If you create a UI object in code, you have to go through all that pesky, annoying work of initalizing that object so it displays correctly. I mean, who wants to write VB.NET code which looks like this:

Label = New Label
Label.Size = New Size(710, 300)
Label.TextLB = "Operation:"
someForm.Controls.Add(Label)

Here, we've created a label object which overrides a handful of default properties, and then gets added to the screen. You'll have to do that for every control! Obviously, you need a method.

No, not a method called something like OperationLabel() which creates and adds the Operation: label to the form. You have to think more generic than that. We want a method which allows us to add any label, with any configuration, to the form.

Benjamin's co-worker has an idea exactly about how to accomplish that. Instead of that ugly block of code above, you can write this gorgeous code:

CreateRectLabel(Label, "Label", String.Empty, New Point(290, 5), someForm, Color.Red, Color.White, Color.White, 710, 300, Color.White, "SomeText", String.Empty, New Font(MainFontName, 48, FontStyle.Bold), New Font(MainFontName, 16, FontStyle.Bold), New Font(MainFontName, 28, FontStyle.Bold), TextEffects.Floating, TextEffects.Floating, TextEffects.Floating, Lang.InstructionErrors.PushInRedButton, TextEffects.Floating, New Font(MainFontName, 34, FontStyle.Bold), Color.White, Color.White, TextEffects.None, "", Nothing, Color.White, TextEffects.None, "", New Font(MainFontName, 12, FontStyle.Regular), Color.White, TextEffects.None, "", New Font(MainFontName, 12, FontStyle.Regular))

Now you have to directly set every one of those parameters, no exceptions! You'll always have to be perfectly explicit about what settings you're using.

Here is the implementation of that CreateRectLabel method:

    Public Sub CreateRectLabel(ByRef LabelObj As Label, ByVal LabelName As String, ByVal TextLT As String, ByVal LabelLocation As Point, ByRef PanelContainer As Object, ByVal LabelColor As Color, ByVal TextColorLT As Color, ByVal TextColorCaption As Color, ByVal LabelWidth As Integer, ByVal LabelHeight As Integer, ByVal TextColorLB As Color, ByVal TextLB As String, ByVal TextCaption As String, ByVal FontLT As Font, ByVal FontCaption As Font, ByVal FontLB As Font, ByVal TextEffectLT As TextEffects, ByVal TextEffectCaption As TextEffects, ByVal TextEffectLB As TextEffects, ByVal TextLM As String, ByVal TextEffectLM As TextEffects, ByVal FontLM As Font, ByVal TextColorLM As Color, ByVal TextColorRM As Color, ByVal TextEffectRM As TextEffects, ByVal TextRM As String, ByVal FontRM As Font, ByVal TextColorCB As Color, ByVal TextEffectCB As TextEffects, ByVal TextCB As String, ByVal FontCB As Font, ByVal TextColorCT As Color, ByVal TextEffectCT As TextEffects, ByVal TextCT As String, ByVal FontCT As Font, Optional ByVal LabelSpecialEffects As SpecialEffects = SpecialEffects.None)

        LabelObj = New Label
        LabelObj.Name = LabelName
        LabelObj.Size = New Size(LabelWidth, LabelHeight)
        LabelObj.Location = LabelLocation
        LabelObj.Shape = Shapes.Rectangle
        LabelObj.ShadowMode = ShadowModes.Blurred
        LabelObj.ColorSurfaceNormal.Render3DType = ColorRenderType.Best3D
        LabelObj.ColorSurfaceNormal.BackColor = LabelColor
        LabelObj.ColorSurfaceNormal.BackColor2 = LabelColor
        LabelObj.ColorSurfaceNormal.GradientType = ColorGradientType.Classic
        LabelObj.ColorSurfaceNormal.GradientFactor = 4
        LabelObj.Surface = Surfaces.HardPillow
        LabelObj.SmoothEdges = Smooths.High
        LabelObj.SpecialEffect = LabelSpecialEffects

        ' Left Top Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrLT.ColorNormal = TextColorLT
        LabelObj.TextDescrLT.SpecialEffect = TextEffectLT
        LabelObj.TextDescrLT.Text = TextLT
        LabelObj.FontLeftTop = FontLT

        ' Center Top Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrCT.ColorNormal = TextColorCT
        LabelObj.TextDescrCT.SpecialEffect = TextEffectCT
        LabelObj.TextDescrCT.Text = TextCT
        LabelObj.FontCenterTop = FontCT

        ' Caption Text
        LabelObj.ForeColor = TextColorCaption
        LabelObj.FontCaption = FontCaption
        LabelObj.TextDescrCaption.SpecialEffect = TextEffectCaption
        LabelObj.Text = TextCaption

        ' Left Middle Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrLM.ColorNormal = TextColorLM
        LabelObj.TextDescrLM.SpecialEffect = TextEffectLM
        LabelObj.TextDescrLM.Text = TextLM
        LabelObj.FontLeftMiddle = FontLM

        ' Left Bottom Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrLB.ColorNormal = TextColorLB
        LabelObj.TextDescrLB.SpecialEffect = TextEffectLB
        LabelObj.TextDescrLB.Text = TextLB
        LabelObj.FontLeftBottom = FontLB

        ' Center Bottom Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrCB.ColorNormal = TextColorCB
        LabelObj.TextDescrCB.SpecialEffect = TextEffectCB
        LabelObj.TextDescrCB.Text = TextCB
        LabelObj.FontCenterBottom = FontCB

        ' Right Middle Text
        LabelObj.TextDescrRM.ColorNormal = TextColorRM
        LabelObj.TextDescrRM.SpecialEffect = TextEffectRM
        LabelObj.TextDescrRM.Text = TextRM
        LabelObj.FontRightMiddle = FontRM

        LabelObj.Visible = True
        PanelContainer.Controls.Add(LabelObj)
    End Sub

No, there are no overloads. Yes, they quite clearly understood what optional paremeters are. No, they didn't want to use them for anything else but the LabelSpecialEffects parameter.

In any case, when you want to change a setting on a label, enjoy counting parameters to figure out where exactly you should make the change.

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