Tabbed MDI

This sample illustrates how to incorporate the tabbed MDI mode into your applications using the TabbedMDIManager class.

The Tabbed MDI Package provides a new tabbed MDI layout mode as an alternative to the default cascade and tiled modes.

This framework was built with great consideration for ease of use.  Now, you don't have to modify an existing MDI application to enable the tabbed MDI mode. With a single method call, you can switch between tabbed and regular MDI layout modes.

Features

• Multiple Tab Groups

The MDI children can be arranged horizontally or vertically, and tab groups are resizable, exactly as in Visual Studio.NET IDE.

• Customized Context Menu Items

Custom items can be added to an existing context menu item.

• Automatic State Persistence

Tabbed MDI has full state-persistence support. The tabbed MDI manager automatically persists tab groups and tab group sizes for use across application invocations.

• Multiple Tab Alignments

MDI tabs can be aligned along any desired edge of the main form.

• Style Settings

Visual styles of the MDI tabs can be changed. Some of the visual styles supported are 2-D, 3-D, Office 2003, Workbook Mode, Docking Whidbey Beta, VS 2005, One Note Style Renderer, and One Note Style Flat Tabs Renderer.

New tab styles, like Internet Explorer7, Office 2007, and Docking Whidbey, are also included.

• Drop-Down List Buttons

 The Tabbed MDI Package includes a VS 2005-style drop-down list button, which lists the MDI child windows, eliminating the usage of scroll buttons.

• Individual Close Buttons

Tabbed MDI provides the user with close buttons for individual tabs.

• Image Support

Tabbed MDI uses the UseIconsInTabs property, which indicates whether to use icons in tabs or not.

• Tab Group States Loading and Saving

  Tabbed MDI tab-group states can be saved and loaded accordingly when the application loads again. Load from or save the group state either in isolated storage (Default) or in any serializer mode supported.

• Custom Bar Items for Tabbed MDI Manager

  Custom bar items can be added to the tabbed MDI manager by accessing the parent-bar-item instance through the  this.tabbedMDIManager.ContextMenuItem.Items.Add(baritem) property.