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Preparation Guide for Exam 70-526

TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Windows-Based Client Development

Updated: May 2, 2008
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Exam newsExam news
Audience profileAudience profile
Credit toward certificationCredit toward certification
Code languagesCode languages
Preparation tools and resourcesPreparation tools and resources
Skills measuredSkills measured

Exam news

This Technology Specialist (TS) exam, Exam 70-526: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Windows-Based Client Development, became available on April 4, 2006.

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Audience profile

Candidates for this exam work on a team in a medium-sized or large development environment that uses Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Developer or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Candidates should have at least one year of experience developing Windows-based applications by using the Microsoft .NET Framework. Candidates should have a working knowledge of Visual Studio 2005.

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Credit toward certification

When you pass Exam 70-526: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Windows-Based Client Development, you earn credit toward the following certification:

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Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Applications

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Code languages

When the exam begins, you can choose the programming language in which the code segments will appear. The available code languages for this exam are:

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Microsoft Visual Basic 2005

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Microsoft Visual C# 2005

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Microsoft Visual C++ 2005

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Preparation tools and resources

To help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills measured" section.

Classroom trainingMicrosoft E-LearningMicrosoft Press booksPractice tests

Workshop 2546: Core Windows Forms Technologies with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (three days)

Workshop 2547: Advanced Windows Forms Technologies with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (two days)

Workshop 2541: Core Data Access with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (three days)

Workshop 2542: Advanced Data Access with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (two days)

Collection 2546: Core Windows Client Development with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (18 hours)

Collection 2547: Advanced Windows Client Development with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (12 hours)

Collection 2541: Core Data Access Development with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (18 hours)

Collection 2542: Advanced Data Access Development with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (12 hours)

MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-526): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Windows-Based Client Development (ISBN: 9780735623330)

Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005: The Language (ISBN: 9780735621817)

Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language (ISBN: 9780735621831)

Programming Microsoft ADO.NET 2.0 Core Reference (ISBN: 9780735622067)

MeasureUp (Measureup.com)

Self Test Software (Selftestsoftware.com)

Microsoft online resources

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Learning Plan: Get started by creating a step-by-step study guide that is based on recommended resources for this exam.

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Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.

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TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.

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MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.

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Skills measured

This exam measures your ability to develop and implement Windows-based applications by using the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. Before taking the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills listed in the following table. The table shows the Official Microsoft Learning Products that may help you reach competency in the skills being tested in the exam.

KEY:The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work. = The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.    The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work. = The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.    The course includes material to prepare you for this task. = The course includes material to prepare you for this task.
Skills measured by Exam 70-526Workshop 2546Workshop 2547Workshop 2541Workshop 2542
Creating a UI for a Windows Forms application by using standard controls     

Add and configure a Windows Form.

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Add a Windows Form to a project at design time.

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Configure a Windows Form to control accessibility, appearance, behavior, configuration, data, design, focus, layout, style, and other functionality.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.




Manage control layout on a Windows Form.

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Group and arrange controls by using the Panel control, GroupBox control, TabControl control, FlowLayoutPanel control, and TableLayoutPanel control.

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Use the SplitContainer control to create dynamic container areas.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.




Add and configure a Windows Forms control.

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Use the integrated development environment (IDE) to add a control to a Windows Form or other container control of a project at design time.

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Add controls to a Windows Form at run time.

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Configure controls on a Windows Form at design time to optimize the UI.

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Modify control properties.

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Configure controls on a Windows Form at run time to ensure that the UI complies with best practices.

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Create and configure command controls on a Windows Form.

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Create and configure text edit controls on a Windows Form.

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Create and configure text display controls on a Windows Form.

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Use the LinkLabel control to add Web-style links to Windows Forms applications.

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Provide a list of options on a Windows Form by using a ListBox control, a ComboBox control, or a CheckedListBox control.

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Configure the layout and functionality of a Windows Form to display a list of items.

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Implement value-setting controls on a Windows Form.

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Configure a WebBrowser control.

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Add and configure date-setting controls on a Windows Form.

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Display images by using Windows Forms controls.

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Configure the NotifyIcon component.

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Create access keys for Windows Forms controls.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Create and configure menus.

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Create and configure a MenuStrip component on a Windows Form.

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Change the displayed menu structure programmatically.

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Create and configure the ContextMenuStrip component on a Windows Form.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Create event handlers for Windows Forms and controls.

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Use the Windows Forms Designer to create event handlers.

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Manage mouse and keyboard events within Windows Forms applications.

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Program a Windows Forms application to recognize modifier keys.

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Use the Windows Forms Designer to create default event handlers.

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Create event handlers at run time to respond to system or user events dynamically.

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Connect multiple events to a single event handler.

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Use the Code Editor to override methods defined in the base class.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.




Integrating data in a Windows Forms application     

Implement data-bound controls.

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Use the DataGridView control to display and update the tabular data contained in a data source.

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Use a simple data-bound control to display a single data element on a Windows Form.

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Implement complex data binding to integrate data from multiple sources.

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Navigate forward and backward through records in a DataSet in Windows Forms.

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Define a data source by using a DataConnector component.

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Create data forms by using the Data Source Configuration Wizard.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Manage connections and transactions.

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Configure a connection to a database by using the Connection Wizard.

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Configure a connection to a database by using Server Explorer.

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Configure a connection to a database by using the Connection class.

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Connect to a database by using specific database Connection objects.

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Enumerate through instances of Microsoft SQL Server.

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Open an ADO.NET connection to a database.

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Close an ADO.NET connection to a database by using the Close method of the Connection object.

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Protect access to data source connection details.

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Create a connection designed for reuse in a connection pool.

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Control a connection pool by configuring ConnectionString values based on database type.

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Use the Connection events to detect database information.

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Handle exceptions when connecting to a database.

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Perform transactions by using the Transaction object.



The course includes material to prepare you for this task.


Create, add, delete, and edit data in a connected environment.

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Retrieve data by using a DataReader object.

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Build SQL commands in Server Explorer.

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Build SQL commands in code.

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Create parameters for a Command object.

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Perform database operations by using a Command object.

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Retrieve data from a database by using a Command object.

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Perform asynchronous operations by using a Command object.

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Perform bulk copy operations.

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Store and retrieve binary large object (BLOB) data types in a database.



The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Create, add, delete, and edit data in a disconnected environment.

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Create a DataSet graphically.

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Create a DataSet programmatically.

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Add a DataTable to a DataSet.

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Add a relationship between tables within a DataSet.

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Navigate a relationship between tables.

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Merge DataSet contents.

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Copy DataSet contents.

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Create a typed DataSet.

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Create DataTables.

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Manage data within a DataTable.

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Create and use DataViews.

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Represent data in a DataSet by using XML.

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Use the OleDbDataAdapter object to access an ADO Recordset or Record.

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Generate DataAdapter commands automatically by using the CommandBuilder object.

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Generate DataAdapter commands programmatically.

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Populate a DataSet by using a DataAdapter.

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Update a database by using a DataAdapter.

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Resolve conflicts between a DataSet and a database by using a DataAdapter.

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Respond to changes made to data at the data source by using DataAdapter events.

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Perform batch operations by using DataAdapters.



The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

Manage XML with the XML Document Object Model (DOM).

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Read XML data into the DOM.

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Modify an XML document by adding and removing nodes.

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Modify nodes within an XML document.

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Write data in XML format from the DOM.

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Work with nodes in the XML DOM.

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Handle DOM events.

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Modify the XML declaration.



The course includes material to prepare you for this task.


Read, write, and validate XML by using the XmlReader class and the XmlWriter class.

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Read XML data by using the XmlReader class.

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Read all XML element and attribute content.

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Read specific element and attribute content.

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Read XML data by using the XmlTextReader class.

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Read node trees by using the XmlNodeReader class.

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Validate XML data by using the XmlValidatingReader class.

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Write XML data by using the XmlWriter class.



The course includes material to prepare you for this task.


Implementing printing and reporting functionality in a Windows Forms application     

Manage the print process by using print dialogs.

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Configure Windows Forms print options at run time.

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Change the printers attached to a user's computer in Windows Forms.

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Configure the PrintPreviewDialog control.

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Display a Print Preview window in Windows applications.

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Set page details for printing by using the PageSetupDialog component.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.




Construct print documents.

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Configure the PrintDocument component.

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Print a text document in a Windows Form.

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Print graphics in a Windows Form.

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Print a document by using the PrintDialog component.

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Alert users to the completion of a print job.

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Enable security for printing in Windows Forms.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Create a customized PrintPreview component.

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Set the Document property to establish the document to be previewed.

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Set the Columns and Rows properties to establish the number of pages that will be displayed horizontally and vertically on the control.

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Set the UseAntiAlias property to True to make the text appear smoother.

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Set the Zoom property to establish the relative zoom level when the document preview appears.

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Set the StartPage property to establish which document page is displayed when the document preview appears.

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Set additional properties.

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Add custom methods and events to a PrintPreviewControl.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Enhancing usability     

Perform drag-and-drop operations.

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Perform drag-and-drop operations within a Windows Forms application.

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Perform drag-and-drop operations between applications.

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Perform a drag-and-drop operation by using a TreeView control.


The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Implement globalization and localization for a Windows Forms application.

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Implement globalization and localization within a Windows Forms application.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.




Implement accessibility features.

•

Implement accessibility features within a Windows Forms application.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.




Create and configure multiple-document interface (MDI) forms.

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Create MDI parent forms.

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Create MDI child forms.

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Identify the active MDI child form.

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Send data to the active MDI child form.

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Arrange MDI child forms.

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Create a window-list menu for an MDI application.


The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Create, configure, and customize user assistance controls and components.

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Configure the PropertyGrid component.

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Configure the ProgressBar control to indicate progress graphically.

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Display status information by using the StatusStrip control.

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Configure the ToolTip component.

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Configure the ErrorProvider component.

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Configure the HelpProvider component.

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Play system sounds and audio files by using the SoundPlayer.

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Configure the Timer component to raise an event at regular intervals.

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Enable scrolling by using the HScrollBar and VScrollBar controls.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Persist Windows Forms application settings between sessions.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course provides a general introductory overview of this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Implementing asynchronous programming techniques to improve the user experience     

Manage a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

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Run a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

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Announce the completion of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

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Cancel a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

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Report the progress of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

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Request the status of a background process by using the BackgroundWorker component.

The course includes material to prepare you for this task.




Implement an asynchronous method.

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Implement advanced asynchronous techniques.

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Create an asynchronous method.

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Create a new process thread.


The course includes material to prepare you for this task.



Developing Windows Forms controls     

Create a composite Windows Forms control.

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Create a composite Windows Forms control.

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Create properties, methods, and events for Windows Forms controls.

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Expose properties of constituent controls.

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Create and use custom dialog boxes in Windows Forms applications.

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Customize a control to paint and render.

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Configure a control to be invisible at run time.

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Configure a control to have a transparent background.

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Provide a Toolbox bitmap for a control.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Create a custom Windows Forms control by inheriting from the control class.

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Create a custom control by inheriting from the control class.


The course includes material to prepare you for this task.



Create an extended control by inheriting from an existing Windows Forms control.

•

Create an extended control by inheriting from an existing Windows Forms control.


The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.



Configuring and deploying applications     

Configure the installation of a Windows Forms application by using ClickOnce technology.

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Install a Windows Forms application on a client computer by using ClickOnce deployment.

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Install a Windows Forms application from a server by using ClickOnce deployment.

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Configure the required permissions of an application by using ClickOnce deployment.

The course includes some material to prepare you for this task. You will need to supplement the course with additional work.




Create a Windows Forms setup application.

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Create a Windows Forms application setup project.

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Set deployment project properties.

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Configure a setup project to add icons during setup.

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Configure conditional installation based on operating system versions.

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Configure a setup project to deploy the .NET Framework.





Add functionality to a Windows Forms setup application.

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Add a custom action to a setup project.

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Add error-handling code to a setup project for custom actions.





Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.
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