Implementing Syncfusion WinForms StatusStripEx

Component Overview

StatusStripEx (Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools.StatusStripEx) is an enhanced status strip control supporting:

• Two Item Types:
  • StatusControl Items: Right-aligned (StatusLabel, ProgressBar, DropDownButton, SplitButton, PanelItem, TrackBarItem)
  • Notification Items: Left-aligned (StatusStripButton, StatusStripLabel, StatusStripProgressBar, etc.)
• Office2007 Color Schemes: Silver, Blue, Black
• Office2016 Visual Styles: Colorful, White, Black, DarkGray
• Custom Managed Colors: Apply custom color themes
• Sizing Grip: Customizable resize grip at bottom-right corner
• Smart Tag Support: Quick item addition via designer
• Custom Context Menu: Word2007-style status bar context menu
• Ribbon Integration: Works seamlessly with RibbonControlAdv

Key Namespace: Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools

Assembly: Syncfusion.Tools.Windows.dll (and dependencies)

Documentation and Navigation Guide

Getting Started

📄 Read: references/getting-started.md

When to read: User needs to install, configure, or create their first StatusStripEx.

Topics covered:

• Assembly deployment and NuGet package installation
• Adding StatusStripEx via designer (toolbox)
• Adding StatusStripEx via code
• Docking to bottom of form or Ribbon
• Items Collection Editor for adding items
• Smart tag support for quick item addition
• Basic status strip setup

Status Items and Collections

📄 Read: references/status-items.md

When to read: User wants to add status labels, progress bars, buttons, or understand item positioning.

Topics covered:

• StatusControl items (right-aligned): StatusLabel, ProgressBar, DropDownButton, SplitButton, PanelItem, TrackBarItem
• Notification items (left-aligned): StatusStripButton, StatusStripLabel, StatusStripProgressBar, StatusStripDropDownButton, etc.
• Difference between StatusControl and Notification items
• Adding items programmatically via Items collection
• Item positioning and alignment strategies
• Using different item types effectively

Sizing Grip Customization

📄 Read: references/sizing-grip.md

When to read: User needs to show/hide sizing grip or customize grip appearance.

Topics covered:

• Sizing grip overview and purpose
• SizingGrip property (true/false)
• GripStyle property (Visible, Hidden)
• GripMargin property for spacing
• Customizing grip appearance
• When to show or hide sizing grip

Styling and Appearance

📄 Read: references/styling-and-appearance.md

When to read: User wants Office2007/2016 themes or custom status bar colors.

Topics covered:

• Office2007 color schemes (Silver, Blue, Black)
• OfficeColorScheme property usage
• Office2016 visual styles (Colorful, White, Black, DarkGray)
• VisualStyle property configuration
• Custom managed colors with ApplyManagedColors
• Custom context menu (Word2007-style)
• StatusString property for context menu items

Quick Start Example

Basic StatusStripEx with Items

using Syncfusion.Windows.Forms.Tools;
using System.Windows.Forms;

// Create StatusStripEx
StatusStripEx statusStripEx1 = new StatusStripEx();

// Create status label (right-aligned)
ToolStripStatusLabel statusLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
statusLabel.Text = "Ready";

// Create progress bar (right-aligned)
ToolStripProgressBar progressBar = new ToolStripProgressBar();
progressBar.Value = 50;

// Add items to StatusStripEx
statusStripEx1.Items.AddRange(new ToolStripItem[] {
    statusLabel,
    progressBar
});

// Dock to bottom
statusStripEx1.Dock = DockStyleEx.Bottom;

// Add to form
this.Controls.Add(statusStripEx1);

StatusStripEx with Office2016 Theme

// Apply Office2016 Colorful theme
statusStripEx1.VisualStyle = StatusStripExStyle.Office2016Colorful;

// Enable sizing grip
statusStripEx1.SizingGrip = true;
statusStripEx1.GripStyle = ToolStripGripStyle.Visible;

Common Patterns

Application Status Bar with Multiple Items

// Create StatusStripEx
StatusStripEx statusBar = new StatusStripEx();
statusBar.Dock = DockStyleEx.Bottom;

// Left-aligned notification item
ToolStripStatusLabel notificationLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
notificationLabel.Text = "Connection: Active";
notificationLabel.Spring = true;  // Fill available space

// Right-aligned status items
ToolStripStatusLabel recordLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
recordLabel.Text = "Records: 1,234";

ToolStripProgressBar loadingProgress = new ToolStripProgressBar();
loadingProgress.Visible = false;  // Show when loading

ToolStripStatusLabel zoomLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
zoomLabel.Text = "Zoom: 100%";

// Add all items
statusBar.Items.AddRange(new ToolStripItem[] {
    notificationLabel,
    recordLabel,
    loadingProgress,
    zoomLabel
});

this.Controls.Add(statusBar);

When to use: Multi-purpose status bar showing various application states.

Progress Indicator in Status Bar

// Status bar with progress tracking
StatusStripEx statusBar = new StatusStripEx();

ToolStripStatusLabel statusText = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
statusText.Text = "Processing...";

ToolStripProgressBar progressBar = new ToolStripProgressBar();
progressBar.Style = ProgressBarStyle.Continuous;
progressBar.Maximum = 100;

statusBar.Items.AddRange(new ToolStripItem[] { statusText, progressBar });
statusBar.Dock = DockStyleEx.Bottom;

// Update progress
void UpdateProgress(int percent)
{
    progressBar.Value = percent;
    statusText.Text = $"Processing... {percent}%";
}

When to use: Long-running operations requiring progress feedback.

Ribbon with StatusStripEx

// StatusStripEx at bottom of Ribbon form
StatusStripEx ribbonStatusBar = new StatusStripEx();
ribbonStatusBar.Dock = DockStyleEx.Bottom;

// Apply matching Office2016 theme
ribbonStatusBar.VisualStyle = StatusStripExStyle.Office2016Colorful;

// Add status items
ToolStripStatusLabel pageLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
pageLabel.Text = "Page 1 of 10";

ToolStripStatusLabel wordCount = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
wordCount.Text = "Words: 245";

ribbonStatusBar.Items.AddRange(new ToolStripItem[] { pageLabel, wordCount });

// Add to form (ensure it's added after Ribbon)
this.Controls.Add(ribbonStatusBar);

When to use: Ribbon-based applications requiring status information.

Custom Themed Status Bar

// Apply custom managed color
statusStripEx1.OfficeColorScheme = ToolStripEx.ColorScheme.Managed;
Office2007Colors.ApplyManagedColors(this, Color.DarkBlue);

// Custom context menu for status items
ToolStripStatusLabel statusLabel = new ToolStripStatusLabel();
statusLabel.Text = "Pages";
statusLabel.StatusString = "1/1";  // Shows in Word-style context menu

When to use: Branded applications with custom color schemes.

Key Properties

Core Properties

Styling Properties

Item Types

StatusControl Items (Right-Aligned):

• StatusLabel - Text label for status information
• ProgressBar - Progress indicator
• DropDownButton - Dropdown button for options
• SplitButton - Split button with dropdown
• PanelItem - Custom panel container
• TrackBarItem - Slider control

Notification Items (Left-Aligned):

• StatusStripButton - Button control
• StatusStripLabel - Text label
• StatusStripProgressBar - Progress indicator
• StatusStripDropDownButton - Dropdown button
• StatusStripSplitButton - Split button
• StatusStripPanelItem - Custom panel

Common Use Cases

1. Document Editor Status Bar

Scenario: Word-like editor showing page, word count, zoom.

• Add StatusLabel for page number (e.g., "Page 1 of 5")
• Add StatusLabel for word count (e.g., "Words: 1,234")
• Add TrackBarItem for zoom control
• Use Office2016Colorful theme for modern look
• Read: status-items.md, styling-and-appearance.md

2. Data Application with Record Count

Scenario: Database application showing record count and connection status.

• Left-aligned notification label for connection status
• Right-aligned label for record count
• ProgressBar for data loading operations
• Read: status-items.md

3. File Manager with Status Info

Scenario: File manager showing selected items, total size.

• StatusLabel: "5 items selected"
• StatusLabel: "Total: 2.5 GB"
• StatusLabel: "Free space: 150 GB"
• Read: getting-started.md

4. Application with Background Tasks

Scenario: Show background task progress in status bar.

• StatusStripLabel: Task description (left-aligned)
• StatusStripProgressBar: Task progress (left-aligned)
• Hide progress when task completes
• Read: status-items.md

5. Branded Application Status Bar

Scenario: Custom color theme matching brand identity.

• Set OfficeColorScheme to Managed
• Apply custom color via ApplyManagedColors
• Match status bar to application theme
• Read: styling-and-appearance.md

6. Ribbon Application Status Bar

Scenario: Status bar for RibbonControlAdv application.

• Dock StatusStripEx to bottom
• Match VisualStyle to Ribbon theme
• Add relevant status items (page, zoom, etc.)
• Read: getting-started.md, styling-and-appearance.md

Best Practices

1. Item Alignment: Use StatusControl items for right-aligned, Notification items for left-aligned
2. Theme Consistency: Match StatusStripEx style to application theme (Office2007/2016)
3. Sizing Grip: Enable for resizable forms, disable for fixed-size forms
4. Progress Indicators: Show ProgressBar only during operations, hide when complete
5. Spring Property: Use Spring=true on left items to push right items to the right
6. Item Count: Keep status bar items minimal (3-6 items) for clarity
7. Text Updates: Update status text dynamically to reflect application state
8. Ribbon Compatibility: Add StatusStripEx after Ribbon to ensure proper docking

See Also

• Syncfusion StatusStripEx Documentation
• StatusStripEx API Reference