I have a related, but slightly more focused question about components. I find myself needing to provide my users with a control that allows formatting of text (bold, italic, lists, etc.). Now, if the only place they used the this information was within the app, I'd just use the RTF textbox. However, this is not the case. The text needs to shown in a web based reporting tool. Soooooo....



I wondering if any of you have any experience with any WinForm HTML editors? Or with using an RTF textbox to edit HTML. I'll need to store the formatted text as HTML. There are a lot that wrap IE, but I'm concerned about performance, memory issues and security. Apose has one that isn't dependent on IE but it can't do much yet. Any of you have any experience with HTML Editors in WinForms?



Thanks!

You are right on the money here and is in fact the same approach that we have taken.  We have been killed in the past by purchasing ActiveX controls and 3rd party products just to see them go out of business and then us have a compatability issue which halts production so we can write a work around.  The fewer 3rd party controls that you use the better off you will be.

This is why we created the application themes and continue to create new controls...to prevent 3rd party dependence.  We do use some 3rd party controls, don't get me wrong here.  For example we use the Infragistics text edit control with their integrated spell checking.  We also use the Infragistics grid.  We will also use some of the Infragistics calendar and scheduling controls in teh future, but it basically stops about there.  Recently we were using a 3rd party control within FoxPro for UDP support...it failed...at the worst time....and we ended up writing our own anyway which dramatically sped things up and reduced the code.  So you do have to be careful of going 3rd party control crazy.  But in moderation, sure...especially if you pick the right ones and the right companies.

For example, we have a new two new controls that will be released in the next update.  One is a ThemedLinkMenu which provides a similar functionality to the Outlook navigation bar or menu.  This control can also be used as a vertical page tab that will automatically control a PanelManagers active pages, as well as be used in conjunction with a ThemedContainer to provide standard links within a single control.  This came out of the need to replace some 3rd party controls which we had used in the past.  Another control is a ThreadManager which allows an unlimited number of methods to be launched through a single control without having to manually create a bunch of threads in a collection then manage it yourself....it just speeds development when you have the need to launch a number of different threads and then need to be notified upon completions.  These controls came out of the need to from our commercial application development and the desire not to use a 3rd party control.

Trent, your wise and mature answer i

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Trent, your wise and mature answer is well taken. I would like to add one proposition. I'd love to see SF (MicroFour) come out with new components that are tied directly with SF, as a separate product package for purchase. It's a lot better to deal with one vendor.(i.e. grid, report and etc).



Another option would be to buy a third party product "Through" your company, meaning you guys have that product all tied properly with SF and we buy it from you. This way, you don't have to develop a grid or report tool, but the time you spend to make it work with SF, is justified by us purchasing it from you in a different price range, More like an OEM version!



Otherwise, every developer has to go through the time of getting it to work, and asking the same questions over and over. Please think about this option and perhaps put up a poll to see how many people are interested in what products.



Thanks for the feedback!

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