docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-set-tab-stops-in-drawn-text.md

title, ms.date, dev_langs, helpviewer_keywords, ms.assetid

title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Set Tab Stops in Drawn Text	03/30/2017	csharp vb	text [Windows Forms], drawing with tab stops tabs [Windows Forms], drawn text	64878f98-39ba-4303-b63f-0859ab682eeb

How to: Set Tab Stops in Drawn Text

You can set tab stops for text by calling the xref:System.Drawing.StringFormat.SetTabStops%2A method of a xref:System.Drawing.StringFormat object and then passing that xref:System.Drawing.StringFormat object to the xref:System.Drawing.Graphics.DrawString%2A method of the xref:System.Drawing.Graphics class.

Note

The xref:System.Windows.Forms.TextRenderer?displayProperty=nameWithType does not support adding tab stops to drawn text, although you can expand existing tab stops using the xref:System.Windows.Forms.TextFormatFlags.ExpandTabs?displayProperty=nameWithType flag.

Example

The following example sets tab stops at 150, 250, and 350. Then, the code displays a tabbed list of names and test scores.

The following illustration shows the tabbed text:

The following code passes two arguments to the xref:System.Drawing.StringFormat.SetTabStops%2A method. The second argument is an array that contains tab offsets. The first argument passed to xref:System.Drawing.StringFormat.SetTabStops%2A is 0, which indicates that the first offset in the array is measured from position 0, the left edge of the bounding rectangle.

[!code-csharpSystem.Drawing.FontsAndText#41] [!code-vbSystem.Drawing.FontsAndText#41]

Compiling the Code

• The preceding example is designed for use with Windows Forms, and it requires xref:System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs e, which is a parameter of xref:System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventHandler.

See also

• Using Fonts and Text
• How to: Draw Text with GDI