A Cool Looking Menu For Easier Navigation

Download Source Code and Demo

Features:

• Unlimited entries
• Displays 32X32 Icons with text
• Text wraps to multiple line
• Button pops up when the mouse is on the image
• Owner Drawn and easily customize the source!
• Can be used in SDI or MDI

Usage Instructions:

Open the project in which you want to add this feature. From the Project menu, select Add To Project and then Components & Controls. From Developer Studio Components, select Dialog Bar component and click insert. When prompted, change the name of the dialog bar to ContentMenu and the member variable to m_wndContentMenu.

Also change the default docking side to left and click OK and close all the Component Gallery windows.

Now, open the CG_IDD_CONTENTMENU from the dialog resource and replace the default TODO... static control with a new List Box (it is a list box and NOT list control). Change the default ID from IDC_LIST1 to IDC_LIST_CONTENTS in the property window. Also change the following style:

• Owner Draw - Variable
• No Sort
• Optionally - change the extended style to Modal Frame

1. Add the provided ContentMenu.cpp to the project and include the ContentMenu.h in the mainfrm.h.
2. Create a variable for the class CContentMenu in the CMainFrame object in mainfrm.h

       CContentMenu m_ContentMenu;
   

3. In the OnCreate function of CMainFrame, add the following code

       m_ContentMenu.SubclassDlgItem (IDC_LIST_CONTENTS, &m_wndContentBar); 
       m_ContentMenu.SetItems(ContentInfo, sizeof(ContentInfo) / sizeof(CONTENT_ITEMS)); 
   

   ContentInfo is a regular C structure defined in the mainfrm.cpp which holds the information about the items to be displayed. It is created as

       // Menu Information for the Content Bar 
       static CONTENT_ITEMS ContentInfo[] =
       { 
           {IDI_COMPOSE,  "Main View"}, 
           {IDI_FINISHED, "Another View"}, 
           {IDI_FILED,    "Another View"}, 
           {IDI_CALENDAR, "Another View"}, 
       }; 
   

   where IDI_... are the 32x32 icons.

Now, you should be able to compile and see how it works. To get the selection from the CMainFrame object, you have to add the code to handle the ON_LBN_SELCHANGE message. Normally, you would do this by using the Class Wizard, but in this case, you have to do it manually:

1. Add the following prototype in the mainfrm.h

       afx_msg void OnSelchangeListContents();
   

2. Add the following in mainfrm.cpp

       ON_LBN_SELCHANGE(IDC_LIST_CONTENTS, OnSelchangeListContents)
   

   before the line

       END_MESSAGE_MAP()
   

3. Add the following function also in mainfrm.cpp

       void CMainFrame::OnSelchangeListContents() 
       {
           switch (m_ContentMenu.GetCurSel())
           {
           case 0:
               AfxMessageBox("You have selected First Item");
               break;
   
           case 1:
               AfxMessageBox("You have selected Second Item");
               break;
   
           case 2:
               AfxMessageBox("You have selected Third Item");
               break;
   
           case 3:
               AfxMessageBox("You have selected Fourth Item");
               break;
           } 
       }
   

NOTE: THIS SOURCE CODE IS PROVIDED AS IS AND I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DELAYS OR DAMAGES CAUSED BY USING IT. USE AT OWN RISK.

Last updated: 10 May 1998