ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide

BUILDING APPLICATIONS WITH WINDOWS CONTROLS
such as a .NET form. The objects and functionality within each control can be
combined with other ESRI ArcObjects and custom controls to create customized
end user applications.
The scenario has been written in both C# and Visual Basic .NET, though the
following implementation concentrates on the C# scenario. Many developers will
feel more comfortable with Visual Basic .NET, as the code looks familiar to
Visual Basic 6.0, while the syntax of the C# programming language will be
familiar to Java and C++ programmers. Whichever development environment
you use, your future success with the ArcGIS controls depends on your skill in
both the programming environment and ArcObjects.
The MapControl, PageLayoutControl, TOCControl, and ToolbarControl are used
in this scenario to provide the user interface of the application, and the
LicenseControl is used to configure the application with an appropriate license.
The ArcGIS controls are used in conjunction with other ArcObjects and control
commands by the developer to create a GIS viewing application.
DESIGN
The scenario has been designed to highlight how the ArcGIS controls interact
with each other and to expose a part of each ArcGIS control’s object model to
the developer.
Each .NET ArcGIS Engine control has a set of property pages that can be accessed
once the control is embedded within a .NET form. These property pages
provide shortcuts to a selection of a control’s properties and methods and allow a
developer to build an application without writing any code. This scenario does
not use the property pages, but rather builds up the application programmatically.
For further information about the property pages, refer to the ArcGIS Developer
Help.
REQUIREMENTS
To successfully follow this scenario you need the following (the requirements for
deployment are covered later in the Deployment section):
• An installation of the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit with an authorization
file enabling it for development use.
• An installation of the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 development
environment and the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 and an appropriate
license.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Windows operating systems and a working knowledge
of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and either the C# or Visual Basic .NET
programming language. While the scenario provides some information about
how to use the ArcGIS controls in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, it is not a
substitute for training in the development environment.
• While no experience with other ESRI software is required, previous experience
with ArcObjects and a basic understanding of ArcGIS applications, such
as ArcMap and ArcCatalog, are advantageous.
• Access to the sample data and code that comes with this scenario. This is
located at:
332 • ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide