You drop a standard .NET ListView onto a form, and soon you're fighting flicker, awkward checkboxes, one image per row and drag and drop that doesn't behave like Windows Explorer. Better ListView from Component Owl is a WinForms control built to remove those problems.
Quick facts
- Version: 3.15
- Platforms: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000, 32-bit and 64-bit
- Works with: .NET 2 and newer, including the Client Profile, in C#, VB.NET and managed C++
- Price: $345 for a single developer license with 1 year subscription
- Trial: a free trial with sample projects
- Deployment: a single DLL, royalty-free, about 250kB compressed
Key features
Tree-like hierarchical items with drag and drop reordering
You can build hierarchical items and reorder them by dragging. An insertion mark shows where the item will land, and the list auto-scrolls while you drag.
Images on every sub-item, in column headers, and in any size
The regular control gives you one image per item. Here every sub-item can have an image. Column headers can show images too. You can use any image size, with automatic resizing that keeps the aspect ratio. A thumbnails view shows large images, with optional shadows and borders.
Checkboxes in every view, including three-state
Checkboxes work in all view modes, not just Details. Three-state checkboxes are supported. You can hide the checkbox on specific items.
Sorting by several columns with no code
Shift+click a second or third column header to add it to the sort. Inbuilt and natural sorting work out of the box, so you don't have to write your own comparer.
Flicker-free drawing that follows the Windows theme
The control is double-buffered and uses the current system theme, including Aero. Owner drawing works for the background, items and column headers, and it still works under Aero.
Save and load contents in one line
You can save or load the whole list to a file or string with XML or binary serialization.
Inline editing, tooltips and find-as-you-type
Built-in editing covers text, combobox and date picker, and you can embed your own control. Tooltips can attach to items, sub-items, checkboxes, images and headers. Search-by-typing supports prefix and substring modes, with options such as case sensitivity and whole words.
Other features include multi-line items, a background image, grouping with collapsible headers, context menus for headers, items and empty space, data-binding, and a detailed hit test.
Who it's for
It suits .NET WinForms developers who already know the standard ListView and want more from it without much learning. The classes and properties are kept close to the regular control. It also suits teams that need a tree-like list, image-heavy views or editable sub-items in a desktop app.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Written in pure managed C# and doesn't inherit from the regular ListView.
- Single DLL, royalty-free deployment.
- Native look through the system theme.
- A long list of features beyond the stock control.
- A free trial that includes sample projects.
Cons
- The license is a developer purchase starting at $345, which is a lot if you only need one small fix.
- It's for WinForms only, not WPF or the web.
- Source code costs more: the cheapest source-code option is a site license at a higher tier.
What users say
"Better List View is awesome." (Daniel N, quoted on the Component Owl site)
FAQs
Does it replace the standard ListView directly?
It's designed as a replacement and mirrors the regular control's classes and properties. It doesn't inherit from it, so expect to swap the control and check your code.
Which languages can I use?
C#, VB.NET, managed C++ and other CLI languages, with designer support in Visual Studio.
Is there a free version?
There's a free trial with sample projects. A separate free edition called Better ListView Express has fewer features.
What does the license include?
The single developer license comes with a 1 year subscription. Five-developer, site, and source-code licenses are also sold.
Does it work with 64-bit Windows?
Yes. It runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
System requirements
- Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, 2003, XP or 2000, 32-bit or 64-bit
- .NET Framework 2 or newer, including the Client Profile
- Visual Studio for designer support