Besides a menu, most applications include a status bar. The old StatusBar control could be cranky, and you were limited on the functionality you could provide. The StatusStrip control is a completely different story. Not only can you provide the standard label, but you can also choose a ProgressBar, DropDownButton, or SplitButton as StatusStrip entries. The ProgressBar is something that developers have used in the past, but adding on is extremely convenient now; I envision many developers adding them to keep users informed about long-running tasks.

The DropDownButton and SplitButton are the most interesting new StatusStrip entries. The DropDownButton provides a list of selections. Imagine having a list of common application options, that are either on or off, as part of this list. When the user clicks the list item the first time, the entry is checked and turned on — clicking a second time turns the option back off. You can also use this feature to select a mode. For example, you might choose between an original document, original with markup, final, or final document with markup when text editing a document using a DropDownButton or SplitButton.

Appearance and functionality are both important ways to improve user efficiency and reduce support calls today. The DropDownButton and SplitButton controls let you choose between an image, image and text, or plain text using the DisplayStyle property. You enter the list of acceptable entries using the DropDownItems property. This property uses the same Items Collection Editor as the MenuStrip (the one shown in Figure 2). Figure 3 shows a SplitButton control I put together to monitor the keyboard button status.

Figure 3: Grouping features using a SplitButton can make using an application easier.

Using ToolStrips Directly

The ToolStrip control replaces the ToolBar you used in the past. As with the other new controls described in this article, you add a new item by selecting it from the SplitButton control in the next position on the ToolStrip.

Figure 4 shows the amazing list of controls that you can add to a ToolStrip.

Figure 4: ToolStrip controls offer the greatest flexibility in control use and make applications look better than ever before.

You can combine various controls to achieve specific results. For example, combine a Label, TextBox, and Button control, and you can create a search entry on a ToolStrip like the one shown in Figure 5. When the user clicks the button, the application can create a new document, based on a WebBrowser control, to display online help.

Actually, you could use this kind of search for just about any task. For example, I created a special search application for locating products on Amazon using Amazon Web Services.

Figure 5: Combine controls to create specific ToolStrip effects within your application.

Of course, the addition of a ProgressBar to the ToolStrip might raise questions for some developers. Generally, I'd use the ProgressBar on the StatusStrip for background and outgoing tasks. For example, you could show the progress of saving a file to disk or performing a spelling and grammar check. The ProgressBar on the ToolStrip is more noticeable, as it's in the user's direct line of focus. Consequently, you'd use this ProgressBar for incoming and foreground tasks. For example, you might display the status of an online search or a product enhancement using a ProgressBar on the ToolStrip.