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Getting Started with WinForms DataEntry

Updated over 6 months ago

This tutorial demonstrates how bind RadDataEntry to business object and to a collection of objects.

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use RadDataEntry when working with NuGet packages, install the Telerik.UI.for.WinForms.AllControls package. The package target framework version may vary.

Read more about NuGet installation in the Install using NuGet Packages article.

With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WinForms has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it here.

Adding Assembly References Manually

When dragging and dropping a control from the Visual Studio (VS) Toolbox onto the Form Designer, VS automatically adds the necessary assemblies. However, if you're adding the control programmatically, you'll need to manually reference the following assemblies:

Telerik.Licensing.Runtime
Telerik.WinControls
Telerik.WinControls.UI
TelerikCommon

The Telerik UI for WinForms assemblies can be install by using one of the available installation approaches.

Defining the RadDataEntry

Binding RadDataEntry to a single object

1. Place a RadDataEntry control on a form.

WinForms RadDataEntry Getting Started Binding RadDataEntry to a single object

2. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will create a new class Employee with a couple of exposed properties

C#
private class Employee
{
    public string FirstName
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public string LastName
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public string Occupation
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public DateTime StartingDate
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public bool IsMarried
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public int Salary
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    public Gender Gender
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
}
private enum Gender
{
    Female,
    Male
}
VB.NET
Private Class Employee
    Public Property FirstName() As String
        Get
            Return m_FirstName
        End Get
        Set(value As String)
            m_FirstName = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_FirstName As String
    Public Property LastName() As String
        Get
            Return m_LastName
        End Get
        Set(value As String)
            m_LastName = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_LastName As String
    Public Property Occupation() As String
        Get
            Return m_Occupation
        End Get
        Set(value As String)
            m_Occupation = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_Occupation As String
    Public Property StartingDate() As DateTime
        Get
            Return m_StartingDate
        End Get
        Set(value As DateTime)
            m_StartingDate = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_StartingDate As DateTime
    Public Property IsMarried() As Boolean
        Get
            Return m_IsMarried
        End Get
        Set(value As Boolean)
            m_IsMarried = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_IsMarried As Boolean
    Public Property Salary() As Integer
        Get
            Return m_Salary
        End Get
        Set(value As Integer)
            m_Salary = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_Salary As Integer
    Public Property Gender() As Gender
        Get
            Return m_Gender
        End Get
        Set(value As Gender)
            m_Gender = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Private m_Gender As Gender
End Class
Private Enum Gender
    Female
    Male
End Enum

3. Once the class Employee is defined, you may use it for creating an object of this type and bind it to the RadDataEntry control:

C#
this.radDataEntry1.DataSource = new Employee() 
{ 
    FirstName = "Sarah",
    LastName = "Blake",
    Occupation = "Supplied Manager", 
    StartingDate = new DateTime(2005, 04, 12),
    IsMarried = true, 
    Salary = 3500, Gender = Gender.Female 
};
VB.NET
Me.radDataEntry1.DataSource = New Employee() With { _
  .FirstName = "Sarah", _
  .LastName = "Blake", _
  .Occupation = "Supplied Manager", _
  .StartingDate = New DateTime(2005, 4, 12), _
  .IsMarried = True, _
  .Salary = 3500, _
  .Gender = Gender.Female _
 }

4. Press F5 to run the project and you should see the following:

WinForms RadDataEntry Getting Started

In case you want to be notified for changes made on the data item, the class Employee should implement INotifyPropertyChanged Interface and raise the PropertyChanged event every time a property value changes.

Binding RadDataEntry to collection from objects

The following tutorial will demonstrate how to bind RadDataEntry to a collection of objects and navigate through it. In order to navigate through the collection we will use RadBindingNavigator. RadBindingNavigator is designed to use as data source a BindingSource component.

1. Place RadDataEntry, RadBindingNavigator and a BindingSource component on a form. Dock the navigator to Top and the data entry to Fill.

WinForms RadDataEntry RadBindingNavigator

2. Create List of business objects and set it as data source of BindingSource.

C#
List<Employee> employees = new List<Employee>();
employees.Add(new Employee() { FirstName = "Sarah", LastName = "Blake", Occupation = "Supplied Manager", StartingDate = new DateTime(2005, 04, 12), IsMarried = true, Salary = 3500, Gender = Gender.Female });
employees.Add(new Employee() { FirstName = "Jane", LastName = "Simpson", Occupation = "Security", StartingDate = new DateTime(2008, 12, 03), IsMarried = true, Salary = 2000, Gender = Gender.Female });
employees.Add(new Employee() { FirstName = "John", LastName = "Peterson", Occupation = "Consultant", StartingDate = new DateTime(2005, 04, 12), IsMarried = false, Salary = 2600, Gender = Gender.Male });
employees.Add(new Employee() { FirstName = "Peter", LastName = "Bush", Occupation = "Cashier", StartingDate = new DateTime(2005, 04, 12), IsMarried = true, Salary = 2300, Gender = Gender.Male });
this.bindingSource1.DataSource = employees;
VB.NET
Dim employees As New List(Of Employee)()
employees.Add(New Employee() With { _
 .FirstName = "Sarah", _
 .LastName = "Blake", _
 .Occupation = "Supplied Manager", _
 .StartingDate = New DateTime(2005, 4, 12), _
 .IsMarried = True, _
 .Salary = 3500, _
 .Gender = Gender.Female _
})
employees.Add(New Employee() With { _
 .FirstName = "Jane", _
 .LastName = "Simpson", _
 .Occupation = "Security", _
 .StartingDate = New DateTime(2008, 12, 3), _
 .IsMarried = True, _
 .Salary = 2000, _
 .Gender = Gender.Female _
})
employees.Add(New Employee() With { _
 .FirstName = "John", _
 .LastName = "Peterson", _
 .Occupation = "Consultant", _
 .StartingDate = New DateTime(2005, 4, 12), _
 .IsMarried = False, _
 .Salary = 2600, _
 .Gender = Gender.Male _
})
employees.Add(New Employee() With { _
  .FirstName = "Peter", _
  .LastName = "Bush", _
  .Occupation = "Cashier", _
  .StartingDate = New DateTime(2005, 4, 12), _
  .IsMarried = True, _
  .Salary = 2300, _
  .Gender = Gender.Male _
})
Me.bindingSource1.DataSource = employees

3. Set this BindingSource to RadBindingNavigator and RadDataEntry.

C#
this.radDataEntry1.DataSource = this.bindingSource1;
this.radBindingNavigator1.BindingSource = this.bindingSource1;
VB.NET
Me.radDataEntry1.DataSource = Me.bindingSource1
Me.radBindingNavigator1.BindingSource = Me.bindingSource1

4. Press F5 to run the project and you should see the following:

WinForms RadDataEntry Getting Started BindingSource

RadDataEntry allows you to set the DataSource property at design time as well, e.g. to a BindingSource that is available. Thus, the respective editors will be generated inside RadDataEntry.