Thousands of controls and short keys are used in user interfaces. User control and customs control are two different processes used to control separate things on the system. Both of them have a different set of levels and layers to cross.
Key Takeaways
- User Controls are reusable controls created by combining existing controls, while Custom Controls are controls created from scratch using code.
- User Controls are easier to create and modify, while Custom Controls offer more flexibility and customization options.
- User Controls are used within a single application, while Custom Controls can be reused across multiple applications.
User Controls vs Custom Controls
User Controls are pre-built UI components that encapsulate a set of related functionality and visual elements. Custom Controls are fully customized UI components that are built from scratch using the building blocks provided by the programming language or platform and offer greater flexibility.
User control is also a custom control, but it’s placed inside the XAML page behind the code. So we call it a static layout. We can directly access the UI element from the code behind it and do whatever operation we need to do.
We can’t create theme support for the user controls, but we can create style by invoking child class from the custom controls because user control has the collection of controls for the created theme of the UI.
A custom control is a loosely coupled control defined in a class, which derives from Control. Like buttons and redirect pages in the UI of the application. The UI is always defined inside the resource file.
Where we used to create themes for the project controls and reuse them for various projects by inheriting the existing code. You can derive various controls depending on the requirement.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | User Controls | Custom Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Coupling | User controls are tightly coupled | Custom controls are loosely coupled |
| Layout | The user control has a static layout | Custom control has a dynamic layout |
| User Interface knowledge | It does not need in-depth knowledge | In need in-depth knowledge |
| Flexible | User control is less flexible | Custom control is more flexible |
| User interface | User Interface is fixed | The user interface may change |
What is User Controls?
This UI is created with XAML and can’t be changed. It can’t have different looks in a different project. Compared to a custom control, user control will not have flexibility over the code.
Mostly we use users to control when we have fixed content or buttons in the User interface So that there will not be any changes in the further project.
The user controls are tightly coupled in the system and have a static, fixed layout. User control may not force you to get in-depth knowledge of controls.
User controls are different from custom controls and work on only a single application. You need to face maintenance problems if multiple devices are connected to the user controls.
User controls contain static data, you can fix things easily with the static data, and it does not need any new design to write. User controls are best suited for a fixed layout.
Compared to customs controls, user controls will maintain good ethics for complex controls and do not need complex duties.
User controls are nothing but control to maintain the web pages of ASP.NET. It is a registered web page. Users need to install additional user controls to share their applications or use multiple applications.
You can easily make up the user controls, but it is complex to use and maintain. Comparatively, user control has high maintenance and complex things.
What is Custom Controls?
Custom Controls are compiled into a DLL assembly and can be reused. We get all control over the code, which enhances the flexibility to extend the behavior of the code.
They are majorly used in a single application, where there will be no change on both UI, and the controls can be used again and again. We can define it in a custom control when we have to change different looks for different projects.
To build Windows applications and ASP.NET, the custom controls are used as a concept. The custom client control works behind them as simple programming techniques. It is a generic term. It also included user controls.
It provides basic applications to build things, Which makes the custom control more flexible than user controls. System.Web. UI.WebControl can be the frame class of ASP.NET to provide all the types of control classes by custom controls.
Depending on the need of the system, the custom controls can be customized. Custom control does not have an additional toolbox and works as a single control in the entire system.
Custom controls need in-depth knowledge of the User Interface. The knowledge will help to work effectively with the custom controls.
Main Differences Between User Controls and Custom Controls
- A user control can not be added to the toolbox, whereas a custom control can be added to the toolbox.
- The user control is nothing but a set of controls, whereas a custom control is a single control.
- User control does not need in-depth knowledge of the user interface, whereas custom control needs in-depth knowledge of the UI.
- When compared to a custom control, user control is not more flexible.
- The layout used in user control is static, whereas the layout used in custom control is dynamic.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.2002.10673674
- https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/nwteintp11§ion=20
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The article’s structure is clear, the presented information is very well organized and easy to understand
One of the best articles I’ve read on the topic! The explanation of the main differences between User Controls and Custom Controls is very clear and informative.
I completely agree this article is very instructive and well-organized
I do not share the same opinion, I think the definitions of user and custom control are confusing
Excellent article!! As someone with a deep knowledge of programming, I found this comparison very well done and a valuable summary for anyone looking to understand the differences between the two kinds of control!
Yes, this article is a very comprehensive source of knowledge, I found it very helpful
I have to disagree, I found this overly simplistic and missing key elements that should be considered in this kind of comparison
I have to admit that this article lacks depth in the comparison between user controls and custom controls, and I expected a more in-depth analysis of the topic
I disagree Keith, I think the article provides a comprehensive view of user and custom controls
This article provides a complete view of user controls and custom controls, I appreciate its technical depth.
I found the article very informative and useful