How to: Add Custom Icons to Toolbar and Menu Items

Article
11/16/2012

Applies to
The information in this topic applies only to the specified Visual Studio Tools for Office projects and versions of Microsoft Office. Project type Application-level projects Microsoft Office version Outlook 2003 Outlook 2007 For more information, see Features Available by Application and Project Type.

The information in this topic applies only to the specified Visual Studio Tools for Office projects and versions of Microsoft Office.

Project type

Application-level projects

Microsoft Office version

Outlook 2003
Outlook 2007

For more information, see Features Available by Application and Project Type.

This example adds an icon to a command bar button on a custom menu in Microsoft Office Outlook. The icon is included in the project resources. For more information about project resources, see Adding and Editing Resources (Visual C#) and How to: Add or Remove Resources.

To add custom icons

Add code to the Outlook project's ThisAddIn.vb or ThisAddIn.cs file to create CommandBarPopup and CommandBarButton controls that represent the custom menu and menu command. This code checks to see whether the menu exists. If it does exist, this code removes the menu. It then adds the new menu.

Private MenuBar As Office.CommandBar
Private newMenuBar As Office.CommandBarPopup
Private ButtonOne As Office.CommandBarButton
Private menuTag As String = "AUniqueName" 


Private Sub ThisAddIn_Startup(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Startup
    RemoveMenubar()
    AddMenuBar()
End Sub 

Private Sub AddMenuBar()
    Try
        MenuBar = Me.Application.ActiveExplorer().CommandBars.ActiveMenuBar
        newMenuBar = menuBar.Controls.Add( _
            Office.MsoControlType.msoControlPopup, _
            Temporary:=False)
        If newMenuBar IsNot Nothing Then
            newMenuBar.Caption = "See New Icon"
            newMenuBar.Tag = menuTag
            buttonOne = newMenuBar.Controls.Add( _
                Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton, _
                Before:=1, Temporary:=False)
            With buttonOne
                .Style = Office.MsoButtonStyle _
                .msoButtonIconAndCaption
                .Caption = "New Icon"
                .FaceId = 65
                .Tag = "c123"
                .Picture = getImage()
            End With
            newMenuBar.Visible = True 
        End If 
    Catch Ex As Exception
        MessageBox.Show(Ex.Message)
    End Try 
End Sub 

Private Sub RemoveMenubar()
    Try 
        ' If the menu already exists, remove it. 
        Dim foundMenu As Office.CommandBarPopup = _
            Me.Application.ActiveExplorer().CommandBars.ActiveMenuBar. _
            FindControl(Office.MsoControlType.msoControlPopup, _
            System.Type.Missing, menuTag, True, True)
        If foundMenu IsNot Nothing Then
            foundMenu.Delete(True)
        End If 
    Catch Ex As Exception
        MessageBox.Show(Ex.Message)
    End Try 
End Sub

private Office.CommandBar menuBar;
private Office.CommandBarPopup newMenuBar;
private Office.CommandBarButton buttonOne;
private string menuTag = "AUniqueTag";

private void ThisAddIn_Startup(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    RemoveMenubar();
    AddMenuBar();
}

private void AddMenuBar()
{
    try
    {
        menuBar = this.Application.ActiveExplorer().CommandBars.ActiveMenuBar;
        newMenuBar = (Office.CommandBarPopup)menuBar.Controls.Add(
            Office.MsoControlType.msoControlPopup, missing,
            missing, missing, false);
        if (newMenuBar != null)
        {
            newMenuBar.Caption = "See New Icon";
            newMenuBar.Tag = menuTag;
            buttonOne = (Office.CommandBarButton)
                newMenuBar.Controls.
            Add(Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton, System.
                Type.Missing, System.Type.Missing, 1, true);
            buttonOne.Style = Office.MsoButtonStyle.
                msoButtonIconAndCaption;
            buttonOne.Caption = "New Icon";
            buttonOne.FaceId = 65;
            buttonOne.Tag = "c123";
            buttonOne.Picture = getImage();
            newMenuBar.Visible = true;
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
    }
}

private void RemoveMenubar()
{
    // If the menu already exists, remove it. 
    try
    {
        Office.CommandBarPopup foundMenu = (Office.CommandBarPopup)
            this.Application.ActiveExplorer().CommandBars.ActiveMenuBar.
            FindControl(Office.MsoControlType.msoControlPopup,
            System.Type.Missing, menuTag, true, true);
        if (foundMenu != null)
        {
            foundMenu.Delete(true);
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
    }
}

Create a new class named ConvertImage. This class uses System.Forms.Axhost to convert an Image file to an image type that can be applied to the menu item.

<Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Runtime.StartupObjectAttribute(0), _
 Global.System.Security.Permissions.PermissionSetAttribute _
 (Global.System.Security.Permissions.SecurityAction.Demand, Name:="FullTrust")> _
Public Class ConvertImage
    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.AxHost
    Public Sub New()
        MyBase.New("59EE46BA-677D-4d20-BF10-8D8067CB8B32")
    End Sub 

    Public Shared Function Convert(ByVal Image _
        As System.Drawing.Image) As stdole.IPictureDisp
        Convert = GetIPictureFromPicture(Image)
    End Function 
End Class

sealed public class ConvertImage : System.Windows.Forms.AxHost
{
    private ConvertImage()
        : base(null)
    {
    }

    public static stdole.IPictureDisp Convert
        (System.Drawing.Image image)
    {
        return (stdole.IPictureDisp)System.
            Windows.Forms.AxHost
            .GetIPictureDispFromPicture(image);
    }
}

Add a method to convert the icon file into an Image file by adding it to an ImageList. This code sends the Image file to the ConvertImage.Convert method you created and then returns the file to the caller.

Private Function getImage() As stdole.IPictureDisp
    Dim tempImage As stdole.IPictureDisp = Nothing 
    Try 
        Dim newIcon As Icon = My.Resources.Icon1
        Dim newImageList As New ImageList
        newImageList.Images.Add(newIcon)
        tempImage = ConvertImage.Convert(newImageList.Images(0))
    Catch ex As Exception
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
    End Try 
    Return tempImage
End Function

private stdole.IPictureDisp getImage()
{
    stdole.IPictureDisp tempImage = null;
    try
    {
        System.Drawing.Icon newIcon = 
            Properties.Resources.Icon1;

        ImageList newImageList = new ImageList();
        newImageList.Images.Add(newIcon);
        tempImage = ConvertImage.Convert(newImageList.Images[0]);
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
    }
    return tempImage;
}

Compiling the Code

This example requires:

An icon named Icon1 in the project resources.

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To add custom icons

Compiling the Code

See Also

Tasks

Concepts

Other Resources

Additional resources