How can I use/get/draw this Office Style menu?

[Francisco Castanedo]

I would like to use this menu style (see attachement). Until I saw it being used by a non-Office program I thought it was some kind of Microsoft-only type of menu.

I haven´t a clue as how to get it done.

The Window has its own style also. Very neat.

Any Ideas?

[Michael Mattias]

For sure it's not a menu you build with any of the convetional DDT or SDK menu commands.

Looks like a window with a tab control, and each tab's contents have a bunch of controls on them.

To get it done?

Start with RegisterClass + CreateWindowEx. Then do lots more of same.

It is very nice-looking.

[Fred Buffington]

You might try using winspy to see if it can determine the controls.

[Francisco Castanedo]

It is called the Ribbon interface

I Just learned that this style is an interface created by microsoft. It is called the Ribbon Interface:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_(computing)

[Francisco Castanedo]

If anyone can make a working template of Ribbon to be used in my .exe apps made with PB9, I´ll be glad to pay for it. No kidding.

If interested send email to programacion at distribuidora3hp.com

[Edwin Knoppert]

There was an example how to reuse the mso dll which exposes this ribbon control (which requires office to be present).
There are also 3th party vendors selling a similar control.

It's an annoying control anyway

[Mr. Kevin Diggins]

it's an annoying control anyway

amen!

[George Bleck]

I loathe that control and would wish no other vendors to go down that path!

I'm not the only person who thinks this is a GUI faux pas, new is not always better.

http://www.dexodesign.com/2007/08/24/why-microsofts-ribbon-sucks/

[Walt Thompson]

Hi Francisco;

Is this any help?

'====================================================================
'
'  Ribbon Control.bas for PowerBASIC Compiler for Windows
'
'  Display controls on a ribbon.
'
'====================================================================
#COMPILER PBWIN 9
#COMPILE EXE
'--------------------------------------------------------------------
%Button0        = 2000
%Button1        = 2001
%Button2        = 2002
%Button3        = 2003
%Button4        = 2004
%Button5        = 2005
%Button6        = 2006
%Button7        = 2007
%Button8        = 2008
%Button9        = 2009
%ButtonA        = 2010
%ButtonB        = 2011
%ButtonC        = 2012
%ButtonD        = 2013
%ButtonE        = 2014
%ButtonF        = 2015
'--------------------------------------------------------------------


'********************************************************************
FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG
'--------------------------------------------------------------------
' Program entrance
'--------------------------------------------------------------------
  LOCAL hDlg    AS DWORD
  LOCAL File    AS DWORD
  LOCAL Font1   AS DWORD
  LOCAL DX      AS DWORD
  LOCAL DY      AS DWORD
  LOCAL GX      AS DWORD
  LOCAL GY      AS DWORD
  LOCAL hBmp1   AS DWORD
  LOCAL ImgX    AS DWORD
  LOCAL Imgy    AS DWORD
  LOCAL i       AS DWORD
  LOCAL j       AS DWORD
  LOCAL k       AS DWORD

  FONT NEW "Wingdings", 12, 0, 0 TO Font1
  '?"X: " + format$(ImgX) + $cr + "Y: " + format$(ImgY)

  DIALOG NEW PIXELS, 0, "Ribbon Control Demo",,, 800, 600, %WS_CAPTION OR %WS_SYSMENU, 0 TO hDlg
  DIALOG GET SIZE hDlg TO DX, DY

  GX = INT(DX / 16)
  GY = INT(DX / 32)
  j = 0
  k =&h35
  FOR i = %Button0 TO %ButtonF
    CONTROL ADD LABEL, hDlg, i,CHR$(k), j, 50, GX, GY, %SS_NOTIFY OR %SS_CENTER OR %SS_CENTERIMAGE
    CONTROL SET COLOR  hDlg, i, %BLUE, %CYAN
    CONTROL SET FONT   hDlg, i, Font1
    INCR k
    j = j + GX
  NEXT i

  DIALOG SHOW MODAL hDlg CALL DlgProc

END FUNCTION


'¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
CALLBACK FUNCTION DlgProc() AS LONG
'--------------------------------------------------------------------
' Main dialog callback procedure
'--------------------------------------------------------------------

  SELECT CASE CB.MSG
  CASE %WM_COMMAND
      SELECT CASE CB.CTL
      CASE %IDCANCEL
          IF CB.CTLMSG = %BN_CLICKED THEN
              DIALOG END CB.HNDL
          END IF
          EXIT SELECT
          
      CASE %Button0 TO %ButtonF
          IF CB.CTLMSG = %BN_CLICKED THEN
              ?"Buton: " + FORMAT$(CB.CTL) + " clicked!"
          END IF
      END SELECT

  END SELECT

END FUNCTION

[Jordi Vallès]

See the article: A Professional Ribbon You Will Use (Now with orb!) in

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/toolbars/WinFormsRibbon.aspx

Jordi

[Francisco Castanedo]

Hi Walter. It looks like a Primitive Ribbon. An idea that can be developed a little further but it is certainly not the Microsoft Scenic Ribbon control.

However, the link provided by Jordi is great. I do not program in C but it now seems closer to get there. Thanks Jordi.

If this can be put to work using PB, all that is left is to ask for a license to use it from Microsoft (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa973809.aspx) and we are done!.

[Brad D Byrne]

I'm sure you can do that very easily w/ Elias' eGrid: http://www.egrid32.com/

or maybe ask him in the 3rd party forum or the Cafe'