π‘ Overview
The Wise Component Library (WCL) is a powerful and extensive toolkit for .NET WinForms developers. Inspired by the visual and functional paradigms of Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, and Windows XP, WCL delivers a comprehensive suite of high-performance controls, extensible components, and system-level librariesβall in a unified, design-time-friendly framework.
Whether youβre building a new desktop app or modernizing legacy software, WCL enables rapid development with polished, professional results.
ποΈ WCL Bars Suite
Modern toolbars and menus with rich styling:
- Command Bars & Context Menus β Seamlessly integrate menus and toolbars with Office-style rendering
- List Bar β Outlook-style vertical navigation bar with drag-and-drop support
- Status Bar β Extensible status bar with progress panels and custom rendering
- View Bar β Multi-view navigation panel similar to Outlook 2003
- Renderer Support β Office 2003, Office XP, Windows XP themes plus custom renderer support
π§© WCL Component Suite
Utility components that enhance productivity and functionality:
- Computer Browser Form β Browse network computers on the LAN
- Flags Editor β Design-time editor for [Flags] enumerations
- Image Store β Embed images with transparency directly in RESX
- Extended Notify Icon β Enhanced system tray icon with balloon support
- MSN-Style Taskbar Notifier β Skinned popup notifications
- High Resolution Timer β Use performance counters for precise timing
- Menu Item Image Extender β Add images to standard Windows Forms menu items
- Status Message Extender β Display contextual messages in the status bar at runtime
π§± WCL Controls Suite
Sophisticated WinForms controls with intuitive behaviors:
- Control List β Custom list control allowing full UI flexibility
- Auto-Complete Text Box β Text input with MRU auto-complete
- Balloon Tips β Anchored tooltips for any control
- Color Picker Button β Inline button that launches a color selection dialog
- Extended Combo Box β Combo box with history, recent documents, and images
- Desktop Alert β Outlook-style toast notifications
- Drop-Down Tree View β Tree view embedded in a combo box
- Graph Control β Bar, line, and pie charting in one unified control
- Masked Text Box β Validated input for dates, IPs, SSNs, etc.
- Skinned Panel β Themed container for skinned tabs or panels
- XP Style Button β Button with system styling, images, and smooth hover transitions
π§ WCL Docking Suite
Advanced layout and window management tools:
- Dock Container β Full-featured Visual Studioβstyle docking system with layout persistence
- MDI Tabbed Groups β Tabbed multi-document interface with horizontal/vertical group support
- Tab Control β Standalone tab control with custom themes and docking integration
π WCL Task Pane Suite
Recreate the Windows XPβstyle Explorer bar experience:
- Task Pane Interface β Common task-oriented layout seen in Windows Explorer
- Theme Support β Automatically uses Windows colors or lets you define your own color schemes
π§Ύ WCL Reusable Forms
Reusable base forms to standardize application UX:
- Dialog Box β Pre-styled modal dialog with OK/Cancel buttons and taskbar exclusion
- Popup Form β Lightweight transient window for tooltips or popup editors
- Wizard Form β Guided multi-step form ideal for installers or wizards
π οΈ WCL Utility Library
Helpful back-end classes and wrappers:
- Collection With Events β Observable collection with change events
- FTP Library β Upload/download files via FTP with ease
- MAPI Library β Send and receive emails using native Windows MAPI
- UXTheme Wrapper β Access and use Windows XP theme APIs
- WNet Wrapper β Enumerate all network computers with a single call
- Misc Utilities β A set of tools to simplify or work around .NET quirks
𧬠WCL Win32 Wrapper
The industryβs most extensive and accurate Win32 API wrapper for .NET:
- 1600+ Pre-declared APIs β One of the largest Win32 interop collections for .NET
- Fully Verified β Each declaration is tested and error-free
- Developer-Friendly β No need for manual P/Invoke declarations or signature guesswork
- Consistent & Safe β Reduces bugs and ensures reliable interop with native Windows APIs
π Why Choose WCL?
- π¨ Modern & Legacy Themes β Seamlessly match the look of Office, XP, or your own UI
- π§± Modular Architecture β Use only what you need, without bloat
- π§© Extendable Design β Easily extend or skin any part of WCL
- π§ͺ Field-Tested β Proven in production-grade Windows desktop apps

π Get Started with WCL Today
Whether youβre building enterprise software, desktop utilities, or custom tools, the Wise Component Library is your all-in-one solution for creating polished, intuitive, and powerful Windows Forms applications.