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Getting Started with WinForms Panel

This tutorial will help you to quickly get started using the control.

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use RadPanel 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 RadPanel

You can add a RadPanel either at design time or at run-time:

Design Time

  1. To add a RadPanel to your form, drag a RadPanel from the toolbox onto the surface of the form designer.
  2. In the Properties section in Visual Studio change the Dock property of RadPanel to Fill.
  3. Drag another control from the toolbox and place it on the panel.
  4. Click F5 to start the application.

Run Time

To programmatically add a RadPanel to a form, create a new instance of a RadPanel, and add it to the form`s Controls collection. Change its Text, ForeColor, and BackColor properties.

Figure 1: RadPanel Run-time

WinForms RadPanel Run-time

Adding a RadPanel at Run-time

RadPanel panel = new RadPanel();
this.Controls.Add(panel);
panel.ForeColor = Color.DarkBlue;
panel.BackColor = Color.LightBlue;
panel.PanelElement.PanelBorder.ForeColor = Color.Gray;
panel.Text = "I am a RadPanel!";

Dim panel As New RadPanel()
Me.Controls.Add(panel)
panel.ForeColor = Color.DarkBlue
panel.BackColor = Color.LightBlue
panel.PanelElement.PanelBorder.ForeColor = Color.Gray
panel.Text = "I am a RadPanel!"

Programming RadPanel

RadPanel shares most of the properties of the standard Windows Form Panel, including:

  • The BackColor property sets the background color of the control.

  • The BackgroundImage and BackgroundImageLayout properties allow you to tile, center, stretch, or zoom an image across the control.

  • The ForeColor property sets the control`s text color.

  • The Text property sets the text in the control.

The example below has the BackgroundImage property set to the Progress logo.

Figure 2: RadPanel BackgroundImage

WinForms RadPanel BackgroundImage

See Also

Telerik UI for WinForms Learning Resources

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