dropdown") { ComboBox cmb = new ComboBox { Name = field.Name }; cmb.Items.AddRange(field.Options.ToArray()); panel.Controls.Add(cmb); } }

dynamically add controls to a form at runtime in C#?

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