List of Command Tools

.NET Customisation User Guide

.NET Customisation : Menu and Command Bar Customisation : Editing the UIC File : List of Command Tools

The list is populated with each of the tools defined in each of the configuration files above and including the currently selected file.

The list supports the following user interactions:

Selecting a Node in the List

The property grid (5) is updated with the corresponding tool object so that its properties can be edited. Only objects which are defined in the currently active customisation file can have their properties modified. Selecting a tool which is defined in a non-active file will update the property grid, but it will be disabled thus preventing modification.

Drag & Drop from the List to the Tree

Tools can be dragged from the list and dropped into a MenuTool or a CommandBar in the Tree. It is also possible to add tools to a menu or commandbar defined in a higher level customisation file. This allows the user to integrate their tools into an existing system defined menu hierarchy and extend system toolbars as well as creating new top level menus and new commandbars. One possible risk of adding tools to menus or toolbars defined at a higher level is that the higher level structure might at a later date be modified making these tools "orphaned", or making the data which is stored to indicate their position within the host invalid. To warn of this, these tools are displayed in red within the tree. Here the "User" defined button "Sweden" had been added to the "System" defined commandbar "Standard". Also a button "Italy" defined at project level has been added to this "System" commandbar.

List Context Menu

The list has the following operations on a context menu:

Delete - Deletes the currently selected tool. If the selected tool is not editable then the delete operation is disabled. If the tool has been used then a warning message is displayed to confirm that the delete should be carried out.

Creates a new tool of the required type with a unique default name (Tool<N>) and adds it to the list.

Tool Types

When placed on a CommandBar the Button tool can have either an icon or a text caption. In a menu both the caption and the icon, if one is defined are displayed. The button tool simply executes the associated command when clicked.

The ComboBox tool allows selection from a list of items. The associated command provides the list via its List property.

The ControlContainer supports the hosting of any WinForms control. Here it is shown hosting a ProgressBar. The control it should host is set via the Control property which presents a list of the controls registered with the CAF using the CommandBarManager.Controls Hashtable property.

ProgressBar progBar = new ProgressBar();

progBar.Value = 50;

commandBarManager.Controls.Add("ProgressBar",progBar);

The FontList tool allows selection of a font from a pulldown list of installed fonts.

The Label tool allows the addition of a static icon and/or caption.

The List tool can only be use in a menu and will create a menu entry for each of the items returned from the List property of the associated Command object. This is typically used to implement a MRU list of files.

The MdiWindowList tool can also only be added to a menu. It supports the standard operations on the applications MDI Windows.

Menu tools can be added to both an existing menu to create a sub-menu or to a CommandBar.

The PopupColorPicker displays a standard colour picker in a popup window.

The PopupControlContainer tool allows any WinForms control to be hosted in a popup window. Here the MonthCalendar control is being hosted.

The StateButton tool supports the Checked state.

The TextBox tool allows the entry of any string value.

Sorting List via Heading

It is possible to sort the list via interaction with the list column headings.