Showing a Windows form on a secondary monitor?

Question

I'm trying to set a Windows Form on secondary monitor, as follows:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    MatrixView n = new MatrixView();
    Screen[] screens = Screen.AllScreens;
    setFormLocation(n, screens[1]);
    n.Show();
}

private void setFormLocation(Form form, Screen screen)
{
    // first method
    Rectangle bounds = screen.Bounds;
    form.SetBounds(bounds.X, bounds.Y, bounds.Width, bounds.Height);

    // second method
    //Point location = screen.Bounds.Location;
    //Size size = screen.Bounds.Size;

    //form.Left = location.X;
    //form.Top = location.Y;
    //form.Width = size.Width;
    //form.Height = size.Height;
}

The properties of bounds seem correct, but in both methods I've tried, this maximizes the form on the primary monitor. Any ideas?

Cotto

Just to be sure, the WindowState on MatrixView isn't Maximized, is it? – Cangue

@Austin No, the WindowState is Normal. – Cotto

Answer 1

Try setting StartPosition parameter as FormStartPosition.Manual inside your SetFormLocation method.

Margetmargette

Yeah, doing form.StartPosition = FormStartPosition.Manual; did the trick. Any idea why? – Cotto

@Henk No, it's Windows Forms. Here's a link to it: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/… – Cotto

From MSDN: "Setting WindowStartupLocation to Manual causes a window to be positioned according to its Left and Top property values. If either the Left or Top properties aren't specified, their values are determined by Windows." msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/… – Margetmargette

where is WindowStartUpLocation? I can't find it – Shedevil

If your form is maximized you have firstly to set this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal; and then move form to other screen – Sanitary

is it possible to force resolution to 4: 3? – Billiot

Answer 2

this.Location = Screen.AllScreens[1].WorkingArea.Location;

this is the Form reference.

Mullin

However it seems that it is ordered by some other criteria than Window's monitor configuration. My primary for example was at position [1] while my second monitor was at [0]. – Companionate

will not work if you set location where from you creating form instance. like works on form load – Kooima

Answer 3

@Gengi's answer is succinct and works well. If the window is maximised it does not move the window. This snippet solves that (although I suspect the windows "normal" dimensions must be smaller than the new screen dimensions for this to work):

    void showOnScreen(int screenNumber)
    {
        Screen[] screens = Screen.AllScreens;

        if (screenNumber >= 0 && screenNumber < screens.Length)
        {
            bool maximised = false;
            if (WindowState == FormWindowState.Maximized)
            {
                WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal;
                maximised = true;
            }
            Location = screens[screenNumber].WorkingArea.Location;
            if (maximised)
            {
                WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized;
            }
        }
    }

Odontology

Answer 4

Are you sure screens[1] is your secondary? Give screens[0] a try. Your code is basically correct.

---

Ok, I checked, you will have to do it after the Show():

n.Show();
setFormLocation(n, screens[1]);

which gives some unwanted flicker. But you can probably do:

n.SetBounds(-100, -100, 10, 10);  // or similar
n.Show();
setFormLocation(n, screens[1]);

Cagey

Relatively sure - using screens[0] and screens[1] give the same result. – Cotto

Answer 5

To display form on secondary screen:

    Screen primaryFormScreen = Screen.FromControl(primaryForm);
    //Use this if you are looking for secondary screen that is not primary
    Screen secondaryFormScreen = Screen.AllScreens.FirstOrDefault(s => !s.Primary) ?? primaryFormScreen;
    //Use this if you are looking for screen that is not being used by specific form
    Screen secondaryFormScreen = Screen.AllScreens.FirstOrDefault(s => !s.Equals(primaryFormScreen)) ?? primaryFormScreen;
    //Putting the form on the other screen
    secondaryForm.Left = secondaryFormScreen.Bounds.Width;
    secondaryForm.Top = secondaryFormScreen.Bounds.Height;
    //Recommended to use, You can change it back later to the settings you wish
    secondaryForm.StartPosition = FormStartPosition.Manual;
    secondaryForm.Location = secondaryFormScreen.Bounds.Location;
    Point p = new Point(secondaryFormScreen.Bounds.Location.X, secondaryFormScreen.Bounds.Location.Y);
    secondaryForm.Location = p;
    secondaryForm.Show();

If you are looking forward for a specific screen, you can loop on "Screen.AllScreens" and use the process above.

Saransk

What is secondaryForm and where is it declared in your or OP's code? – Isochroous

secondaryForm is a Form type of object where i set it's location to be within the secondaryFormScreen bounds. It doesn't have to be Form depending on what you are using, you can set similar bounds the same way i did to the form to allocate within the other screen – Saransk

Answer 6

I used this for an XNA 4 Dual Screen Application (Full Screen XNA Game Window + WinForm)

In the Form_Load() method, place the following code:

var primaryDisplay = Screen.AllScreens.ElementAtOrDefault(0);  
var extendedDisplay = Screen.AllScreens.FirstOrDefault(s => s != primaryDisplay) ?? primaryDisplay;

this.Left = extendedDisplay.WorkingArea.Left + (extendedDisplay.Bounds.Size.Width / 2) - (this.Size.Width / 2);
this.Top = extendedDisplay.WorkingArea.Top + (extendedDisplay.Bounds.Size.Height / 2) - (this.Size.Height / 2);

Diaconal

I know I'm late on this, but for anyone else looking at this. Primary display is NOT always element 0 in the list, so this doesn't reliably get the primary display. However this did lead me to the solution using the Primary property of Screen. var primaryMonitor = Screen.AllScreens.Where(s => s.Primary).FirstOrDefault(); var secondaryScreens = Screen.AllScreens.Where(s => !s.Primary).ToList(); – Tver

Answer 7

Set form Startup Position property to Manual

    public void MoveWindowToProjector ()  
    { 
           Rectangle rectMonitor;

            // Create New Process
            Process objProcess = new Process();

            //Get All the screens associated with this Monitor
            Screen[] screens = Screen.AllScreens;

            // Get Monitor Count
            int iMonitorCount = Screen.AllScreens.Length;

            // Get Parameters of Current Project
            string[] parametros = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();
           // if (parametros.Length > 0)
           // {
                //objProcess.StartInfo.FileName = parametros[0];
               // objProcess.Start();
          //  }
            // Get Window Handle of this Form
            IntPtr hWnd = this.Handle;

            Thread.Sleep(1000);


            if (IsProjectorMode)
            {
                if (iMonitorCount > 1) // If monitor Count 2 or more
                {
                    //Get the Dimension of the monitor
                    rectMonitor = Screen.AllScreens[1].WorkingArea;
                }
                else
                {
                    //Get the Dimension of the monitor
                    rectMonitor = Screen.AllScreens[0].WorkingArea;
                }

            }
            else
            {
                rectMonitor = Screen.AllScreens[0].WorkingArea;

            }
            if (hWnd != IntPtr.Zero)
            {
                SetWindowPos(hWnd, 0,
                    rectMonitor.Left, rectMonitor.Top, rectMonitor.Width,
                    rectMonitor.Height, SWP_SHOWWINDOW);
            }

        }

Onepiece

Answer 8

This method shows forms on selected screen from left to right:

void ShowFormsOnScreenLeftToRight(Screen screen, params Form[] forms)
    {
        if (forms == null || forms.Length == 0)
            return;

        var formsCnt = forms.Length;
        var formSize = new Size(screen.WorkingArea.Size.Width / formsCnt, screen.WorkingArea.Size.Height);
        for (var i = 0; i < formsCnt; i++)
        {
            var form = forms[i];
            if (form == null)
                continue;
            form.WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal;
            form.Location = new Point(screen.WorkingArea.Left + screen.WorkingArea.Size.Width / formsCnt * i, 0);
            form.Size = formSize;
            form.BringToFront();
        }
    }

To solve your problem, you should run:

ShowFormsOnScreenLeftToRight(n, Screen.AllScreens.First(s => !s.Primary));

Marks

Answer 9

  Screen[] screens = Screen.AllScreens;
                sc aoc = new sc();
                aoc.Show();
    aoc.Location = Screen.AllScreens[INDEX OF YOUR AVAILABLE SCREENS TARGET].WorkingArea.Location;

FOR MAXIMIZED WINDOW STATE

aoc.WindowState = FormWindowState.Maximized;

FOR ANY X,Y POSITION

aoc.Location = new Point(TARGET X POSITION, TARGET Y POSITION);

Gypsy

Doesnt work for me, it just puts it on my primary monitor nomatter what – Loveinamist