---
title: Kentico Controls
related:
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/custom-development/developing-web-parts.md
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/developing-websites/developing-websites-using-aspx-templates/creating-aspx-page-templates.md
  - https://docs.kentico.com/k10/integrating-3rd-party-systems/using-the-kentico-api-externally.md
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

Kentico Controls are standard ASP.NET **[server controls](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa719973%28v=vs.71%29.aspx)** that you can use in Visual Studio. Most of the controls focus on loading and displaying data from the Kentico content repository. You can place the controls into:

- Custom web forms or user controls
- The user controls (ASCX files) that define [custom web parts](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/custom-development/developing-web-parts.md)
- [ASPX page templates](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/developing-websites/developing-websites-using-aspx-templates.md) and pages that do not use the portal engine
- Virtual ASCX objects in Kentico such as [Page layouts](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/developing-websites/developing-websites-using-the-portal-engine/editing-page-layouts.md) or [Transformations](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/developing-websites/loading-and-displaying-data-on-websites/writing-transformations.md)

Kentico controls work on the .NET 4.5 and 4.6 Frameworks.

> **Tip:** **Tip**: Before you start working with controls, you can [add them to your Visual Studio Toolbox](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/references/kentico-controls/adding-kentico-controls-to-the-visual-studio-toolbox.md).

> **Note:** **Sample Corporate Site required**
>
> The examples in this reference assume that your Kentico database contains data from the sample Corporate Site.

## Control hierarchy

Kentico Controls make use of the object-oriented nature of the .NET Framework and many of them are derived either from standard ASP.NET controls or from each other. This means that controls with similar functionality have many common properties and configuration options.

The following categories and controls are available:

> **Info:** 
>
> #### [Generic controls](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/references/kentico-controls/generic-controls.md)
>
> These controls either serve as base controls that others are derived from, or provide additional functionality such as paging.

> **Info:** 
>
> #### [Basic controls](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/references/kentico-controls/basic-controls.md)
>
> These controls are not strictly bound to the Kentico database or API, and can be used with any type of bindable data. Most basic controls are derived from either intrinsic ASP.NET controls or Generic controls.

> **Info:** 
>
> #### [CMS controls](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/references/kentico-controls/cms-controls.md)
>
> Controls designed to work exclusively with Kentico pages and data. Many CMS controls are derived from Basic Controls.

> **Info:** 
>
> #### [UI controls](https://docs.kentico.com/k10/references/kentico-controls/ui-controls.md)
>
> These are [**user controls**](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y6wb1a0e%28v=vs.100%29.aspx) that are utilized in the Kentico administration interface. You can also use the UI controls for custom purposes.