WinForms DiagramControl - Create Custom Shapes Based on Diagram Containers

The following example creates custom DevExpress Diagram shapes (DiagramContainers) with multiple inner shapes. You can use this technique to create custom shapes if/when associated geometries must consist of combined predefined shapes.

Implementation Details

To begin, you must:

1. Create a container and add static non-selectable shapes:

   public DiagramContainer CreateContainerShape1() {
       var container = new DiagramContainer();
       container.Appearance.BorderSize = 0;
       container.Appearance.BackColor = Color.Transparent;
   
       var innerShape1 = new DiagramShape() {
           CanSelect = false,
           CanChangeParent = false,
           CanEdit = false,
           CanCopyWithoutParent = false,
           CanDeleteWithoutParent = false,
           CanMove = false,
           Shape = BasicShapes.Trapezoid,
           Anchors = Sides.Top | Sides.Left | Sides.Right,
           Height = 50,
           Width = 200,
   
           Content = "Custom text"
       };
   
       var innerShape2 = new DiagramShape() {
           CanSelect = false,
           CanChangeParent = false,
           CanEdit = false,
           CanCopyWithoutParent = false,
           CanDeleteWithoutParent = false,
           CanMove = false,
           Shape = BasicShapes.Rectangle,
           Anchors = Sides.All,
           Height = 150,
           Width = 200,
           Position = new DevExpress.Utils.PointFloat(0, 50),
       };
   
       container.Items.Add(innerShape1);
       container.Items.Add(innerShape2);
   
       return container;
   }

2. Register a FactoryItemTool to create an instance of this container:

   void RegisterStencil() {
       var stencil = new DiagramStencil("CustomStencil", "Custom Shapes");
   
       var itemTool = new FactoryItemTool("CustomShape1",
           () => "Custom Shape 1",
           diagram => CreateContainerShape1(),
           new System.Windows.Size(200, 200), 
           false
       );
   
       stencil.RegisterTool(itemTool);
       DiagramToolboxRegistrator.RegisterStencil(stencil);
   
       diagramControl1.OptionsBehavior.SelectedStencils = new StencilCollection() { "CustomStencil" };
   }

Files to Review

• Form1.cs (VB: Form1.vb)

Documentation

• DiagramContainer
• Containers and Lists
• Shapes
• Create Custom Diagram Items
• Manage Item Interaction

More Examples

• WinForms DiagramControl - Register FactoryItemTools for Regular and Custom Shapes
• WinForms DiagramControl - Create Rotatable Containers with Shapes
• WinForms DiagramControl - Proportionally Resize Shapes Within the Parent Container

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