RibbonForm Class

A form that integrates a RibbonControl.

Namespace: DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon

Assembly: DevExpress.XtraBars.v25.1.dll

NuGet Package: DevExpress.Win.Navigation

Declaration

C#
VB.NET

public class RibbonForm :
    XtraForm,
    ISupportGlassRegions,
    IBarObjectContainer,
    ISupportFormShadow

Public Class RibbonForm
    Inherits XtraForm
    Implements ISupportGlassRegions,
               IBarObjectContainer,
               ISupportFormShadow

Remarks

A RibbonForm derives from the XtraForm class with the integrated Ribbon UI.

WinForms Ribbon Form, DevExpress

using DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon;

namespace MyApp {
    public partial class MainForm : RibbonForm {
        public MainForm() {
            InitializeComponent();
            InitializeRibbon();
        }

        void InitializeRibbon() {
            // Set application and document captions.
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationCaption = "My Application";
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationDocumentCaption = "Home Page";
            // Create and customize the BackstageViewControl at design time.
            // Attach the BackstageViewControl to the RibbonControl.
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationButtonDropDownControl = backstageViewControl1;
        }
    }
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon

Namespace MyApp
    Partial Public Class MainForm
        Inherits RibbonForm

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
            InitializeRibbon()
        End Sub

        Private Sub InitializeRibbon()
            ' Set application and document captions.
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationCaption = "My Application"
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationDocumentCaption = "Home Page"
            ' Create and customize the BackstageViewControl at design time.
            ' Attach the BackstageViewControl to the RibbonControl.
            ribbonControl1.ApplicationButtonDropDownControl = backstageViewControl1
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

Use the following properties to replicate the side navigation layout of Microsoft Outlook for Windows:

NavigationControl - specifies the navigation control as a side navigation element (such as an AccordionControl, NavigationPane, or ToolboxControl).
NavigationControlLayoutMode - Aligns the side navigation relative to the form’s title.

The following code snippet creates a side navigation inspired by the new Microsoft Outlook:

C#
VB.NET

using DevExpress.XtraBars.Navigation;
using DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon;
using System.Windows.Forms;

namespace DXApplication {
    public partial class Form1 : RibbonForm {
        AccordionControl accordion;
        public Form1() {
            InitializeComponent();
            accordion = new AccordionControl() { Dock = DockStyle.Left };
            this.Controls.Add(accordion);
            this.NavigationControl = accordion;
            this.NavigationControlLayoutMode = RibbonFormNavigationControlLayoutMode.StretchToFormTitle;
            CreateAccordionItems();
        }
        void CreateAccordionItems() {
            AccordionControlElement group1 = new AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Group) {
                Name = "group1",
                Text = "Contacts",
                Expanded = true
            };
            AccordionControlElement item1 = new AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Item) {
                Name = "itemCustomers",
                Text = "Customers",
            };
            AccordionControlElement item2 = new AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Item) {
                Name = "itemEmployees",
                Text = "Employees"
            };

            group1.Elements.AddRange(new AccordionControlElement[] { item1, item2 });
            accordion.Elements.Add(group1);
        }
    }
}

Imports DevExpress.XtraBars.Navigation
Imports DevExpress.XtraBars.Ribbon
Imports System.Windows.Forms

Namespace DXApplication
    Public Partial Class Form1
        Inherits RibbonForm

        Private accordion As AccordionControl

        Public Sub New()
            InitializeComponent()
            accordion = New AccordionControl() With {.Dock = DockStyle.Left}
            Me.Controls.Add(accordion)
            Me.NavigationControl = accordion
            Me.NavigationControlLayoutMode = RibbonFormNavigationControlLayoutMode.StretchToFormTitle
            CreateAccordionItems()
        End Sub

        Private Sub CreateAccordionItems()
            Dim group1 As New AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Group) With {
                .Name = "group1",
                .Text = "Contacts",
                .Expanded = True
            }
            Dim item1 As New AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Item) With {
                .Name = "itemCustomers",
                .Text = "Customers"
            }
            Dim item2 As New AccordionControlElement(ElementStyle.Item) With {
                .Name = "itemEmployees",
                .Text = "Employees"
            }

            group1.Elements.AddRange(New AccordionControlElement() {item1, item2})
            accordion.Elements.Add(group1)
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

RibbonFormNavigationControlLayoutMode.StretchToTop

Dual Captions

The form header consists of two parts that allow you to specify the application name and the name of the active document:

Display application name: RibbonControl.ApplicationCaption
Display document name: RibbonControl.ApplicationDocumentCaption

Application Button

In Office 2007 style, the Application Button is displayed within the title bar. In other styles, the button is displayed below the title bar.

Show/Hide the Button

Use the ShowApplicationButton property to show or hide the Application button:

// Show the Application Button.
ribbonControl1.ShowApplicationButton = DevExpress.Utils.DefaultBoolean.True;

// Hide the Application Button
ribbonControl1.ShowApplicationButton = DevExpress.Utils.DefaultBoolean.False;

Assign a Drop-Down Control

Use the ApplicationButtonDropDownControl property to display a drop-down control when the user clicks the Application Button. You can attach a BackstageViewControl or a custom menu:

// Attach a BackstageViewControl created at design time.
ribbonControl1.ApplicationButtonDropDownControl = backstageViewControl1;

// Or attach a custom popup menu.
// ribbonControl.ApplicationButtonDropDownControl = myPopupMenu;

Handle Button Click

Use the ApplicationButtonClick event to run custom code when the user clicks the button:

ribbonControl1.ApplicationButtonClick += (sender, e) => {
    // Insert your logic here.
    MessageBox.Show("Application Button clicked");
};

Specific Notes

The RibbonForm does not support RightToLeftLayout and RightToLeft properties.
Do not set the RibbonForm’s FormBorderStyle property to None.
Do not add a BarManager to a RibbonForm.

Important

When a DockManager is placed on a RibbonForm, you may notice slow performance during control startup rendering for complex projects. To resolve the issue, call the DockManager.ForceInitialize method on form loading.