docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-use-the-modifiers-and-generatemember-properties.md

title, ms.date, dev_langs, f1_keywords, helpviewer_keywords, ms.assetid

title	ms.date	dev_langs	f1_keywords	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Use the Modifiers and GenerateMember Properties	03/30/2017	csharp vb	Designer_GenerateMember Designer_Modifiers	base forms inheritance [Windows Forms], forms inherited forms [Windows Forms], Windows Forms inherited forms form inheritance Windows Forms, inheritance	3381a5e4-e1a3-44e2-a765-a0b758937b85

How to: Use the Modifiers and GenerateMember Properties

When you place a component on a Windows Form, two properties are provided by the design environment: GenerateMember and Modifiers. The GenerateMember property specifies when the Windows Forms Designer generates a member variable for a component. The Modifiers property is the access modifier assigned to that member variable. If the value of the GenerateMember property is false, the value of the Modifiers property has no effect.

Specify whether a component is a member of the form

1. In Visual Studio, in the Windows Forms Designer, open your form.

2. Open the Toolbox, and on the form, place three xref:System.Windows.Forms.Button controls.

3. Set the GenerateMember and Modifiers properties for each xref:System.Windows.Forms.Button control according to the following table.

   Button name	GenerateMember value	Modifiers value
   button1	true	private
   button2	true	protected
   button3	false	No change

4. Build the solution.

5. In Solution Explorer, click the Show All Files button.

6. Open the Form1 node, and in the Code Editor,open the Form1.Designer.vb or Form1.Designer.cs file. This file contains the code emitted by the Windows Forms Designer.

7. Find the declarations for the three buttons. The following code example shows the differences specified by the GenerateMember and Modifiers properties.

   [!code-csharpSystem.Windows.Forms.GenerateMember#3] [!code-vbSystem.Windows.Forms.GenerateMember#3]

   [!code-csharpSystem.Windows.Forms.GenerateMember#2] [!code-vbSystem.Windows.Forms.GenerateMember#2]

Note

By default, the Windows Forms Designer assigns the private (Friend in Visual Basic) modifier to container controls like xref:System.Windows.Forms.Panel. If your base xref:System.Windows.Forms.UserControl or xref:System.Windows.Forms.Form has a container control, it will not accept new children in inherited controls and forms. The solution is to change the modifier of the base container control to protected or public.

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.Button
• Windows Forms Visual Inheritance
• Walkthrough: Demonstrating Visual Inheritance
• How to: Inherit Windows Forms