using splitter control

[arnoldino]

hi

i wanna make a form on which there are 6 panels. on form load the first panel will show up, and if the user clicks on a button on taht panel the first panel will hide and the second will show up, and so on.

i thought to do this with splitter controls, because we can animate the transition between two panels. but i'm a bit confused to use splitters. they don't work like i expect. so i'm using the following code

private void Prefs_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            panel1.Show();
            splitter1.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel2.Hide();
            splitter2.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel3.Hide();
            splitter3.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel4.Hide();
            splitter4.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel5.Hide();
            splitter5.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel6.Hide();
        }

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter1.SplitPosition = 0;
            splitter2.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel1.Hide();
            panel2.Show();
        }

        private void button4_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter2.SplitPosition = 0;
            splitter3.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel2.Hide();
            panel3.Show();
        }

        private void button6_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter3.SplitPosition = 0;
            splitter4.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel3.Hide();
            panel4.Show();
        }

        private void button8_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter4.SplitPosition = 0;
            splitter5.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel4.Hide();
            panel5.Show();
        }

        private void button10_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter5.SplitPosition = 0;
            //splitter6.SplitPosition = 400;
            panel5.Hide();
            panel6.Show();
        }

        private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }

        private void button3_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter1.SplitPosition = 400;
            splitter2.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel2.Hide();
            panel1.Show();
        }

        private void button5_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter2.SplitPosition = 400;
            splitter3.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel3.Hide();
            panel2.Show();
        }

        private void button7_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter3.SplitPosition = 400;
            splitter4.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel4.Hide();
            panel3.Show();
        }

        private void button9_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter4.SplitPosition = 400;
            splitter5.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel5.Hide();
            panel4.Show();
        }

        private void button11_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            splitter5.SplitPosition = 400;
            //splitter6.SplitPosition = 0;
            panel6.Hide();
            panel5.Show();
        }

my problem is that when the form loads it is empty. i can't see nothing.

please help me, it's driving me crazy.

[kenobewan]

Comment out all the splitter references and report what happens.