ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide

BUILDING APPLICATIONS WITH THE ARCGIS CONTROLS
The modeless CustomizeDialog box for
ToolbarControl
Toolbars, and ESRI Controls Menus component categories. If
required you can change the CustomizeDialog to use alternative
component categories. The end user can add these commands,
toolsets, and menus to the ToolbarControl either by dragging and
dropping them onto the ToolbarControl or double-clicking them.
The CustomizeDialog is modeless to allow the user to interact
with the ToolbarControl. When the CustomizeDialog is launched
with the StartDialog method, the method call returns immediately
while the CustomizeDialog remains open on the screen. To keep a
reference to the CustomizeDialog while it is open, it is sensible
practice to store a class-level variable to the CustomizeDialog and
to listen to its ICustomizeDialogEvents. Refer to the ‘Building
applications’ scenarios in Chapter 6, ‘Developer scenarios’, to see
how to display the CustomizeDialog when the ToolbarControl is in
customize mode.
OperationStack
The ToolbarControl has an OperationStack that is used to manage undo and redo
functionality. Operations are added to the operation stack by each ToolbarItem’s
underlying command so the operation can be rolled forward and rolled back as
desired. For example, when a graphic element is moved, the operation can be
undone by moving the graphic back to its original location. Whether or not a
command makes use of an OperationStack depends on its implementation.
Typically, you create a single ControlsOperationStack for an application (by
default, the OperationStack property is Nothing) and sets it into each
ToolbarControl. Undo and Redo commands can be added to the ToolbarControl that
proceed through the OperationStack.
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT THE TOOLBARCONTROL
While building applications with the ToolbarControl can quickly provide pieces of
a framework similar to the ArcGIS Desktop application framework, there are
times when the ToolbarControl is not required for an application:
• The visual appearance of the ToolbarControl may not match that of the application.
• The overhead of implementing Command objects for the ToolbarControl is not
required.
• There is an existing application framework present in the application.
• The ToolbarControl and the commands it hosts do not easily work across multiple
buddy controls.
In such circumstances, you must work directly with the MapControl,
PageLayoutControl, SceneControl, GlobeControl, or ReaderControl. Any additional user
interface components needed by the application, such as command buttons,
status bars, and list boxes, may be supplied by development environment.
54 • ArcGIS Engine Developer Guide