docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-arrange-mdi-child-forms.md

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title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Arrange MDI Child Forms	03/30/2017	csharp vb	child forms [Windows Forms], arranging MDI [Windows Forms], arranging child forms	a0786378-3206-4ccc-898e-7d3b38cc5089

How to: Arrange MDI Child Forms

Often, applications will have menu commands for actions such as Tile, Cascade, and Arrange, which control the layout of the open MDI child forms. You can use the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Form.LayoutMdi%2A method with one of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout enumeration values to rearrange the child forms in an MDI parent form.

The xref:System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout enumeration values display child forms as cascading, as horizontally or vertically tiled, or as child form icons arranged along the lower portion of the MDI form. These values have the same effect as the Windows commands Cascade windows, Show windows side by side, Show windows stacked, and Show the desktop, respectively.

Often, these methods are used as the event handlers called by a menu item's xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.Click event. In this way, a menu item with the text "Cascade Windows" can have the desired effect on the MDI child windows.

To arrange child forms

1. In a method, use the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Form.LayoutMdi%2A method to set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout enumeration for the MDI parent form. The following example uses the xref:System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout.Cascade?displayProperty=nameWithType enumeration value for the child windows of the MDI parent form (Form1). The enumeration is used in code during the event handler for the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.Click event of the Cascade Windows menu item.

   Protected Sub CascadeWindows_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)  
      Me.LayoutMdi(System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout.Cascade)  
   End Sub  
   

   protected void CascadeWindows_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e){  
      this.LayoutMdi(System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout.Cascade);  
   }  
   

   Note

   You can also tile windows and arranging windows as icons by changing the xref:System.Windows.Forms.MdiLayout enumeration value used.

2. If you’re using Visual C#, place the following code in the form's constructor to register the event handler.

   this.button1.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.button1_Click);  
   

See also

• Multiple-Document Interface (MDI) Applications
• How to: Create MDI Parent Forms
• How to: Create MDI Child Forms
• How to: Determine the Active MDI Child
• How to: Send Data to the Active MDI Child