Text clipping via Localization - When a localizer
changes the text increases the size of the control by changing the text – will
anything be clipped?
Problem: Changing the text in another language can
cause elements of the UI to overlap.
Solution: There are multiple solutions for this:
- Use AutoSize on controls that can grow as the text changes – e.g.
buttons, labels, etc.
- If the control can grow 30% and not overlap others, no additional
work is necessary.
- For controls that could obscure others when grown, use a FlowLayoutPanel or TableLayoutPanel to automatically place the controls.
Uniform OK/Cancel Buttons - When the Cancel button
gets larger, does the OK button always stay the same size?
Problem: When OK and Cancel buttons are localized, it
is a best practice to make sure that the localized OK and Cancel buttons are of
the same size.
Solution: Put the OK and Cancel buttons in an
AutoSized TableLayoutPanel with column styles set to 50% and 50% respectively.
The anchors for the Ok and Cancel buttons should be set to Left|Right so they
stretch from edge-edge of the cell.
Large Font/High Contrast – When the font size
increases - will anything be clipped?
Problem: When the font changes, the size and
locations of controls need to be adjusted in order not to clip.
Solution: Use auto scaling to dynamically
change the size/location of controls.
Tabbing and Mnemonics – Have you set the tab order
correctly?
Problem: Mnemonics for labels depend on the tab index
being set correctly.
Solution: Tab through your dialog, play with
mnemonics to ensure it is correct.
Accessibility Considerations – Do your text boxes
and combo boxes have accessible names?
Problem: TextBoxes and ComboBoxes don't automagically
pick up accessible names.
Solution: Some controls in windows forms pick up
their accessible names from the previous item in the tab order. E.g. a text box
can pick up its accessible name from the label preceding it. If you have a
label which describes a text box or combo box, you should set the TabIndex
of the label to be one less than the TabIndex
of the text box.
Localization Considerations - Have you created a
.resx file?
Problem: Hand coding UI generally causes problems for
localizers. If they have a .resx file, the dialog can be opened in a resource
editor such as WinRes.
Solution: Do not hand code UI, keep the
YourForm.Designer.cs file around, hook up your events in a function outside of
the YourForm.Designer.cs, so you can easily revist the file later using Visual
Studio.
