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winforms

Build, maintain, or modernize Windows Forms applications with practical guidance on designer-driven UI, event handling, data binding, MVP separation, and migration to modern .NET. USE FOR: working on Windows Forms UI, event-driven workflows, or classic LOB applications; migrating WinForms from .NET Framework to modern .NET; cleaning up oversized form code. DO NOT USE FOR: unrelated stacks; generic tasks that do not need this specific guidance. INVOKES: inspect the repository context, edit targeted files, and run relevant build, test, lint, or validation commands when changes are made.

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managedcode/dotnet-skills
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Files included (4)

  • SKILL.md5.0 KB
  • manifest.json115 B
  • references/migration.md13.3 KB
  • references/patterns.md16.8 KB

SKILL.md (original)

Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.

Windows Forms

Trigger On

  • working on Windows Forms UI, event-driven workflows, or classic LOB applications
  • migrating WinForms from .NET Framework to modern .NET
  • cleaning up oversized form code or designer coupling
  • implementing data binding, validation, or control customization

Workflow

  1. Respect designer boundaries — never edit .Designer.cs directly; changes are lost on regeneration.
  2. Separate business logic from forms — use MVP (Model-View-Presenter) pattern. Forms orchestrate UI; presenters contain logic; services handle data access. 
    // View interface — forms implement this
public interface ICustomerView
{
    string CustomerName { get; set; }
    event EventHandler SaveRequested;
    void ShowError(string message);
}

// Presenter — testable without UI
public class CustomerPresenter
{
    private readonly ICustomerView _view;
    private readonly ICustomerService _service;
    public CustomerPresenter(ICustomerView view, ICustomerService service)
    {
        _view = view;
        _service = service;
        _view.SaveRequested += async (s, e) =>
        {
            try { await _service.SaveAsync(_view.CustomerName); }
            catch (Exception ex) { _view.ShowError(ex.Message); }
        };
    }
}
  3. Use DI from Program.cs (.NET 6+): 
    var services = new ServiceCollection();
services.AddSingleton<ICustomerService, CustomerService>();
services.AddTransient<MainForm>();
using var sp = services.BuildServiceProvider();
Application.Run(sp.GetRequiredService<MainForm>());
  4. Use data binding via BindingSource and INotifyPropertyChanged instead of manual control population. See references/patterns.md for complete binding patterns.
  5. Use async/await for I/O operations — disable controls during loading, use Progress<T> for progress reporting. Never block the UI thread.
  6. Validate with ErrorProvider and the Validating event. Call ValidateChildren() before save operations.
  7. Modernize incrementally — prefer better structure over big-bang rewrites. Use .NET 8+ features (button commands, stock icons) when available.

Current Upstream Notes

  • The August 2026 Windows Forms overview remains focused on Windows desktop, designer-driven controls, events, data binding, and migration to modern .NET. It does not change the framework-selection guidance: improve form boundaries and designer safety before proposing a rewrite.
  • For docs-driven updates, validate whether the app targets .NET Framework, modern .NET, or mixed libraries before changing project format, designer files, or deployment assumptions.
flowchart LR
  A["Form event"] --> B["Presenter handles logic"]
  B --> C["Service layer / data access"]
  C --> D["Update view via interface"]
  D --> E["Validate and display results"]

Key Decisions

DecisionGuidance
MVP vs MVVMPrefer MVP for WinForms — simpler with event-driven model
BindingSource vs manualAlways prefer BindingSource for list/detail binding
Sync vs async I/OAlways async — use async void only for event handlers
Custom controlsExtract reusable UserControl when form grows beyond ~300 lines
.NET Framework → .NETUse the official migration guide; validate designer compatibility first

Deliver

  • less brittle form code with clear UI/logic separation
  • MVP pattern with testable presenters
  • pragmatic modernization guidance for WinForms-heavy apps
  • data binding and validation patterns that reduce manual wiring

Validate

  • designer files stay stable and are not hand-edited
  • forms are not acting as the application service layer
  • async operations do not block the UI thread
  • validation is implemented consistently with ErrorProvider
  • Windows-only runtime behavior is tested on target

References

  • references/patterns.md - WinForms architectural patterns (MVP, MVVM, Passive View), data binding, validation, form communication, threading, DI setup, and .NET 8+ features
  • references/migration.md - step-by-step migration from .NET Framework to modern .NET, common issues, deployment options, and gradual migration strategies

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