How to: Group Controls with the Windows Forms Panel Control Using the Designer

Windows Forms Panel controls are used to group other controls. There are three reasons to group controls. One is visual grouping of related form elements for a clear user interface; another is programmatic grouping, of radio buttons for example; the last is for moving the controls as a unit at design time.

To create a group of controls

1. Drag a Panel control from the Windows Forms tab of the Toolbox onto a form.

2. Add other controls to the panel, drawing each inside the panel.

   If you have existing controls that you want to enclose in a panel, you can select all the controls, cut them to the Clipboard, select the Panel control, and then paste them into the panel. You can also drag them into the panel.

3. (Optional) If you want to add a border to a panel, set its BorderStyle property. There are three choices: Fixed3D, FixedSingle, and None.

See also

• Panel Control
• Panel Control Overview
• How to: Set the Background of a Panel