Using Menus and Toolbars

Using a graphical user interface (GUI) to interact with and navigate programs is one of the greatest features of Windows. Despite this, a number of Windows users still rely primarily on the keyboard, preferring to use the mouse only when absolutely necessary. Data-entry people in particular never take their hands off the keyboard. Many software companies receive support calls from angry customers because a commonly used function is accessible only by using the mouse. Menus are the easiest way to navigate your program for a user who relies on the keyboard, and Visual Basic 2008 makes it easier than ever to create menus for your applications. In this chapter, you'll learn how to build, manipulate, and program menus on a form. In addition, I'll teach you how to use the Toolbar control to create attractive and functional toolbars. Finally, you'll learn how to finish a form with a status bar.

Chapter 7.1: Building Menus

The menu-building capabilities of Visual Basic 2008 are far beyond those of previous versions of Visual Basic. Read more...

Chapter 7.2: Using the Toolbar Control

Toolbars are one of the easiest ways for a user to access program functions. Read more...

Chapter 7.3: Creating a Status Bar

The Status Bar isn't nearly as fancy, or even as useful, as other controls such as the ToolStrip or MenuStrip. Read more...