Bars
- 5 minutes to read
Overview | |
Bars (also known as Toolbars) implement the hierarchical menu model in applications; this model is the traditional way of organizing application command regions. Use the DevExpress BarManager component to create and customize toolbars in a centralized manner or standalone Bar controls to tweak each bar separately. Each bar is a horizontally or vertically aligned stripe that contains buttons, editors, radio button groups, etc. There are three toolbar types.
Toolbars of all types used within the application form create a toolbar system. The Bar Manager component provides organized access to this entire system. Additionally, you can provide context and pop-up menus for your toolbar system. Follow the links below to learn more about Bars concepts and features. |
Start Here | |
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Creating Bar Layout | |
There are two ways to create your bar layout. The traditional approach is to use the Bar Manager component that owns multiple Bar objects. This approach comes with multiple benefits, such as sharing bar items between separate bars, or the centralized control over bar appearances and settings. On the other hand, when you do not need multiple bars within one window, you can follow the simplified approach and use standalone bar controls. Each standalone bar control represents a bar of the specific type (main menu bar, status bar, regular toolbar) that does not require a parent Bar Manager component. Topics in this section provide detailed information on both approaches.
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Populating Bars | |
After your bar layout is ready, you can proceed to populating your bars with different types of elements - regular push buttons, check boxes, buttons with drop-down menus, etc. This can also be achieved using two different approaches. You can either directly declare required elements within a bar, or use links to already existing elements. In the first case, you use bar items, in the latter - bar item links. Refer to the links below to learn more.
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Actions | |
Actions are commands that tell a Bar Manager to perform specific operations, such as creating bars, bar items and bar item links, or modifying the existing structure of a Bar Manager. Actions are defined in resources and thus can be shared between multiple windows or even applications. See the following link to learn more.
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Runtime Customization | |
This section illustrates how to grant your end-users access to both hidden & visible bars and bar commands, and allow them to adjust required bar options.
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Miscellaneous | |
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