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ToolStrip Control Overview (Windows Forms) |
03/30/2017 |
.net-framework |
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article |
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81d067ed-297c-4dad-90de-1bcac15336ec |
17 |
dotnet-bot |
dotnetcontent |
wpickett |
ToolStrip Control Overview (Windows Forms)
The Windows Forms xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control and its associated classes provide a common framework for combining user interface elements into toolbars, status bars, and menus. xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip controls offer a rich design-time experience that includes in-place activation and editing, custom layout, and rafting, which is the ability of toolbars to share horizontal or vertical space.
Although xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip replaces and adds functionality to the control in previous versions, xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolBar is retained for both backward compatibility and future use if desired.
Features of the ToolStrip Controls
Use the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control to:
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Present a common user interface across containers.
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Create easily customized, commonly employed toolbars that support advanced user interface and layout features, such as docking, rafting, buttons with text and images, drop-down buttons and controls, overflow buttons, and run-time reordering of xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip items.
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Support overflow and run-time item reordering. The overflow feature moves items to a drop-down menu when there is not enough room to display them in a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.
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Support the typical appearance and behavior of the operating system through a common rendering model.
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Handle events consistently for all containers and contained items, in the same way you handle events for other controls.
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Drag items from one xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip to another or within a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.
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Create drop-down controls and user interface type editors with advanced layouts in a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.
Use the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripControlHost class to use other controls on a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip and gain xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip functionality for them.
You can extend the functionality and modify the appearance and behavior by using the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripRenderer, xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripProfessionalRenderer, and xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripManager along with the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripRenderMode and xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripManagerRenderMode enumerations.
The xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control is highly configurable and extensible, and it provides many properties, methods, and events to customize appearance and behavior. Below are some noteworthy members:
Important ToolStrip Members
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.Dock%2A | Gets or sets which edge of the parent container a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip is docked to. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.AllowItemReorder%2A | Gets or sets a value indicating whether drag-and-drop and item reordering are handled privately by the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip class. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.LayoutStyle%2A | Gets or sets a value indicating how the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip lays out its items. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.Overflow%2A | Gets or sets whether a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem is attached to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip or xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflowButton or can float between the two. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.IsDropDown%2A | Gets a value indicating whether a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem displays other items in a drop-down list when the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem is clicked. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.OverflowButton%2A | Gets the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem that is the overflow button for a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip with overflow enabled. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.Renderer%2A | Gets or sets a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripRenderer used to customize the appearance and behavior (look and feel) of a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.RenderMode%2A | Gets or sets the painting styles to be applied to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.RendererChanged | Raised when the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.Renderer%2A property changes. |
The xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control's flexibility is achieved through the use of a number of companion classes. Below are some of the most noteworthy:
Important ToolStrip Companion Classes
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.MenuStrip | Replaces and adds functionality to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu class. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusStrip | Replaces and adds functionality to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar class. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ContextMenuStrip | Replaces and adds functionality to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ContextMenu class. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem | Abstract base class that manages events and layout for all the elements that a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip, xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripControlHost, or xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown can contain. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripContainer | Provides a container with a panel on each side of the form in which controls can be arranged in various ways. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripRenderer | Handles the painting functionality for xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip objects. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripProfessionalRenderer | Provides Microsoft Office-style appearance. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripManager | Controls xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip rendering and rafting, and the merging of xref:System.Windows.Forms.MenuStrip, xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDownMenu, and xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem objects. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripManagerRenderMode | Specifies the painting style (custom, Windows XP, or Microsoft Office Professional) applied to multiple xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip objects contained in a form. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripRenderMode | Specifies the painting style (custom, Windows XP, or Microsoft Office Professional) applied to one xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip object contained in a form. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripControlHost | Hosts other controls that are not specifically xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip controls but for which you want xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip functionality. |
| xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemPlacement | Specifies whether a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem is to be laid out on the main xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip, on the overflow xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip, or neither. |
For more information, see ToolStrip Technology Summary and ToolStrip Control Architecture.
See Also
xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip
xref:System.Windows.Forms.MenuStrip
xref:System.Windows.Forms.ContextMenuStrip
xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusStrip
xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem
xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown