StatusStrip

The StatusStrip control provides an area where the application can display brief status information. Usually the StatusStrip is at the bottom of the form, as shown in Figure G-22.

Figure G-22: The StatusStrip control allows a program to display status information.

The StatusStrip can contain several kinds of objects such as drop-down buttons, progress bars, and panels. These objects are represented by different kinds of controls contained in the form. For example, a progress bar is represented by a ToolStripProgressBar control.

You can edit a StatusStrip much as you edit a MenuStrip. When you click on the StatusStrip, a box appears that contains the text “Type Here.” Enter the text that you want to display on this object and press Enter. Click an object and then click the little action arrow on the object’s right edge to change the object’s type (progress bar, panel, and so forth) and to configure the item.

You can also edit an object’s properties in the Properties window. Simply click on the object and then use the Properties window to change its appearance.

The StatusStrip control provides access to the objects it contains through its Items collection. If you click the ellipsis to the right of this property in the Properties window, the Items Collection Editor shown in Figure G-23 appears.

Figure G-23: The Items Collection Editor lets you edit the objects contained within a StatusStrip control.

To make new items, select the type of object you want to add from the drop-down in the upper left and click the Add button. Click an item and use the other buttons to move or delete it. Use the properties grid on the right to modify the object’s appearance.

The following list shows the types of objects you can add to a StatusStrip control:

 StatusStripPanel          ToolStripDropDownButton        ToolStripSeparator ToolStripButton           ToolStripLabel                 ToolStripSplitButton ToolStripComboBox         ToolStripProgressBar           ToolStripTextBox

See the online help (msdn2.microsoft.com/library/system.windows.forms.statusstrip.aspx) for more information about these classes and the StatusStrip control.