A Toobar Color Picker

• Download demo - 6.79 KB
• Download source - 19.39 KB

Thera are many Color Pickers on this site, but I did not find any color picker base on MenuItem. So, I have written a Color Picker based on MenuItem.

Background

In Visual Studio .NET 2003, the MenuItem class contains a property Break. The Break property is to create a new menuitem where each menu is placed next to each other horizontally instead of in a vertical list.

The Break property is to create a menu where each menu is placed next to each other horizontally instead of in a vertical list.

I use the property to make this picker.

Using the Picker

First copy the CtxCol class into your project.

Declare a variable for the CtxCol.

In the Load Event, create a new instance and set the Context Menu or DropDownMenu of ToolbarButton to the declared variable.

private CtxCol ccol;

private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    ccol = new CtxCol(rtf);      
    tbcol.DropDownMenu = ccol; // the toolbar button
    rtf.ContextMenu = ccol;
}

That's all.

CtxCol.cs Code

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data;

namespace TlbColPic
{    /// <summary>
    /// Summary description for CtxColl.
    /// </summary>
    public class CtxCol :ContextMenu
    {
        #region Declares
        
        private RichTextBox rtf;
        
        private MenuItemC m1 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,0,0),"Black");
        private MenuItemC m2 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(128,0,0),"DarkRed");
        private MenuItemC m3 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,0,0),"Red");
        private MenuItemC m4 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,0,255),"Pink");
        private MenuItemC m5 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,153,204),"Rose");
        private MenuItemC m6 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(153,51,0),"Brown");
        private MenuItemC m7 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,102,0),"Orange");
        private MenuItemC m8 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,153,0),"LightOrange");
        private MenuItemC m9 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,204,0),"Gold");
        private MenuItemC m10 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,204,153),"Tan");
        private MenuItemC m11 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(51,51,0),"Ollive Green");
        private MenuItemC m12 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(128,128,0),"DarkYellow");
        private MenuItemC m13 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(153,204,0),"Lime");
        private MenuItemC m14 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(255,255,0),"Yellow");
        private MenuItemC m15 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,255,153),"LightYellow");
        private MenuItemC m16 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(0,51,0),"DarkGreen");
        private MenuItemC m17 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,128,0),"Green");
        private MenuItemC m18 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(51,153,102),"SeaGreen");
        private MenuItemC m19 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(0,255,0),"BrightGreen");
        private MenuItemC m20 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(204,255,204),"LightGreen");


        private MenuItemC m21 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,51,102),"Dark Teal");
        private MenuItemC m22 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(128,0,0),"Teal");
        private MenuItemC m23 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(51,204,204),"Aqua");
        private MenuItemC m24 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,255,255),"Turquoise");
        private MenuItemC m25 = 
		new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(204,255,255),"Light Turquoise");
        private MenuItemC m26 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,0,128),"Dark Blue");
        private MenuItemC m27 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,0,225),"Blue");
        private MenuItemC m28 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(51,102,255),"Light Blue");
        private MenuItemC m29 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(0,204,255),"Sky Blue");
        private MenuItemC m30 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(153,204,255),"Pale Blue");
        private MenuItemC m31 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(51,51,153),"Indigo");
        private MenuItemC m32 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(102,102,153),"Blue-Gray");
        private MenuItemC m33 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(128,0,128),"Violet");
        private MenuItemC m34 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(153,51,102),"Plum");
        private MenuItemC m35 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(204,153,255),"Lavender");
        private MenuItemC m36 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(51,51,51),"Gray-80%");
        private MenuItemC m37 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(128,128,128),"Gray-50%");
        private MenuItemC m38 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(153,153,153),"Gray-40%");
        private MenuItemC m39 = new MenuItemC( Color.FromArgb(192,192,192),"Gray-25%");
        private MenuItemC m40 = new MenuItemC(Color.FromArgb(255,255,255),"White");
        private MenuItemC mt = new MenuItemC(Color.Black,"More Colors..");
        #endregion

        private Pen border=new Pen(Color.FromArgb(0,0,128));

        public CtxCol(RichTextBox _rtf)
        {
            LoadCtx();            
            rtf = _rtf;            
        }

        private void LoadCtx()
        {
            MenuItems.AddRange(new MenuItemC[]{m1,m2,m3,m4,m5,m6,m7,
					m8,m9,m10,m11,m12,m13,
                                              m14,m15,m16,m17,m18,m19,m20 ,
                                              m21,m22,m23,m24,m25,m26,m27,
					m28,m29,m30,m31,m32,m33,
                                              m34,m35,m36,m37,m38,m39,m40
                                              });            
            m6.Break = true;
            m11.Break = true;
            m16.Break = true;
            m21.Break = true;
            m26.Break = true;
            m31.Break = true;
            m36.Break = true;                    

            for(int i = 0; i < MenuItems.Count; i ++)
            {
                MenuItem m = MenuItems[i];
                m.OwnerDraw = true;
                m.Click +=new EventHandler(m_Click);
                m.DrawItem +=new DrawItemEventHandler(m_DrawItem);
                m.MeasureItem +=new MeasureItemEventHandler(m_MeasureItem);
            }
        }

        private void m_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            MenuItemC mi = (MenuItemC)sender;
            Color c = mi.Color;
            
            
            if(mi.ColorName != "More Colors..")
            {
                if(rtf != null)
                    rtf.SelectionColor = c;
            }
            else
            {
                ColorDialog coldlg = new ColorDialog();
                coldlg.Color = rtf.SelectionColor;
                if(coldlg.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
                {
                    if(rtf != null)
                        rtf.SelectionColor = coldlg.Color;
                }
            }
        }

        private void m_DrawItem(object sender, DrawItemEventArgs e)
        {
            MenuItemC mi = (MenuItemC)sender;

            Color c = mi.Color;        

            Rectangle rct = e.Bounds;
        
            if(mi.ColorName != "More Colors..")
            {
                e.Graphics.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(Color.White),rct);
                rct.Inflate(-3,-3);
                e.Graphics.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(c),rct);
                e.Graphics.DrawRectangle
		(new Pen(new SolidBrush(SystemColors.ControlDark),1),rct);
            }
            else
            {
                rct.Inflate(-3,-3);
                e.Graphics.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(Color.White),e.Bounds);
                DrawText(e.Graphics,rct,mi.ColorName);                
            }

            if ( (e.State & DrawItemState.Selected) == DrawItemState.Selected )
            {                
                if(mi.ColorName == "More Colors..")
                {
                    try
                    {
                        Rectangle r = e.Bounds;
                        r.Inflate(-1,-1);
                        e.Graphics.FillRectangle
			(new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(255,244,204)),r);
                        e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(border,r);
                        DrawText(e.Graphics,rct,mi.ColorName);
                    }
                    catch(Exception ex)
                    {
                        rtf.Text = ex.ToString();
                        return;
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    rct.Inflate(2,2);
                    e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(new Pen
				(new SolidBrush(Color.Blue),1),rct);
                }            
            }
            else
            {
                
            }
            
            e.Graphics.Dispose();
        }

        private void m_MeasureItem(object sender, MeasureItemEventArgs e)
        {
            MenuItemC mi = (MenuItemC)sender;
            
            if(mi.ColorName != "More Colors..")
            {
                e.ItemWidth = 5;
                e.ItemHeight = 15;
            }
            else
            {
                SizeF f = e.Graphics.MeasureString
			(mi.ColorName,SystemInformation.MenuFont);
                e.ItemWidth = (int)f.Width +8;
                e.ItemHeight = (int)f.Height  + 12;
            }
        }

        private void DrawText(Graphics g,Rectangle rec,string text)
        {
            string st = text;
            StringFormat str = new StringFormat();
            
            
            str.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center;
            str.LineAlignment = StringAlignment.Center;
            g.DrawString(st, SystemInformation.MenuFont,
				new SolidBrush(Color.Black),rec,
                str);
            g.Dispose();
        }
    }

    public class MenuItemC: MenuItem
    {
        private string colname;
        private Color col;
        public MenuItemC(Color _col, string cname)
        {
            col = _col;
            colname = cname;
            Text = colname;
        }

        public Color Color
        {
            get
            {
                return col;
            }
            set
            {
                col = value;
            }
        }

        public string ColorName
        {
            get
            {
                return colname;
            }
            set
            {
                colname = value;
            }
        }
    }
}

Problems

There are two problems that I found:

1. The source project format is VS.NET 2005 but the controls and classes are of VS.NET 2003 format. I use the MenuItem class because MenuItemStrip of VS.NET 2005 does not contain Break property.
2. I have added a MenuItem named "More Colors..". If you click this Item, a color dialog will be opened for picking more colors. But the problem found is an Error when the state is selected. So I did not add the item to the class. I spent a lot of time trying to correct this but I can't. If you can solve the problem, please post the solution in the message board below. To add the menuitem, open CtxCol.cs and add mt at the end of the MenuItems.AddRange methods. Or copy the code in the LoadCtx() method.

MenuItems.AddRange(new MenuItemC[]{m1,m2,m3,m4,m5,m6,m7,m8,m9,m10,m11,m12,m13,
                     	m14,m15,m16,m17,m18,m19,m20 ,
                		m21,m22,m23,m24,m25,m26,m27,m28,m29,m30,m31,m32,m33,
                		m34,m35,m36,m37,m38,m39,m40,mt}); 

Conclusion

My homeland is not America or any other English-speaking country. Please forgive the incorrect English. AND I am not also a good developer. I have sent this article for solving the problems that I have described.

Wishing you to be hale and hearty.

History

• 21^st September, 2007: Initial post