The eXContextMenu component provides a customizable context menu (also known as a shortcut, popup, or right-click menu) for graphical user interfaces. Unlike system-provided context menus, eXContextMenu is built entirely from scratch and does not rely on the system's popup menu functionality.
One key advantage is its modal behavior: instead of requiring event handlers for each menu item, the component can wait until the user completes their selection and then returns the selected values. Unlike standard context
menus, such as .NET's System.Windows.Controls.ContextMenu, which close immediately when an item is clicked, eXContextMenu allows users to interact with multiple items, such as toggling several checkboxes. The menu closes only when the user clicks outside of it, ensuring a more flexible and interactive experience.
Features include:
1. Skinnable and Visual Customization
- Skinnable Interface support (ability to apply a skin to any item)
- Ability to define the round frame for the context menu using EBN objects
- Partially Translucent support
- HTML support, including text decorations like shadow, outline, or gradient text
- Images / Icons support
- Multi-lines HTML Tooltip support for any item
2. Interactivity and Input Fields
- Ability to assign interactive fields to any item:
- BUTTON, Triggers an action or command when clicked
- DROP-DOWN BUTTON, Displays a menu or sub-items
- EDIT, Allows the user to enter free-form text
- MASK, Provides formatted input (dates, IPs, etc.)
- COLOR, Provides a color picker
- FONT, Allows font selection
- SPIN, Numeric up/down spinner
- SLIDER, Graphical slider input
- SCROLLBAR, Adds scrolling capability
- PROGRESS, Visual progress indicator
- Check box / Radio button support
- Ability to use any ActiveX control inside sub menus
3. Behavior and User Interaction
- Ability to wait for user to select one or more values (modal mode)
- Ability to specify when to close the context menu (not limited to a single click)
- Ability to scroll the menu items
- Ability to group the items, so a sub-menu can be shown in the current item
4. Accessibility and Navigation
- Keyboard and Mouse Wheel support
- Incremental Search / Shortcut Keys support (filter items matching typed characters)
5. Data Binding and Serialization
- Ability to load/save the menu from strings like "Item 1[bld],Item2[chk]" without calling the Add method
- Ability to query the entire menu for all items being checked, radio buttons, items with EDIT fields, etc.
The eXContextMenu supports the following properties and methods:
| | Name | Description | |
| | AllowToggleRadio | Allows or prevents toggling the radio state. | |
| | AllowToolTip | Allows or prevents showing the item's tooltip. | |
| | Appearance | Retrieves or sets the control's appearance. | |
| | AttachTemplate | Attaches a script to the current object, including the events, from a string, file, a safe array of bytes. | |
| | BackColor | Specifies the control's background color. | |
| | Background | Returns or sets a value that indicates the background color for parts in the control. | |
| | CloseOnClick | Gets or sets a value that specifies whether the context menu is closing. | |
| | Cursor | Gets or sets the cursor that is displayed when the mouse pointer hovers the control. | |
| | Debug | Retrieves or sets a value that indicating whether the item's identifier is visible. | |
| | EventParam | Retrieves or sets a value that indicates the current's event parameter. | |
| | ExecuteTemplate | Executes a template and returns the result. | |
| | FlatBackColor | Specifies the color to left part of the menu. | |
| | FlatImageWidth | Specifies the width of the column to display the icons/images when the control's MenuAppearance is exMenuFlat. | |
| | Font | Retrieves or sets the control's font. | |
| | ForeColor | Specifies the control's foreground color. | |
| | Get | Retrieves an array of Item objects that meet the criteria. | |
| | GetChecked | Retrieves an array of Item objects, that displays a check box which is checked. | |
| | GetRadio | Retrieves an array of Item objects of radio type in the same group, that are checked. | |
| | GetUnchecked | Retrieves an array of Item objects, that displays a check box which is unchecked. | |
| | HTMLPicture | Adds or replaces a picture in HTML captions. | |
| | Images | Sets at runtime the control's image list. The Handle should be a handle to an Images List Control. | |
| | ImageSize | Retrieves or sets the size of icons the control displays. | |
| | IncrementalSearch | Specifies how the control searches for the objects while user types characters. | |
| | item | Returns a specific Item object giving its identifier or caption. | |
| | Items | Retrieves the control's Items collection. | |
| | LocalAppearance | Retrieves or sets the local popup's appearance. | |
| | MenuAppearance | Retrieves or sets a value that indicates the menu's appearance. | |
| | Notifier | Retrieves or sets the handle of the window that receives notifications/WM_COMMAND messages. | |
| | Picture | Retrieves or sets a graphic to be displayed in the control. | |
| | PictureDisplay | Retrieves or sets a value that indicates the way how the graphic is displayed on the control's background | |
| | Refresh | Refreses the control. | |
| | ReplaceIcon | Adds a new icon, replaces an icon or clears the control's image list. | |
| | SelBackColor | Retrieves or sets a value that indicates the selection background color. | |
| | Select | Displays the shortcut menu at the specified location and tracks the selection of items on the menu. | |
| | SelForeColor | Retrieves or sets a value that indicates the selection foreground color. | |
| | ShowCheckedAsSelected | Specifies whether the checked items shows as selected. | |
| | ShowCheckedAsSelectedTransparency | Specifies the transparency ( percent ) to show the checked items when selected. | |
| | ShowPopupArrow | Indicates the type of the arrow to be shown when the item displays the sub-menu. | |
| | ShowPopupEffect | Specifies the effect to show the popup menu when clicking an item, such as scrolling, lighting up, and so on. | |
| | Template | Specifies the control's template. | |
| | TemplateDef | Defines inside variables for the next Template/ExecuteTemplate call. | |
| | TemplatePut | Defines inside variables for the next Template/ExecuteTemplate call. | |
| | ToolTipDelay | Specifies the time in ms that passes before the ToolTip appears. | |
| | ToolTipFont | Retrieves or sets the tooltip's font. | |
| | ToolTipPopDelay | Specifies the period in ms of time the ToolTip remains visible if the mouse pointer is stationary within a control. | |
| | ToolTipWidth | Specifies a value that indicates the width of the tooltip window, in pixels. | |
| | ToString | Loads or saves the Items collection using string representation (shortcut of Items.ToString property). | |
| | UseVisualTheme | Specifies whether the control uses the current visual theme to display certain UI parts. | |
| | Version | Retrieves the control's version. | |
| | Visibility | Specify the popup's visibility in percents: 90% is barely visible, and 10% is nearly opaque. | |
| | VisualAppearance | Retrieves the control's appearance. | |
