ToolBar Control (Windows Forms)

Note

The ToolStrip control replaces and adds functionality to the ToolBar control; however, the ToolBar control is retained for both backward compatibility and future use, if you choose.

The Windows Forms ToolBar control is used on forms as a control bar that displays a row of drop-down menus and bitmapped buttons that activate commands. Thus, clicking a toolbar button is equivalent to choosing a menu command. The buttons can be configured to appear and behave as push buttons, drop-down menus, or separators. Typically, a toolbar contains buttons and menus that correspond to items in an application's menu structure, providing quick access to an application's most frequently used functions and commands.

Note

The ToolBar control's DropDownMenu property takes an instance of the ContextMenu class as a reference. Carefully consider the reference you pass when implementing this sort of button on toolbars in your application, as the property will accept any object that inherits from the Menu class.

In This Section

ToolBar Control Overview
Introduces the general concepts of the ToolBar control, which allows you to design custom toolbars that your users can work with.

How to: Add Buttons to a ToolBar Control
Describes how to add buttons to a ToolBar control.

How to: Define an Icon for a ToolBar Button
Describes how to display icons within a ToolBar control's buttons.

How to: Trigger Menu Events for Toolbar Buttons
Gives directions on writing code to interpret which button the user clicks in a ToolBar control.

Also see How to: Define an Icon for a ToolBar Button Using the Designer, How to: Add Buttons to a ToolBar Control Using the Designer.

Reference

ToolBar class
Provides reference information on the class and its members.

Related Sections

Controls to Use on Windows Forms
Provides a complete list of Windows Forms controls, with links to information on their use.

ToolStrip Control
Describes toolbars that can host menus, controls, and user controls in Windows Forms applications.