How Can Double Buffering and WS_EX_COMPOSITED Eliminate Paint Artifacts in WinForms?

Smooth WinForms Rendering: Conquering Paint Artifacts with Double Buffering

Double buffering is crucial for creating visually smooth WinForms applications. However, enabling it at the form level alone might not fully prevent frustrating paint artifacts.

For optimal results, apply double buffering to both the form and its child controls. This is where the WS_EX_COMPOSITED style flag proves invaluable. Add the following code to your form's CreateParams property to enable this style:

<code class="language-csharp">protected override CreateParams CreateParams {
  get {
    CreateParams cp = base.CreateParams;
    cp.ExStyle |= 0x02000000;  // Enable WS_EX_COMPOSITED
    return cp;
  }
}</code>

While this doesn't speed up painting, it dramatically minimizes rendering delays. WS_EX_COMPOSITED ensures a smoother on-screen appearance after a short delay, effectively hiding paint artifacts.

For completely artifact-free rendering and eliminating all delays, consider replacing standard controls with custom drawing within the OnPaint method. This bypasses the inherent delays often associated with traditional controls.

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