Siticone Material Star Rating

The SiticoneMaterialStarRating is a high-performance, animated rating control inspired by modern Material Design principles. It features smooth value transitions, interactive hover effects, half-star precision, and extensive customization for colors and sizes.

Behavior & Interaction

Control how the user interacts with the rating control, including half-star support and read-only modes.

Property	Type	Description & Usage Example
`Value`	float	rating.Value = 3.5f; The current rating value. Setting this triggers a smooth transition animation.
`StarCount`	int	rating.StarCount = 5; The total number of stars displayed.
`AllowHalfRating`	bool	rating.AllowHalfRating = true; If enabled, users can select half-star values (e.g., 2.5, 4.5). If disabled, values snap to whole numbers.
`IsInteractive`	bool	rating.IsInteractive = false; Disables user input, making the control read-only (useful for displaying review averages).
`UltraFastMode`	bool	rating.UltraFastMode = true; Disables animations and advanced effects for maximum performance. Ideal for lists with hundreds of rating controls.

Appearance & Styling

Customize the colors, size, and visual feedback of the stars.

Property	Type	Description & Usage Example
`ActiveColor`	Color	rating.ActiveColor = Color.Gold; The color of filled (selected) stars.
`InactiveColor`	Color	rating.InactiveColor = Color.LightGray; The color of empty (unselected) stars.
`HoverColor`	Color	rating.HoverColor = Color.Orange; The color of stars under the mouse cursor during interaction.
`BorderColor`	Color	rating.BorderColor = Color.DimGray; The outline color of the stars.
`BorderThickness`	float	rating.BorderThickness = 1.5f; The thickness of the star border line.
`StarSize`	int	rating.StarSize = 24; The width and height of each star icon.
`StarSpacing`	int	rating.StarSpacing = 8; The gap between adjacent stars.
`HoverScale`	float	rating.HoverScale = 1.2f; The scale factor (e.g., 1.2 = 120%) applied to the star currently being hovered.

Designer & Smart Tags

The control includes a comprehensive Smart Tag panel for rapid configuration directly in the Visual Studio designer.

Feature	Description
`Theme Presets`	Apply professional color schemes instantly: Modern Gold: Classic review style. Success/Danger: Semantic colors (Green/Red). Night Mode: Dark/Light specific themes. Vibrant: Neon, Royal Purple, Ocean Blue, etc.
`Quick Actions`	One-click shortcuts to set values to 0, Half, or Max, and adjust star counts (5 or 10).
`Settings Clipboard`	Copy/Paste Settings: Easily replicate styles across multiple rating controls in your application.

Detailed Usage Examples

Example 1: Basic Feedback Form

A standard 5-star rating input for user feedback.

C# - Feedback Rating

private void InitializeFeedbackRating()
{
    var rating = new SiticoneMaterialStarRating();
    rating.StarCount = 5;
    rating.AllowHalfRating = true;
    rating.Value = 0; // Start empty
    
                // Visual Style
    rating.ActiveColor = Color.Gold;
    rating.InactiveColor = Color.WhiteSmoke;
    rating.HoverColor = Color.Orange;
    
                // Event Handling
    rating.ValueChanged += (s, e) => 
    {
                Console.WriteLine($"User rated: {e.NewValue} stars");
    };
    
    this.Controls.Add(rating);
}

Example 2: Read-Only Display (Product Review)

Displaying an aggregate rating (e.g., "4.7 average") where users cannot change the value.

C# - Read-Only Display

private void ShowProductRating(float averageRating)
{
    var displayRating = new SiticoneMaterialStarRating();
    displayRating.IsInteractive = false; // Disable user input
    displayRating.Value = averageRating;
    
                // Smaller stars for compact display
    displayRating.StarSize = 16;
    displayRating.StarSpacing = 2;
    
                // Optional: Enable UltraFastMode for lists
    displayRating.UltraFastMode = true;
    
    this.Controls.Add(displayRating);
}

Example 3: Validation & Cancellation

Using the `ValueChanging` event to enforce rules, such as preventing a rating below 1 star.

C# - Validation Logic

private void SetupRatingValidation()
{
    var rating = new SiticoneMaterialStarRating();
    
    rating.ValueChanging += (s, e) => 
    {
                // Prevent setting a rating lower than 1.0
                if (e.NewValue < 1.0f)
        {
            e.Cancel = true;
                MessageBox.Show("Minimum rating is 1 star.");
        }
    };
    
    this.Controls.Add(rating);
}

Example 4: Animation Events

Triggering actions (like submitting a score) only after the visual animation completes.

C# - Animation Completed

private void InitializeAutoSubmit()
{
    var rating = new SiticoneMaterialStarRating();
    
    rating.AnimationCompleted += (s, e) => 
    {
                // e.FinalValue contains the settled rating
                SubmitScoreToServer(e.FinalValue);
                Console.WriteLine("Animation finished, score submitted.");
    };
    
    this.Controls.Add(rating);
}