Can Margin be enforced even with Dock property set?

Question

I have a WinForms Form with a few controls on it. All of them are GroupBox controls and I want them stacked, with a vertical margin set between them. I have set the Dock property to Top and it stacks them alright, but ignores the margin (controls are as close to each other as they can be).

Can these margins still somehow be enforced? Basically, it would calculate the regular docked position (as if the margin was 0) then apply the margin. Is something like this possible?

The other way I've tried this is with FlowLayoutPanel with TopDown option. However, then I need to manually set the size and Left/Right anchors.

Is there any easy way to acomplish this scenario or should I stick with what I already have?

Try using `Padding` instead of `Margin` when the control is docked. — Cody Gray - on strike, Aug 14 '11 at 16:05
Yes, FLP required. Set the Margin property on the controls inside it to create the gap. — Hans Passant, Aug 14 '11 at 16:07

score 37 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 09 '13 at 11:54

37

Place each GroupBox in a Panel, Set Panel Dock Property to Top, Group Box Dock Property to Fill. Then set Padding on the panels.

answered Jul 09 '13 at 11:54

sunnyaprilafternoon

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Padding is the key! At least in my case. – Arman Oct 20 '13 at 15:23
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It's a shame that docking is not taking `Margin` into account.. Naming all those `Panels` can be a nightmare. – PetoMPP Apr 10 '22 at 15:36

score 18 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 14 '11 at 16:07

18

The set docking property will ignore your padding properties between GroupBox controls, so yes, your best bet is the Flow or Table panels to do this.

answered Aug 14 '11 at 16:07

LarsTech

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score 8 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 24 '15 at 07:38

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Add a dummy transparent panel docked between each textbox with a height equal to the exact distance you require.

answered Feb 24 '15 at 07:38

Haz

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Can Margin be enforced even with Dock property set?

3 Answers3

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