TX Text Control .NET for Windows Forms

Installing the Product

Topic

TX Text Control .NET for Windows Forms is installed on a development machine with a Windows setup. The setup puts the assemblies, the local NuGet package source, the Visual Studio toolbox items and the samples in place, so you install it before you create your first project. The steps below show which setup you need, where you get it, what it installs and how it brings an existing installation up to the latest service pack.

Choose the Setup

There are three setups for version 34.0:

SetupFileFor
Full versionTX Text Control.NET for Windows Forms 34.0 with SP5.exeLicensed developers of the Enterprise and Professional editions. Both editions use this file.
Trial versionTX Text Control.NET for Windows Forms 34.0 Trial.exeEvaluating the product. It is fully featured, free for 30 days and needs no serial number.
ExpressTX Text Control.NET for Windows Forms 34.0 Express.exeThe free Express edition for private and non-commercial use

Editions and Feature Availability compares the editions, and Licensing Overview explains what each license allows.

Download the Setup

  • Full version. The setup files in the Text Control license management portal are updated with every service pack. The owner of the Text Control account signs in, downloads the latest version and runs the installer. A developer who has a license assigned but no access to the portal receives an email with a download link for the full version.
  • Trial version. Sign in to your Text Control account, or create one, and download the trial from the download page of TX Text Control .NET for Windows Forms on textcontrol.com.
  • Express. Download it from the TX Text Control Express product page on textcontrol.com. A Text Control account is required.

Before you run the setup, check the System Requirements: Windows 10 or Windows 11 and Visual Studio for development.

Run the Setup

Run the downloaded file on your development machine. By installing TX Text Control .NET for Windows Forms, you accept its license agreement. The Express edition has its own agreement with the same rule.

The same setup is used for a new installation and for an update: if an earlier release of version 34.0 is installed, the setup updates it to the service pack it contains. Otherwise, it installs the product from scratch.

What the Setup Installs

The setup of the full version installs the following:

WhatWhereUsed for
Installation folderC:\Program Files\Text Control GmbH\TX Text Control 34.0.NET for Windows Forms, by defaultEverything below that is not listed with a folder of its own
.NET Framework assembliesThe Assembly folder of the installation folder, with the native libraries in Assembly\bin (32-bit) and Assembly\bin64 (64-bit)References in .NET Framework projects, and the files you ship with them
Local NuGet package sourceA package source named Text Control Offline Packages, in C:\Program Files (x86)\Text Control GmbH\NuGetPackagesThe TXTextControl.TextControl.WinForms.SDK package for .NET 8 or higher projects
Visual Studio integrationA toolbox tab named TX Text Control 34.0 and the designersPlacing and configuring the controls on a form
Samples%USERPROFILE%\Documents\TX Text Control 34.0.NET for Windows Forms, with a CSharp and a VB.NET folderTutorials, how-to samples and the TX Words sample applications
Resource KitA ResourceKit folder in the installation folderBuilding localized versions of the built-in texts
  • The assemblies are not in the global assembly cache. Since version 30.0, the setup no longer registers them there. A .NET Framework project references them in the Assembly folder.
  • The NuGet package is not on nuget.org. In a .NET 8 or higher project, you select Text Control Offline Packages as the package source and install the package from there. Configuring Package Sources shows how, also for projects that are built outside Visual Studio.
  • The setup is what the designers need. The package from the Text Control Private NuGet Feed is meant for build servers and CI/CD pipelines. Creating applications and working with the Visual Studio designers requires the setup on the development machine. See Visual Studio Toolbox and Designer.

The Samples

The sample folders contain C# and Visual Basic projects:

  • Tutorial\Simple: the smallest application with a TextControl.
  • Howto: focused samples such as MailMerge, Charts, Hyperlinks, MiniToolbar, Spreadsheet and XMLEditing.
  • TX Words: a set of sample applications, such as Ribbon, Reporting, Conditional Instructions, Shortcuts and User Access. The Ribbon sample combines all components in one word processor.

Install a Service Pack

A service pack is installed with the latest full setup, which is named after the service pack it contains, such as TX Text Control.NET for Windows Forms 34.0 with SP5.exe. Run it, and it updates the existing installation.

  • .NET Framework projects need no change after a service pack. The assembly version stays the same, and the setup replaces the files in the installation folder that your project references.
  • .NET 8 or higher projects reference a version of the NuGet package. After a service pack, update the package in your projects, as described in Installing and Updating Packages.
  • To find out which service pack an application uses, read the ServicePack property of the VersionInfo object that TextControl.GetVersionInfo returns, as Check the Installed Service Pack shows. The file version of an assembly changes with a service pack, but its last digit is not the service pack number: TXTextControl.dll has the file version 34.0.2702.500 in Service Packs 2 to 4 and 34.0.2703.500 in Service Pack 5.

Several major versions of TX Text Control can be installed on one machine. Moving a project from an earlier version to 34.0 is described in Upgrading from Previous Versions.

Next Steps