Sharing MenuStrip between Forms

Question

I have a question a litle bit connected with this one: How to create navigation inside program Form - noob alert again.

I'm trying to create a navigation inside c# program like a dynamic dropdown menu on website. I'm using diferent C# Forms like each and every one one was a different webpage with content.

Is is posible to share menustrip with navigation between Forms? (simplest web similarity: include('menu.php') - put everything into one file I inlcude on every webpage )

Otherwise it would require to copy menustrip to each new Form (then MenuStrip changes, and then what? Copy them again ? :) )

Answer 1

You can do it via joining tabs with Srip Meni like this:

//make tabs invisible (so you wont see them changing)
private void HideAllTabsOnTabControl(TabControl theTabControl)
{
    theTabControl.Appearance = TabAppearance.FlatButtons;
    theTabControl.ItemSize = new Size(0, 1);
    theTabControl.SizeMode = TabSizeMode.Fixed;
}

//hide all tabs
private void hide_all_tabs() {
    Tab_content.TabPages.Remove(tabPage1);
    Tab_content.TabPages.Remove(tabPage2);
    Tab_content.TabPages.Remove(tabPage3);
    Tab_content.TabPages.Remove(tabPage4);
}
private void materiałyQCToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    hide_all_tabs(); //hide everything
    Tab_content.TabPages.Add(tabPage1); //schow just first tab
}
private void analizatoryQCToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    hide_all_tabs();
    Tab_content.TabPages.Add(tabPage2);
}
private void QCzDzisiajToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    hide_all_tabs();
    Tab_content.TabPages.Add(tabPage3);
}
private void standlabToolStripMenuItem_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    hide_all_tabs();
    Tab_content.TabPages.Add(tabPage4);
}

Answer 2

For instance, if you want to share items between a ContextMenu and the main Form MenuStrip

MenuStrip without items

ContextMenu items

ContextMenu with copied items from ContextMenu

On main Form you can do:

ToolStripMenuItem toolStripMoved;
ToolStripItem[] itemsArrayMoved;

private void Edit_DropDownOpening(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    var doc = DockPanel.GetDocuments().FirstOrDefault(t => t.Visible) as DockDocument;
    if (doc != null)
    {
        toolStripMoved = doc.ContextMenuStrip.Items["Edit"] as ToolStripMenuItem;
        if (toolStripMoved != null)
        {
            var menu = (sender as ToolStripMenuItem);
            itemsArrayMoved = Helper.GetAllChildren(toolStripMoved);
            foreach (ToolStripItem item in itemsArrayMoved)
            {
                if (item.Name.Equals("Edit") == false)
                    menu.DropDownItems.Add(item);
            }
        }
    }
}

private void Edit_DropDownClosed(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (toolStripMoved != null)
    {
        foreach (ToolStripItem item in itemsArrayMoved)
        {
            if (item.Name.Equals("Edit") == false)
                toolStripMoved.DropDownItems.Add(item);
        }
    }
}

static private ToolStripItem[] GetAllChildren(ToolStripItem item)
{
    List<ToolStripItem> Items = new List<ToolStripItem>() { item };
    if (item is ToolStripMenuItem)
        foreach (ToolStripItem i in ((ToolStripMenuItem)item).DropDownItems)
            Items.AddRange(GetAllChildren(i));
    else if (item is ToolStripSplitButton)
        foreach (ToolStripItem i in ((ToolStripSplitButton)item).DropDownItems)
            Items.AddRange(GetAllChildren(i));
    else if (item is ToolStripDropDownButton)
        foreach (ToolStripItem i in ((ToolStripDropDownButton)item).DropDownItems)
            Items.AddRange(GetAllChildren(i));
    return Items.ToArray();
}