Controls / Forms and Dialogs / ShapedForm

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Getting Started with WinForms ShapedForm

This article shows how you can start using ShapedForm.

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use ShapedForm when working with NuGet packages, install the Telerik.UI.for.WinForms.AllControls package. The package target framework version may vary.

Read more about NuGet installation in the Install using NuGet Packages article.

With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WinForms has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it here.

Adding Assembly References Manually

When dragging and dropping a control from the Visual Studio (VS) Toolbox onto the Form Designer, VS automatically adds the necessary assemblies. However, if you're adding the control programmatically, you'll need to manually reference the following assemblies:

  • Telerik.Licensing.Runtime
  • Telerik.WinControls
  • Telerik.WinControls.UI
  • TelerikCommon

The Telerik UI for WinForms assemblies can be install by using one of the available installation approaches.

Defining the ShapedForm

To add a ShapedForm to your project:

1. Create a new Windows Application in Visual Studio.

2. Make sure your project includes a reference to Telerik.WinControls and Telerik.WinControls.UI libraries.

You can add these references automatically by adding any RadControl to the form.

3. Right-click the default form and select View Code.

4. If you are working in C#: Change the declaration of the form so that it derives from the Telerik.WinControls.UI.ShapedForm class.

5. If you are working in Visual Basic:

  1. Click the Show All Files button in Solution Explorer.

  2. Expand the Form1.vb node in Solution Explorer.

  3. Open the Form1.Designer.vb file by double-clicking it.

  4. Change the declaration in the Form1.Designer.vb file so that it derives from the Telerik.WinControls.UI.ShapedForm class: 

Changing WinForms form to Telerik ShapedForm

partial class ShapedForm1 : Telerik.WinControls.UI.ShapedForm


<Global.Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.DesignerGenerated()> _
Partial Class ShapedForm1
    Inherits Telerik.WinControls.UI.ShapedForm

10. Return to the design view of the form. Visual Studio will repaint the form without a title bar, indicating that it is now being derived from the ShapedForm class.

11. Press F5 to run the project.

See Also

Telerik UI for WinForms Learning Resources

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