Listview background drawing problem C# Winform

Question

I have a little problem with a Listview.

I can load it with listview items fine, but when I set the background color it doesn't draw the color all the way to the left side of the row [The listViewItems are loaded with ListViewSubItems to make a grid view, only the first column shows the error]. There is a a narrow strip that doesn't paint. The width of that strip is approximately the same as a row header would be if I had a row header.

If you have a thought on what can be done to make the background draw I'd love to hear it.

Now just to try a new idea, I'm offering a ten vote bounty for the first solution that still has me using this awful construct of a mess of a pseudo grid view. [I love legacy code.]

Edit:

Here is a sample that exhibits the problem.

public partial class Form1 : Form
{
    public Form1()
    {
        InitializeComponent();

        ListView lv = new ListView();

        lv.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Fill;
        lv.FullRowSelect = true;
        lv.GridLines = true;
        lv.HideSelection = false;
        lv.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 0);
        lv.TabIndex = 0;
        lv.View = System.Windows.Forms.View.Details;
        lv.AllowColumnReorder = true;

        this.Controls.Add(lv);

        lv.MultiSelect = true;

        ColumnHeader ch = new ColumnHeader();
        ch.Name = "Foo";
        ch.Text = "Foo";
        ch.Width = 40;
        ch.TextAlign = HorizontalAlignment.Left;

        lv.Columns.Add(ch);

        ColumnHeader ch2 = new ColumnHeader();
        ch.Name = "Bar";
        ch.Text = "Bar";
        ch.Width = 40;
        ch.TextAlign = HorizontalAlignment.Left;

        lv.Columns.Add(ch2);

        lv.BeginUpdate();

        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
        {


            ListViewItem lvi = new ListViewItem("1", "2");

            lvi.BackColor = Color.Black;
            lvi.ForeColor = Color.White;

            lv.Items.Add(lvi);
        }
        lv.EndUpdate();
    }
}

Answer 1

Ah! I see now :}

You want hacky? I present unto you the following:

    ...
    lv.OwnerDraw = true;
    lv.DrawItem += new DrawListViewItemEventHandler( lv_DrawItem );
    ...

void lv_DrawItem( object sender, DrawListViewItemEventArgs e )
{
    Rectangle foo = e.Bounds;
    foo.Offset( -10, 0 );
    e.Graphics.FillRectangle( new SolidBrush( e.Item.BackColor ), foo );
    e.DrawDefault = true;
}

For a more inventive - and no less hacky - approach, you could try utilising the background image of the ListView ;)

Answer 2

(Prior to the Edit...)

I've just tried setting the BackColor on a System.Windows.Forms.ListView, and the color is applied across the control just fine (with and without images).

Are you doing any Custom Painting at all?

Answer 3

Ok I'm adding some additional solution notes. If you use the solution above you also need to insert a draw handler for the column headers, otherwise they won't paint. The selected item rectangle also looks funny so you'll want to check for that in the lv_DrawItem function and implement a similar solution. Remeber that highlighting is chosen at the system level and not in you application.

Answer 4

Better ListView (and free Better ListView Express) allows setting background image with various alignment settings (centered, tiled, stretched, fit, snap to border/corner). Alpha transparency is also supported: