---
title: Property controls
slug: cms-11/dev-docs/property-controls-legacy
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-22T19:45:18.655Z
---

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**
This legacy content applies to Optimizely Content Management System (CMS) versions 10 and 11.
:::

CMS bases rendering on the `PropertyControl` interface, and the `PropertyDataControl` base class.

The `EPiServer.Web.PropertyControls` namespace contains default controls for built-in properties. You can render properties in different ways, but rendering implements `IPropertyControl` in Web Forms. The property implementation returns the default control by overriding the `CreatePropertyControl` method from `PropertyData`.

The abstract base class `PropertyDataControl` does a lot of the underlying work, so you do not need to inherit from any classes in this namespace when you create custom controls. However, custom controls must inherit from `System.Web.UI.Control` and implement the `EPiServer.Core.IPropertyControl` interface. `PropertyDataControl` has the following more important methods and properties:

**Methods**

- [CreateDefaultControls()](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/40ECBC64) – Creates child controls for view mode.
- [CreateEditControls()](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/3D6DF271) – Creates child controls for edit mode and is valid only for Web Form-based editors.
- [ApplyEditChanges()](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/D45AD5E4) – Saves values from your input controls to the properties and is valid only for Web Forms-based editors.

**Properties**

- [CurrentPage](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/9E62F2E0) – The current page for the closest parent that implements `IPageSource`.
- [PropertyData](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/143979E3) – The current property for the control.
- [Properties](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/5F5152A5) – Returns a `PropertyDataCollection` with properties that are being edited.
- [RenderType](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/Class-library/?documentId=cms/10/69B5EF12) – The current `RenderType`.

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**
You can use several of the methods in `PropertyDataControl` only when you create a Web Forms-based editor. However, in the default edit view in Optimizely CMS 7 or later, you can use Web Forms-based editing if you configured legacy editing, or if you edit dynamic properties or dynamic content.
:::

## Change rendering with PropertyControlBase`<T>`

If you want to change the rendering of an existing property, perhaps based on a tag, `PropertyControlBase<T>` lets you use any user control. You also can apply the same method to a `WebControl` by implementing the `IPropertyDataControl<T>` interface. A generic implementation of `IPropertyControl` wraps your control. The following example shows a definition that renders an alternative to `PageReference` when you use the *Testing* tag.

```csharp
[TemplateDescriptor(TagString = "Testing")]
public partial class PropertyControlBaseSample: PropertyControlBase<PageReference> {
  protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) {

  }
}
```

## Change rendering for a web browser

If you want to change a property's rendering based on the current request's web browser, map a [control adapter](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.ui.adapters.controladapter.aspx) using a .browser-file. Because a control adapter inherits from an adapter base class, the `EPiServer.Web.PropertyControls.Adapters.PropertyDataControlAdapter` base class facilitates the implementation of a custom control adapter for a property. `PropertyDataControlAdapter` implements many of the properties and methods that exist on `PropertyDataControl` and redirects the method back to the current `PropertyDataControl` by default, you can implement the specific methods you want to change the behavior. The following example shows a control adapter that overrides the default behavior for `EPiServer.Web.PropertyControls.PropertyLongStringControl`:

```csharp
public class PropertyLongStringControlAdapter: PropertyDataControlAdapter {
  public override void CreateDefaultControls() {
    Label l = new Label();
    l.Text = PropertyData.ToString();
    Control.Controls.Add(l);
  }
}
```

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**
You must use `Control.Controls.Add()` to add a child control in a control adapter. Also, CMS applies control adapters even for inherited classes, so you can apply a `PropertyDataControl` control adapter to modify the behavior of any control that inherits from `PropertyDataControl`.
:::

## Map presentation of properties with PropertyControlClassFactory

Mapping a `PropertyClass` through `PropertyControlClassFactory` overrides which control is used. The following code shows how to map a property to use the second argument (which is required to inherit from `Control` and implement `IPropertyControl`), instead of the default control:

```csharp
EPiServer.Core.PropertyControlClassFactory.Instance.RegisterClass(
  typeof(EPiServer.Core.PropertyNumber),
  typeof(MyNamespace.MyPropertyDataControl));
```

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**
`PropertyMappings` are not applied recursively for child classes. This means that `PropertyXhtmlString` still has its default `PropertyControl` even if you map `PropertyLongString`.
:::