Change the Application Skin

• Aug 18, 2023
• 2 minutes to read

This document describes how to use a DevExpress skin in a WinForms reporting application.

Apply a DevExpress Skin to a Reporting Application

You can use a DevExpress skin if the form that contains the Report Designer or Document Viewer inherites from a DevExpress form:

Control on the Form	The Form’s Base Class
RibbonReportDesigner	RibbonForm
StandardReportDesigner	XtraForm
DocumentViewer	XtraForm

Change your form’s base class appropriately.

C#

using DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon;

//...

public partial class Form1 : RibbonForm {

    //...

}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon

'...

Partial Public Class Form1

    Inherits RibbonForm

    '...

End Class

Right-click your project in the Solution Explorer and select DevExpress Project Settings. This invokes the Project Settings Page that allows you to specify global settings and the skin.

The following image illustrates a RibbonForm that contains an End-User Report Designer with the Office 2016 Black skin applied:

Use DevExpress Open/Save Skinned Dialogs

The code below demonstrates how to use DevExpress Open/Save dialogs in the End-User Report Designer and Print Preview. These dialogs apply the application’s skin.

C#

using DevExpress.XtraEditors;
//...
static void Main() {
    //...
    //Enable this option
    WindowsFormsSettings.UseDXDialogs =  DevExpress.Utils.DefaultBoolean.True;

    Application.Run(new Form1());
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.XtraEditors
'...
Shared Sub Main()
    '...
    'Enable this option
    WindowsFormsSettings.UseDXDialogs = DevExpress.Utils.DefaultBoolean.True

    Application.Run(New Form1())
End Sub