UI Automation Support for the MenuBar Control Type
This topic provides information about Microsoft UI Automation support for the MenuBar control type.
Menu bar controls are an example of controls that implement the MenuBar control type. Menu bars provide a means for users to activate commands and options contained in an application.
The following sections define the required UI Automation tree structure, properties, control patterns, and events for the MenuBar control type. The UI Automation requirements apply to all menu bar controls, whether Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft Win32, or Windows Forms.
This topic contains the following sections.
- Required UI Automation Tree Structure
- Required UI Automation Properties
- Required UI Automation Control Patterns
- Required UI Automation Events
- Related Topics
Required UI Automation Tree Structure
The following table depicts the control view and the content view of the UI Automation tree that pertains to menu bar controls and describes what can be contained in each view. For more information about the UI Automation tree, see UI Automation Tree Overview.
| Control View | Content View |
|---|---|
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Menu bar controls can contain other controls such as edit controls and combo boxes within its structure. These additional controls correspond to the "other controls" listed above in the control and content views.
Required UI Automation Properties
The following table lists the UI Automation properties whose value or definition is especially relevant to the MenuBar control type. For more information about UI Automation properties, see UI Automation Properties for Clients.
| UI Automation Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UIA_AcceleratorKeyPropertyId | NULL | Menu bars never have accelerator keys. |
| UIA_AccessKeyPropertyId | "ALT" | Pressing the ALT key should always bring focus to the menu bar within the application. |
| UIA_BoundingRectanglePropertyId | See notes. | The value exposed by this property must include all of the controls contained within it. |
| UIA_ControlTypePropertyId | MenuBar | This value is the same for all UI frameworks. |
| UIA_HelpTextPropertyId | See notes. | No scenarios for when Help text is required for a menu bar control. |
| UIA_IsContentElementPropertyId | TRUE | The menu bar control is always included in the content view of the UI Automation tree. |
| UIA_IsControlElementPropertyId | TRUE | The menu bar control is always included in the control view of the UI Automation tree. |
| UIA_IsKeyboardFocusablePropertyId | TRUE | Menu bar controls are keyboard-focusable because the controls they contain can take keyboard focus. |
| UIA_IsOffscreenPropertyId | See notes. | The value of this property depends on whether the control is viewable on the screen. |
| UIA_LabeledByPropertyId | NULL | Menu bar controls never have a label. |
| UIA_LocalizedControlTypePropertyId | See notes. | Localized string corresponding to the MenuBar control type. The default value is "menu bar" for en-US or English (United States). |
| UIA_NamePropertyId | See notes. | The menu bar control does not need a name unless an application has more than one menu bar. If there is more than one menu bar in an application, use this property to expose distinguishing names, such as "Formatting" or "Outlining." |
| UIA_OrientationPropertyId | Depends | This property exposes whether the menu bar control is horizontal or vertical. |
Required UI Automation Control Patterns
The following table lists the UI Automation control patterns required to be supported by menu bar controls. For more information on control patterns, see UI Automation Control Patterns Overview.
| Control Pattern/Pattern Property | Support/Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IExpandCollapseProvider | Depends | If the control can be expanded or collapsed, implement IExpandCollapseProvider. |
| IDockProvider | Depends | If the control can be docked to different parts of the screen, implement IDockProvider. |
| ITransformProvider | Depends | If the control can be resized, rotated or moved it must implement ITransformProvider. |
Required UI Automation Events
The following table lists the UI Automation events that menu bar controls are required to support. For more information on events, see UI Automation Events Overview.
| UI Automation Event | Notes |
|---|---|
| UIA_AutomationFocusChangedEventId | None |
| UIA_BoundingRectanglePropertyId property-changed event. | None |
| UIA_ExpandCollapseExpandCollapseStatePropertyId property-changed event. | If the control supports the ExpandCollapse control pattern, it must support this event. |
| UIA_IsEnabledPropertyId property-changed event. | If the control supports the IsEnabled property, it must support this event. |
| UIA_IsOffscreenPropertyId property-changed event. | UIA_IsOffscreenPropertyId |
| UIA_StructureChangedEventId | None |