How to Paint a little square over the X close button on a TabPage.

Question

How can we get C# (VS10) to display a little square on a TabPage close button when the user mouses over the tab on that TabPage.
Examples include that tab pages in Visual Studio. When we mouse-over the X in the upper right corner of any tab, a little square is painted over the X.
How can we do something similar in our programs using C#?
I’m using the following code to display an X in the upper right corner of the tab on a TabPage. This now only needs the ability to paint a square over the X when the user mouses over the X.
// Using statements.
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;
// Accomplished during initialization.
mTabControlMain.DrawMode = TabDrawMode.OwnerDawFixed;
mTabControlMain.DrawItem += new DrawItemEventHandler(TabControlMain_DrawItem);
mTabControlMain.MouseDown += new MouseEventHandler(TabControlMain_MouseDown);
//  Accomplished when creating a new tab page.
TabPage newTabPage = new TabPage(“List “ + (mTabConrolMain.TabCount-1).ToString() + “    “;
newTabPage.TooTipText = “Close”;
mTabControlMain.TabPages.Insert(mTabControlMain.TabPages.Count - 1, newTabPage);
// Called when the tab page needs to be drawn/re-drawn.
private void TabControlMain_DrawItem(object sender, DrawItemEventArgs e)
    TabControl tabControl = (TabControl)sender;
    Font font = new Font(e.Font, FontStyle.Bold);
    if(e.Index >= tabControl.TabCount)
        return;
    Rectangle rect = tabControl.GetTabRect(e.Index);
    e.Graphics.DrawString(“X”, font, Brushes.SlateGray, e.Bounds.Right-15, e.Bounds.Top+4);
    e.Graphics.DrawString(mTabControlMain.TabPages[e.Index].Text, font, Brushes.Black, e.Bounds.Left), e.Bounds.Top+4);
// Called when the user clicks the mouse button on a tab page.
private void TabControlMain_MouseDown(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
    for(int i=0; i<mTabControlMain.TabPages.Count; i++)
        Rectangle rect = mTabControlMain.GetTabRect(0);
        Rectangle closeButton = new Rectangle(rect.Right-15, rect.Top+4, 9, 7);
        if(closeButton.Contains(e.Location)
            mTabConrolMain.TabPages.RemoveAt(i);
            break;
Ideas?
Thanks  :-)
-Mike

Answer 1

You mean like windows 7 behaviour where the red area appears behind a white X as you mouse over?
I would do that by putting the X in a button.
You then have something concrete there to work with.
Change the background color on mouseenter and again on mouseleave.
Otherwise you'd have to work out whether the mouse was over that X you drew on there.  And I think that'd be difficult.
Or am I missing something?
Why are you using Drawstring to draw an X on there?
By the way, you should really be asking windows forms questions in the windows forms forum.
It's in your interest as you ought to get more windows forms developers hang out there.
In theory anyhow.
Hope that helps.
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