docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/controls/how-to-manage-toolstrip-overflow-in-windows-forms.md

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How to: Manage ToolStrip Overflow	03/30/2017	csharp vb	ToolStrip control [Windows Forms], managing overflow toolbars [Windows Forms], managing overflow examples [Windows Forms], toolbars CanOverflow property	fa10e0ad-4cbf-4c0d-9082-359c2f855d4e

How to: Manage ToolStrip Overflow in Windows Forms

When all the items on a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control do not fit in the allotted space, you can enable overflow functionality on the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip and determine the overflow behavior of specific xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItems.

When you add xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItems that require more space than is allotted to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip given the form's current size, a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflowButton automatically appears on the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip. The xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflowButton appears, and overflow-enabled items are moved into the drop-down overflow menu. This allows you to customize and prioritize how your xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip items properly adjust to different form sizes. You can also change the appearance of your items when they fall into the overflow by using the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.Placement%2A and xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflow.DisplayedItems%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType properties and the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.LayoutCompleted event. If you enlarge the form at either design time or run time, more xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItems can be displayed on the main xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip and the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflowButton might even disappear until you decrease the size of the form.

To enable overflow on a ToolStrip control

• Ensure that the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.CanOverflow%2A property is not set to false for the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip. The default is True.

  When xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.CanOverflow%2A is True (the default), a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem is sent to the drop-down overflow menu when the content of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem exceeds the width of a horizontal xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip or the height of a vertical xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.

To specify overflow behavior of a specific ToolStripItem

• Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.Overflow%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem to the desired value. The possibilities are Always, Never, and AsNeeded. The default is AsNeeded.

  toolStripTextBox1.Overflow = _
  System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never
  

  toolStripTextBox1.Overflow = _
  System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never;
  

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripOverflowButton
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.Overflow%2A
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.CanOverflow%2A
• ToolStrip Control Overview
• ToolStrip Control Architecture
• ToolStrip Technology Summary