Introduction to the Items of a Toolbar

By default, just after you have added a toolbar to your form, it is empty, waiting for you to add objects to it. To hold its collection of objects, the ToolStrip class is equipped with a property named Items. The ToolStrip.Items property is an object of type ToolStripItemCollection, which itself is a collection class. Each member of the ToolStripItemCollection class is of type ToolStripItem.

During desgin, to add the desired items:

• Click the arrowed button on its top-right side and click Edit Items:

• Right-click the toolbar and click Edit Items...
• Click the toolbar on the form to select it. Then, under the Properties window, click Edit Items

Any of these actions would open the Items Collection Editor where you can individually select items, click Add, and configure them:

Instead of adding objects one by one, Microsoft Visual Studio provides a default or standard design for a toolbar. To use it, after visually adding the toolbar to a form:

• Click the arrowed button on it top-right side and click Insert Standard Items
• Right-click the toolbar and click Insert Standard Items
• Click the toolbar on the form to select it. Then, under the Properties window, click Insert Standard Items

Any of these actions would equip the toolbar with the most common buttons used on a standard toolbar.

The Buttons of a Toolbar

The most common object of a toolbar is a button. If you are working visually, to add a button to a toolbar, click the toolbar. An icon would display. Click that button:

A button of a toolbar is based on a class named ToolStripButton. The ToolStripButton clas is derived from the ToolStripItem class which, as mentioned before, is represented by the Items property that is a member of the ToolStrip class.

To programmatically create a toolbar button, declare a variable of this class. The ToolStripButton class is equipped with 6 constructors. You can use the default constructor if you are not ready to provide the other pieces of information a button may need. After declaring the variable, add it to the Items property of its container. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripButton btnCreate;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        btnCreate = new ToolStripButton();
        toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

By default, a button of a toolbar displays an icon on top. If you click the toolstrip to create a button, the new button receives a default icon:

To specify or change the icon of a button, after clicking it, in the Properties window, click Image, then click its browse button. In the Select Resource dialog box, click Import, locate the desired icon, select it, and click OK. To programmatically specify the icon of a button, you have many options. The ToolStripButton class is equipped with a property named Image. Assign an icon to this property. Here is an example:

void InitializeComponent()
{
    toolbar = new ToolStrip();
    btnCreate = new ToolStripButton();
    btnCreate.Image = Image.FromFile(@"C:\Icons Collection\create.ico");
    toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

    Controls.Add(toolbar);
}

The ToolStripButton class provides another constructor whose syntax is:

public ToolStripButton(Image image);

When creating a button, you can use this constructor to directly specify its icon. Here is an example:

void InitializeComponent()
{
    toolbar = new ToolStrip();
    btnCreate = new ToolStripButton(Image.FromFile(@"C:\Icons Collection\create.ico"));
    toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

    Controls.Add(toolbar);
}

 If an icon is not explicit enough, you can make an icon display text or to display a combination of an icon and text. To support this, the ToolStripItem class provides a property named DisplayStyle. This property is of type ToolStripItemDisplayStyle, which is an enumeration. The members of the ToolStripItemDisplayStyle are:

• None: The button will display neither an icon nor text
• Text: The button will display text only
• Image: The button will display an icon only
• ImageAndText: The button will display an icon and text

To visually configure this behavior, access the Properties window for the button and, in the DisplayStyle field, select the desired member. To do this programmatically, access the DisplayStyle property and assign the desired value to it.

If you want a button to display text, first select either Text or ImageAndText for the DisplayStyle property. To visually specify the text to display, type it in the Text property. To do it programmatically, you have various options. You can assign a string to the Text property of the button. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripButton btnCreate;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        btnCreate = new ToolStripButton();
        btnCreate.DisplayStyle = ToolStripItemDisplayStyle.Text;
        btnCreate.Text = "Create";
        toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

This would produce:

The ToolStripButton class is equipped with another constructor whose syntax is:

public ToolStripButton(string text);

You can use this constructor to create a toolbar and specify its text. Of course, you must specify an appropriate value for the DisplayStyle property. Here is an example:

void InitializeComponent()
{
    toolbar = new ToolStrip();
    btnCreate = new ToolStripButton("Create");
    btnCreate.DisplayStyle = ToolStripItemDisplayStyle.Text;        
    toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

    Controls.Add(toolbar);
}

To display both an icon and text, select the appropriate value of the DisplayStyle property. Then, in the Properties window of the button, specify the icon and enter the desired text. Otherwise, the ToolStripButton class provides another constructor whose syntax is:

public ToolStripButton(string text, Image image);

If you decide to use this version, pass the appropriate arguments.

To use a button, the user can click it. Therefore, you should create an event handler for the button. You can use the Events section of the Properties window or programmatically write it. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripButton btnCreate;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        btnCreate = new ToolStripButton("Create");
        btnCreate.DisplayStyle = ToolStripItemDisplayStyle.Text;
        btnCreate.Click += new EventHandler(btnCreateClick);
        toolbar.Items.Add(btnCreate);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    private void btnCreateClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        MessageBox.Show("The document will be created");
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

Otherwise, the ToolStripButton class supports all the normal events of a button.

Menu Items on a Toolbar

Instead of a classic button, you can create a type of menu on a toolbar so that, when the user clicks the button, a menu would come up. To get it:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Click the arrow on the right side of the new button and click DropDownButton

• Display or Access the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select DropDownButton and click Add

The button that is equipped with a menu is available through a class named ToolStripDropDownButton. This class inherits from a class named ToolStripDropDownItem.

The ToolStripDropDownButton class has seven constructors. To programmatically create a drop down button, you can declare a variable of type ToolStripDropDownButton using its default constructor, allocate memory for it using the new operator, and add it to the Items collection of the ToolStrip variable. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripDropDownButton ddRecentlyUsed;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        ddRecentlyUsed = new ToolStripDropDownButton();
        toolbar.Items.Add(ddRecentlyUsed);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

The primary characteristic of a drop down button is that it is equipped with a menu. To visually create the menu, after adding the button, it displays a text box labeled Type Here, just like we saw for the menu items. Alternatively, click the drop down button on the toolbar. In the Properties window, click DropDownItems, then click its browse button to open the Items Collection Editor.

You programmatically create the menu items of a drop down button like we saw for the menu items. After creating them, add them to the DropDownItems collection of the drop down button. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripDropDownButton ddRecentlyUsed;
    ToolStripMenuItem ddiFirst;
    ToolStripMenuItem ddiSecond;
    ToolStripMenuItem ddiThird;
    ToolStripMenuItem ddiFourth;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        ddRecentlyUsed = new ToolStripDropDownButton();
        ddRecentlyUsed.Image = Image.FromFile(@"C:\Exercises\recent.ico");
        ddRecentlyUsed.DisplayStyle = ToolStripItemDisplayStyle.Image;

        ddiFirst = new ToolStripMenuItem("First");
        ddiSecond = new ToolStripMenuItem("Second");
        ddiThird = new ToolStripMenuItem("Third");
        ddiFourth = new ToolStripMenuItem("Fourth");

        ddRecentlyUsed.DropDownItems.Add(ddiFirst);
        ddRecentlyUsed.DropDownItems.Add(ddiSecond);
        ddRecentlyUsed.DropDownItems.Add(ddiThird);
        ddRecentlyUsed.DropDownItems.Add(ddiFourth);

        toolbar.Items.Add(ddRecentlyUsed);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

This would produce:

The menu items of a drop down button behave like the menu items we saw in Lessons 10-12. Based on this, you can configure the items of the button the same way we reviewed for menu items.

Separators on a Tool Bar

A separator is a vertical bar that is used to create sections or groups of items on a toolbar. There is no strict rule as to where to put a separator. Only your experience and needs will guide you.

To create a separator:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Click the arrow on the right side of the new button and click Separator
• Display the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select Separator and click Add

Practical Learning: Adding Buttons to a Toolbar

1. On the form, right-click the tool strip and click Insert Standard Items
2. Under the form, click tbrStandard. Under the Properties window, click Edit Items
3. Change the names of the items as follows:
   

   Old Name	New Name
   newToolStripButton	tbrStandardNew
   openToolStripButton	tbrStandardOpen
   saveToolStripButton	tbrStandardSave
   printToolStripButton	tbrStandardPrint
   Separator
   cutToolStripButton	tbrStandardCut
   copyToolStripButton	tbrStandardCopy
   pasteToolStripButton	tbrStandardPaste
   Separator
   helpToolStripButton	tbrStandardHelp

4. Click OK

The Split Button on a Toolbar

When the user clicks a drop down button, its menu automatically displays. As an alternative, you can create a button split by a bar, showing a normal button on the left and a menu on the right. To support this, the .NET Framework provides the ToolStripSplitButton class. This class is represented by a control named split button. To visually add a split button to a toolbar:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Click the arrow on the right side of the new button and click SplitButton
• Display the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select SplitButton and click Add

To programmatically create a split button, declare a variable of type ToolStripSplitButton and add it to the Items property of the toolbar. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripSplitButton btnTypesOfApplications;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        btnTypesOfApplications = new ToolStripSplitButton();

        toolbar.Items.Add(btnTypesOfApplications);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

There are two ways a user can use a split button, by clicking the button itself on the left or the arrow on the right. When the arrow button is clicked, a menu displays. The menu items that display are of type ToolStripItem. This means that you create them using the same descriptions we saw for menus.

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripSplitButton btnTypesOfApplications;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        btnTypesOfApplications = new ToolStripSplitButton();
        btnTypesOfApplications.Image = Image.FromFile(@"C:\Exercise\apps.ico");
        btnTypesOfApplications.DisplayStyle = ToolStripItemDisplayStyle.Image;

        btnTypesOfApplications.DropDownItems.Add(new ToolStripMenuItem("Work Processing"));
        btnTypesOfApplications.DropDownItems.Add(new ToolStripMenuItem("Spreadsheet"));
        btnTypesOfApplications.DropDownItems.Add(new ToolStripMenuItem("Databases"));
        btnTypesOfApplications.DropDownItems.Add(new ToolStripMenuItem("Presentation"));

        toolbar.Items.Add(btnTypesOfApplications);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());

        return 0;
    }
}

Labels on a Toolbar

You can create a section on a toolbar to display text. To support this, the .NET Framework provides the ToolStripLabel class, which is derived from the ToolStripItem class.

To visually create a label:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Then click the arrow of the new button and click Label
• Access the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select Label and click Add

As its name indicates, a label is meant to display text. After adding it to a toolbar, assign a string to its Text property.

Instead of simple text, you can make a label behave like a link. To support this, the ToolStripLabel class is equipped with a Boolean property named IsLink. If you set this property to true, the label would follow the standard description of a web link (without the link itself; you must find a way to make it active the desired link).

A Text Box on a Toolbar

You can add a text box to a toolbar so the user can type something in it or read text from it. To make this possible, you can use a class named ToolStripTextBox. To add a text box to a toolbar:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Then click the arrow of the new button and click TextBox

• Display the Access the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select TextBox and click Add

To programmatically add a textbox to a toolbar, declare a variable of type ToolStripTextBox. The ToolStripTextBox class is equipped with 3 constructors. The default constructor is used to create a normal and simple text box. After declaring and initializing the variable, add it to the Items property of the toolstrip. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripTextBox txtFullName;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();

        txtFullName = new ToolStripTextBox();
        toolbar.Items.Add(txtFullName);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

This would produce:

Most of the time, you create an empty text box in which a user can enter text. At any time, if you want to display text in the text box, assign a string to the Text property of the button. This can be done as follows:

void InitializeComponent()
{
    toolbar = new ToolStrip();

    txtFullName = new ToolStripTextBox();
    txtFullName.Text = "John Doe";
    toolbar.Items.Add(txtFullName);

    Controls.Add(toolbar);
}

The text box of a toolbar uses the normal features of a Microsoft Windows text box. At the risk of repeating ourselves, we reviewed it in Lesson 13.

A Combo Box on a Toolbar

You can add a combo box to a toolbar to provide a list from which the user can select an item. The combo box is handled by the ToolStripComboBox class. To add visually add a combo box to a toolbar:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Then click the arrow of the new button and click ComboBox:
• Display the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select ComboBox and click Add

To programmatically create a combo box, declare a variable of type ToolStripComboBox. The ToolStripComboBox class has 3 constructors. Use the default constructor to create a combo box. Initialize the variable and add it to the Items property of the toolbar. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripComboBox cbxCategories;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();

        cbxCategories = new ToolStripComboBox();
        toolbar.Items.Add(cbxCategories);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

This would produce:

One of the properties of the combo box of a toolbar is named ComboBox. This property is of type ComboBox. This property can be assigned a predefined object that has all the desired and necessary characteristics of a Microsoft Windows combo box. At the risk of repeating ourselves, we will review the characteristics of a combo box in another lesson.

A Progress Bar on a Tool Bar

A progress bar is used to show the evolution of something by drawing continuous rectangles, usually blue. To support them on a toolbar, the .NET Framework provides the ToolStripProgressBar class. This class inherits from the ToolStripControlHost class.

To visuall add a progress bar on a toolbar:

• Click an empty area on the toolbar to create a new button. Then click the arrow of the new button and click ProgressBar

• Display the Properties window for the toolbar. In Select Item And Add To List Below, select ProgressBar and click Add

To programmatically create a progress bar to be hosted by a toolbar, declare a variable of type ToolStripProgressBar. The ToolStripProgressBar class has two constructors. You can use the default constructor to declare the variable, initialize it using the new operator, and add it to the Items property of a ToolStrip variable. Here is an example:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

public class Exercise : System.Windows.Forms.Form
{
    ToolStrip toolbar;
    ToolStripProgressBar pgrEvolution;

    public Exercise()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    void InitializeComponent()
    {
        toolbar = new ToolStrip();
        pgrEvolution = new ToolStripProgressBar();

        toolbar.Items.Add(pgrEvolution);

        Controls.Add(toolbar);
    }

    [STAThread]
    static int Main()
    {
        System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new Exercise());
        return 0;
    }
}

This would produce:

After creating a progress bar, you must find a way to make it display its rectangle (and why).