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

title, ms.date, dev_langs, helpviewer_keywords, ms.assetid

title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Enable AutoComplete in ToolStrip Controls	03/30/2017	csharp vb	AutoComplete [Windows Forms], examples toolbars [Windows Forms], AutoComplete examples [Windows Forms], toolbars AutoComplete [Windows Forms], enabling in toolbars ToolStripComboBox class [Windows Forms], examples ToolStrip control [Windows Forms], AutoComplete	fd66d085-1af1-45d4-930a-cde944da2e16

How to: Enable AutoComplete in ToolStrip Controls in Windows Forms

The following procedure combines a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripLabel with a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripComboBox that can be dropped down to show a list of items, such as recently visited Web sites. If the user types a character that matches the first character of one of the items in the list, the item is immediately displayed.

Note

Automatic completion works with ToolStrip controls in the same way that it works with traditional controls such as xref:System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox and xref:System.Windows.Forms.TextBox.

To enable AutoComplete in a ToolStrip control

1. Create a xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip control and add items to it.

   ToolStrip1 = New System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip  
   ToolStrip1.Items.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem()_  
       {ToolStripLabel1, ToolStripComboBox1})  
   

   toolStrip1 = new System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip();  
   toolStrip1.Items.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem[]
       {toolStripLabel1, toolStripComboBox1});  
   

2. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.Overflow%2A property of the label and the combo box to xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never so that the list is always available regardless of the form's size.

   ToolStripLabel1.Overflow = _  
       System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never  
   ToolStripComboBox1.Overflow = _  
       System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never  
   

   toolStripLabel1.Overflow = _  
       System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never  
   toolStripComboBox1.Overflow = System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItemOverflow.Never  
   

3. Add words to the Items collection of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripComboBox control.

   ToolStripComboBox1.Items.AddRange(New Object() {"First Item", _  
       "Second Item", "Third Item"})  
   

   toolStripComboBox1.Items.AddRange(new object[] {"First item", "Second item", "Third item"});  
   

4. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.AutoCompleteMode%2A property of the combo box to xref:System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteMode.Append.

   ToolStripComboBox1.AutoCompleteMode = _  
       System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteMode.Append  
   

   toolStripComboBox1.AutoCompleteMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteMode.Append;  
   

5. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox.AutoCompleteSource%2A property of the combo box to xref:System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteSource.ListItems.

   ToolStripComboBox1.AutoCompleteSource = _  
       System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteSource.ListItems  
   

   toolStripComboBox1.AutoCompleteSource = System.Windows.Forms.AutoCompleteSource.ListItems;  
   

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripLabel
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripComboBox
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripComboBox.AutoCompleteMode%2A
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripComboBox.AutoCompleteSource%2A
• ToolStrip Control Overview
• ToolStrip Control Architecture
• ToolStrip Technology Summary