Laying Out Forms

In previous chapters I've talked about the visual hierarchy and the importance of matching the layout of the form to the user's input sources. That's all very well, but it isn't much help when you're trying to decide how far apart your textboxes ought to be.

Well, it turns out that there are rules, or at least standards. They're not completely straightforward, and of course they haven't been handed down from the mountain top. Within limits, you can violate the layout rules without imperiling your soul. In fact, the .NET Framework imposes some layout constraints, particularly on the height of various controls that don't comply with the “rules,” and that you can't easily work around.