How to at runtime allow a user to create a new Picturebox Visual Studio C# Windows Forms Apps

Question

I am trying to create a Form in Visual Studio Windows Forms Apps C# in which during runtime the user or operator can create a new picturebox with a left mouse click and then have the ability to move each picturebox created.

I really do not know where to begin. Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

To add a new PictureBox dynamically, you can subscribe to the event Form_MouseClick and create the PictureBox like this:

public Form1()
{
    InitializeComponent();
    this.MouseClick += Form_MouseClick;
}

private void Form_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    PictureBox pictureBox = new PictureBox();
    // cursor location
    pictureBox.Location = new Point(e.X, e.Y);
    pictureBox.BackColor = Color.Red;
    this.Controls.Add(pictureBox);
}

To drag and move the PictureBox, you also nee to subscribe to the event MouseDown, MouseUp, and MouseMove.

Here is a simple demo you can refer to.

private void Form_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    // create new control
    PictureBox pictureBox = new PictureBox();
    pictureBox.Location = new Point(e.X, e.Y);
    pictureBox.BackColor = Color.Red;
    this.Controls.Add(pictureBox);
    // bind event for each PictureBox
    pictureBox.MouseDown += pictureBox_MouseDown;
    pictureBox.MouseUp += pictureBox_MouseUp;
    pictureBox.MouseMove += pictureBox_MouseMove;
}


Point mouseDownPoint = Point.Empty;
Rectangle rect = Rectangle.Empty;
bool isDrag = false;

private void pictureBox_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
    {
        mouseDownPoint = e.Location;
        rect = (sender as PictureBox).Bounds;
    }
}

private void pictureBox_MouseUp(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
    {
        if (isDrag)
        {
            isDrag = false;
            (sender as PictureBox).Location = rect.Location;
            this.Refresh();
        }
        reset();
    }
}

private void pictureBox_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Button == MouseButtons.Left)
    {
        isDrag = true;
        rect.Location = this.PointToClient((sender as PictureBox).PointToScreen(new Point(e.Location.X - mouseDownPoint.X, e.Location.Y - mouseDownPoint.Y)));
        this.Refresh();
    }
}

private void reset()
{
    mouseDownPoint = Point.Empty;
    rect = Rectangle.Empty;
    isDrag = false;
}