Creating a Simple-Mode Status Bar

A simple-mode status bar, such as the one shown in Figure 1-2, is useful for displaying a one-line description of a menu item as the user highlights the item or for displaying diagnostic information. To create a simple-mode status bar from a multiple-part status bar, you must send an SB_SIMPLE message to the status bar (or use the MFC SetSimple member function). But bear in mind that simple-mode status bars do not support owner drawing—so no cute bitmaps in this case.

Figure 1-2.

A status bar in simple mode.

The string that a status bar displays in simple mode is maintained separately from the strings it displays when it is in multiple-part mode. Thus, as you can see in the STATUS sample, you can put the window in simple mode, set its text, and switch back to multiple-part mode without having to reset the text. The following code demonstrates how to set the status bar mode in response to a command sent through the Options menu. When you set the text in the status bar, you should set wParam to 255, which signals that this is a simple-mode status bar and that the string should be maintained separately from the strings originally used in the multiple-part status bar.

case WM_COMMAND:

switch (LOWORD(wParam))

{

case IDM_SIMPLE:

// Set the status bar to simple mode.

SendMessage (hWndStatus, SB_SIMPLE, (WPARAM)TRUE, 0L);

// Set the text of the status bar.

SendMessage (hWndStatus, SB_SETTEXT, 255, 

(LPARAM)"We are now in simple mode.");

// Check the Simple menu option.

CheckMenuItem (GetMenu (hWnd), IDM_SIMPLE, 

MF_CHECKED | MF_BYCOMMAND);

// Uncheck the Multiple menu option.

CheckMenuItem (GetMenu (hWnd), IDM_MULTIPLE, 

MF_UNCHECKED | MF_BYCOMMAND);

break;



case IDM_MULTIPLE:

// Reset the status bar to multiple-part mode.

SendMessage (hWndStatus, SB_SIMPLE, (WPARAM)FALSE, 0L);

// Uncheck the Simple menu option.

CheckMenuItem (GetMenu (hWnd), IDM_SIMPLE, 

MF_UNCHECKED | MF_BYCOMMAND);

// Check the Multiple menu option.

CheckMenuItem (GetMenu (hWnd), IDM_MULTIPLE, 

MF_CHECKED | MF_BYCOMMAND);

break;

These operations are very similar in the MFC version of the sample. In that version, however, the SetSimple member function assumes TRUE by default, so I did not pass any parameters when I set my status bar to simple mode. When I reset the status bar to be multiple-part, I simply passed FALSE as the parameter.