Implementing Message Boxes (MessageBoxAdv)

The MessageBoxAdv is an enhanced replacement for the standard Windows Forms MessageBox that provides:

• Static Show() method pattern (no instantiation needed)
• Multiple button combinations (Ok, OkCancel, YesNo, YesNoCancel, RetryCancel, AbortRetryIgnore)
• Built-in and custom icon support
• Six visual themes with multiple color schemes (15+ style variations)
• Expandable details pane for additional information
• Complete localization support via ILocalizationProvider
• Runtime resizing with gripper
• Right-to-left layout support

Key Capabilities:

• MessageBoxAdv.Show() static method for displaying dialogs
• DialogResult return value for capturing user response
• MessageBoxStyle property for theme selection
• MetroColorTable for Metro theme customization
• CanResize property for runtime size adjustment
• Details view with expandable/collapsible detail text
• Custom icon loading with size specification

Return Values: MessageBoxAdv returns DialogResult enum values: OK, Cancel, Yes, No, Retry, Abort, Ignore, None

Documentation and Navigation Guide

Getting Started

📄 Read: references/getting-started.md

When to read: Starting new implementation, setting up dependencies, first-time usage, basic Show() method

Topics covered:

• Assembly deployment (Syncfusion.Shared.Base.dll)
• NuGet package installation (Syncfusion.Shared.Base)
• Namespace requirements (Syncfusion.Windows.Forms)
• Static Show() method usage pattern
• Basic message box examples
• Show() method overloads
• DialogResult return value handling
• Simple alert and confirmation examples

Button Parameters and Features

📄 Read: references/button-parameters.md

When to read: Configuring button combinations, adding icons, enabling features (RTL, details, resizing)

Topics covered:

• Caption bar text parameter
• Message text parameter
• Button combinations (MessageBoxButtons enum: OK, OKCancel, YesNo, YesNoCancel, RetryCancel, AbortRetryIgnore)
• Icon support (MessageBoxIcon enum: Asterisk, Error, Exclamation, Hand, Information, None, Question, Stop, Warning)
• Custom icon loading (Image parameter with Size)
• Right-to-left support (RightToLeft property)
• Details view (expandable/collapsible detail pane with "Details" button)
• Resizing support (CanResize property with gripper at bottom-right)
• Complete examples for each button type
• Icon positioning and sizing

Visual Styles and Themes

📄 Read: references/visual-styles.md

When to read: Applying themes, matching application style, using Office color schemes

Topics covered:

• MessageBoxStyle property (Default, Office2007, Office2010, Metro, Office2013, Office2016)
• Default theme
• Office2007 theme with color schemes (Black, Blue, Silver, Managed)
• Office2010 theme with color schemes (Black, Blue, Silver, Managed)
• Metro theme (modern flat design)
• Office2013 theme (DarkGray, LightGray, White)
• Office2016 theme (Colorful, White, DarkGray)
• Theme enumeration usage (Office2007Theme, Office2010Theme, Office2013Theme, Office2016Theme)
• Managed color customization (Office2007Colors.ApplyManagedColors, Office2010Colors.ApplyManagedColors)
• Complete examples for all themes and color schemes

Metro Theme Customization

📄 Read: references/metro-customization.md

When to read: Customizing Metro theme colors, branding message boxes, matching corporate colors

Topics covered:

• MetroColorTable class overview
• ForeColor property (message text color)
• BackColor property (dialog background)
• BorderColor property (dialog border)
• CaptionBarColor property (title bar background)
• CaptionForeColor property (title bar text color)
• Button background colors (OKButtonBackColor, YesButtonBackColor, NoButtonBackColor, CancelButtonBackColor, RetryButtonBackColor, AbortButtonBackColor, IgnoreButtonBackColor)
• Button foreground colors (button text colors)
• CloseButtonColor and CloseButtonHoverColor
• Complete Metro customization examples
• Color coordination best practices
• Custom branded message box creation

Localization Support

📄 Read: references/localization.md

When to read: Implementing multilanguage applications, localizing button text, international deployments

Topics covered:

• Localization overview and workflow
• ILocalizationProvider interface implementation
• LocalizationProvider.Provider property initialization
• GetLocalizedString() method implementation
• ResourceIdentifiers class constants (Yes, No, OK, Cancel, Retry, Abort, Ignore, Details, Close)
• Culture-specific string mapping
• Initialization before InitializeComponent
• Switch statement pattern for resource lookup
• Complete localization examples (German, Spanish, French)
• Best practices for multilanguage support
• Custom Localizer class creation

Quick Start Example

Basic Message Box with Metro Theme

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms;

// Set Metro theme globally
MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Metro;

// Display simple message box
MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, "File saved successfully!", "Success", 
    MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information);

// Confirmation dialog with Yes/No
DialogResult result = MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, "Save changes?", "File Modified", 
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, MessageBoxIcon.Question);

if (result == DialogResult.Yes)
{
    // Save changes
}

VB.NET:

Imports Syncfusion.Windows.Forms

' Set Metro theme globally
MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Metro

' Display simple message box
MessageBoxAdv.Show(Me, "File saved successfully!", "Success", _
    MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)

' Confirmation dialog with Yes/No
Dim result As DialogResult = MessageBoxAdv.Show(Me, "Save changes?", "File Modified", _
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, MessageBoxIcon.Question)

If result = DialogResult.Yes Then
    ' Save changes
End If

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: File Save Confirmation Dialog

Scenario: Prompt user to save changes before closing

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms;

// Set Office2016 Colorful theme
MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Office2016;
MessageBoxAdv.Office2016Theme = Office2016Theme.Colorful;

// Show confirmation with YesNoCancel
DialogResult result = MessageBoxAdv.Show(
    this,
    "Do you want to save changes to Document1.txt?",
    "Unsaved Changes",
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNoCancel,
    MessageBoxIcon.Question
);

switch (result)
{
    case DialogResult.Yes:
        SaveDocument();
        CloseDocument();
        break;
    case DialogResult.No:
        CloseDocument();
        break;
    case DialogResult.Cancel:
        // Do nothing, stay in editor
        break;
}

Pattern 2: Error Message with Custom Icon and Details View

Scenario: Display error with detailed stack trace or log information

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms;
using System.Drawing;

// Load custom error icon
Image customIcon = Image.FromFile("error_icon.png");

// Set theme
MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Metro;

// Show with details view
MessageBoxAdv.Show(
    this,
    "Failed to connect to database server.",
    "Connection Error",
    MessageBoxButtons.RetryCancel,
    customIcon,
    new Size(48, 48),
    "Error Details:\n" +
    "Server: db.company.com\n" +
    "Port: 1433\n" +
    "Timeout: Connection timeout after 30 seconds\n" +
    "Stack Trace: at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.Open()"
);

Pattern 3: Localized Message Box (German)

Scenario: Display message box with German button text and messages

C#:

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms;
using System.Globalization;

// Implement custom localizer
public class GermanLocalizer : ILocalizationProvider
{
    public string GetLocalizedString(CultureInfo culture, string name, object obj)
    {
        switch (name)
        {
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Yes:
                return "Ja";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.No:
                return "Nein";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.OK:
                return "OK";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Cancel:
                return "Abbrechen";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Retry:
                return "Wiederholen";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Abort:
                return "Abbrechen";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Ignore:
                return "Ignorieren";
            case ResourceIdentifiers.Details:
                return "Details";
            default:
                return string.Empty;
        }
    }
}

// Initialize localizer before showing message box
LocalizationProvider.Provider = new GermanLocalizer();

// Show localized message box
MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Office2013;
MessageBoxAdv.Office2013Theme = Office2013Theme.White;

MessageBoxAdv.Show(
    this,
    "Möchten Sie die Änderungen speichern?",
    "Datei geändert",
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNoCancel,
    MessageBoxIcon.Question
);

Key Properties

Static Properties

Show() Method Parameters

Return Value

Type: DialogResult

Values: OK, Cancel, Yes, No, Retry, Abort, Ignore, None

Common Use Cases

1. Application Exit Confirmation

User tries to close application with unsaved work:

DialogResult result = MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, 
    "You have unsaved changes. Exit anyway?", 
    "Confirm Exit", 
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, 
    MessageBoxIcon.Warning);

if (result == DialogResult.Yes)
{
    Application.Exit();
}

2. File Operation Errors

Display error with retry option:

DialogResult result = MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, 
    "File is locked by another process.", 
    "File Access Error", 
    MessageBoxButtons.RetryCancel, 
    MessageBoxIcon.Error);

if (result == DialogResult.Retry)
{
    AttemptFileAccess();
}

3. Information Messages

Simple notification without choices:

MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, 
    "Backup completed successfully!", 
    "Backup Complete", 
    MessageBoxButtons.OK, 
    MessageBoxIcon.Information);

4. Delete Confirmation

Confirm destructive action:

DialogResult result = MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, 
    "Are you sure you want to delete this record? This cannot be undone.", 
    "Confirm Delete", 
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, 
    MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);

if (result == DialogResult.Yes)
{
    DeleteRecord();
}

5. Themed Corporate Dialogs

Match message box to corporate branding:

MessageBoxAdv.MessageBoxStyle = MessageBoxAdv.Style.Metro;
MessageBoxAdv.MetroColorTable.CaptionBarColor = Color.FromArgb(0, 120, 215); // Corporate blue
MessageBoxAdv.MetroColorTable.YesButtonBackColor = Color.FromArgb(0, 120, 215);
MessageBoxAdv.MetroColorTable.NoButtonBackColor = Color.FromArgb(82, 82, 82);

MessageBoxAdv.Show(this, 
    "Upload to cloud storage?", 
    "Company Portal", 
    MessageBoxButtons.YesNo, 
    MessageBoxIcon.Question);

Additional Resources

Assembly: Syncfusion.Shared.Base.dll
Namespace: Syncfusion.Windows.Forms
NuGet Package: Syncfusion.Shared.Base
Minimum .NET Framework: 4.5

Key Classes:

• MessageBoxAdv - Main static class for showing message boxes
• MessageBoxAdvMetroColorTable - Metro theme color customization
• ILocalizationProvider - Interface for localization
• LocalizationProvider - Localization provider registration
• ResourceIdentifiers - Resource string constants for localization

Related Skills:

• Form styling and theming
• Dialog management
• User input validation
• Error handling patterns