Custom UI colour scheme for Windows Forms .NET

The easyest way to customise you display of your ToolStrip, MainMenu and StatusBar is to use a custom ColorTable.

Just inherit from the ProfessionalColorRenderer and override what you want, with the colors you want:

   1:  Public Class MortgagesPlcColorTable

   2:          Inherits ProfessionalColorTable

   3:   

   4:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ButtonCheckedHighlightBorder() As System.Drawing.Color

   5:              Get

   6:                  Return MyBase.ButtonCheckedHighlightBorder

   7:              End Get

   8:          End Property

   9:   

  10:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property MenuItemPressedGradientMiddle() As System.Drawing.Color

  11:              Get

  12:                  Return Color.FromArgb(91, 91, 91)

  13:              End Get

  14:          End Property

  15:   

  16:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ToolStripContentPanelGradientBegin() As System.Drawing.Color

  17:              Get

  18:                  Return Color.FromArgb(80, 80, 80)

  19:              End Get

  20:          End Property

  21:   

  22:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ToolStripContentPanelGradientEnd() As System.Drawing.Color

  23:              Get

  24:                  Return Color.WhiteSmoke

  25:              End Get

  26:          End Property

  27:   

  28:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ToolStripDropDownBackground() As System.Drawing.Color

  29:              Get

  30:                  Return Color.FromArgb(91, 91, 91)

  31:              End Get

  32:          End Property

  33:   

  34:          Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ToolStripGradientBegin() As System.Drawing.Color

  35:              Get

  36:                  Return Color.FromArgb(80, 80, 80)

  37:              End Get

  38:          End Property

  39:   

  40:      End Class

Once you have done this, all you need now is to add it to your contols:

   1:          System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripManager.Renderer = New ToolStripProfessionalRenderer(New MortgagesPlc.Windows.Forms.MortgagesPlcColorTable)

All done! If you have problems you can inherit from the ToolStrip control and change the renderer in the constructor…

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