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Ribbon

  • 6 minutes to read

The Ribbon Control implements the Ribbon UI, which was first introduced in Microsoft Office 2007. The Ribbon UI is an alternative to the standard bars and hierarchical menu model in applications. It is designed to improve application usability by grouping menu commands into pages and categories.

RibbonControl - Overview

When compared with the standard bars and menu model, the Ribbon Control has the following advantages.

  • Simplified user interface.
  • Easy and quick access to commands.
  • The new UI is more compact than the equivalent interface implemented using traditional bars.

Note

Using regular bars (a BarManager component) and a RibbonControl within the same form/user control is not recommended, since Bar Manager and Ribbon Control components may conflict with each other. Use either a Bar Manager or a Ribbon Control in a single form/user control.

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#The Ribbon UI

Four separate solutions that when used together, create a solid user interface that fully emulates the MS Office experience.

Ribbon Control
A control with tabbed pages, divided into groups that contain buttons, editors, check boxes and other UI elements.
Ribbon Form
A DevExpress form specially designed to be used along with the Ribbon Control.
Ribbon Status Bar
A thin bar docked to the form’s bottom. Typically displays status information, zoom controls, etc.
Ribbon Styles
The Ribbon Control supports a set of styles that differ in appearance as well as behavior.

#Visual Elements

The list below enumerates visual elements provided by the Ribbon Control.

Ribbon Visual elements

Page Categories
Page Categories are the topmost containers that host Ribbon Pages. Two types of Page Categories are available - regular categories that host regular pages and custom categories for contextual pages (see below). Custom categories can be highlighted with custom colors.
Pages
Ribbon Pages are tabs divided into page groups. There can be regular pages visible to end-users at all times, and contextual pages shown only upon certain events (e.g., when an end-user selects an image).
Page Groups
A page group is a group of bar item links and/or galleries within a Ribbon Page. Page Groups are designed to combine commands have something in common (e.g., modifying the current font or applying different document formats).
Quick Access Toolbar
The Ribbon Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is a customizable element which is designed to provide end-users with one-click access to the most important and used features. QAT is integrated into the form title bar when using the Ribbon Form and is unavailable if the ‘Office Universal’ Ribbon Style is applied.
Page Header Items
Bar items that are embedded into the tab header area. Any bar item type (a button, editor, static text, gallery item, etc) can be embedded.
Application Button
A button that invokes an application’s main menu.

#Items and Links

DevExpress Ribbon shares the item - item link concept introduced in the Bar Manager. This concept allows you to create each element (command, check button, label, editor, sub-menu item, etc.) just once, and if needed, add links to this item to other page groups and menus without the necessity to create duplicate elements for each new location.

Ribbon items and links

What are Bar Items and Bar Item Links?
The overview article that explains in detail the difference between items and links.
The List of Bar Items and Links
A complete item/item link list.
Accessing Bar Items and Links
Explains how to manage items and item links at both design time and runtime.
Button Groups
Demonstrates how to break down a page group into multiple sub-groups that contain individual item links.
Bar Item Display Options
Enumerates item display variations.
Bar Item Behavior Options
Explains how to respond to end-user clicks on item links depending on the parent bar item’s type.

#Galleries

Ribbon galleries are designed to display image lists within a Ribbon Control. Gallery items behave similarly to items in a regular menu: a click on a gallery item invokes a specific event, which you can handle to implement custom logic. For each gallery item, it’s also possible to provide text descriptions. In addition, galleries support hover images and tooltips.

Ribbon Galleries

Gallery Controls
An overview article that briefly describes all gallery types included in the XtraBars Library.
Gallery Items
Another overview document that outlines concepts shared by all gallery items.
Customizing Galleries at Design Time
Demonstrates how to modify galleries at design time.
In-Ribbon Galleries
In-Ribbon galleries are displayed directly within Ribbon Page Groups.
Dropdown Galleries
Displayed as popup windows, these galleries are shown when end-users click drop-down buttons displayed by In-Ribbon Galleries.

End-users invoke main application menus by clicking the Ribbon’s Application Button. You may choose one of two menu types, depending on the style applied.

Ribbon Main Menus

Application Menu
A simple pop-up menu seen in Microsoft Office 2007 products.
BackstageView Control
A main menu variation introduced by Microsoft in Office 2010. Comes with two embedded styles that affect the menu appearance and behavior.
Recent Item Control
A satellite control for building complex content within BackstageView Controls.

#Ribbon Designer

The Ribbon Control provides an advanced Designer dialog which allows you to customize Ribbon items, a Quick Access Toolbar, status bar, menus, gallery controls, etc. The designer provides several pages which relate to particular aspects of the control. This section combines articles that describe each of these pages.

#Runtime Capabilities

This section groups articles dedicated to runtime features provided by the Ribbon.

Key Tips
Key tips are keyboard shortcuts shown on screen when end-users press Alt or F10. These elements provide quick keyboard access for Ribbon pages, commands and menus.
Runtime Customization
End-users are allowed to customize a Ribbon at runtime. Customized layout variations can be saved to local storage and re-used later.
Ribbon Merging
Parent and child MDI forms can contain their own Ribbon Controls and RibbonStatusBars that provide specific bar items. The merging feature allows the Ribbon Control and status bar of a child MDI form to be merged into the main form’s Ribbon Control and status bar.
Touch Support
An article dedicated to built-in support for touch-input devices.

#Miscellaneous

Best Practices
Contains recommendations on creating a thorough and good-looking Ribbon UI.
Converting Bars to Ribbon
Demonstrates how to upgrade traditional toolbars to Ribbon.
Office Inspired UI
An overview article that lists other Office-inspired controls by DevExpress.
Examples
A set of task-based how-to’s.