How to create vertical navigation bar in Windows Forms?

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Surely there are many options for creating such layout in windows forms. Here I share some good options for Vertical Menu, Center Container and Content Holder.

Vertical Menu

You have many options including these 2 good options:

  • ToolStrip component which its Dock property set to Left. Also items of the menu can have images, and you can set to show images before text or above text. You can make one item checked on click and uncheck other items. This way it’s obvious which one is active menu.
  • Panel control containing some RadioButton controls. The Dock property of panel is set to Left and it contains some RadionButton controls which you set its Appearance to Button and its Dock property of them to Top. You can set the FlatAppearance of radio buttons to System or Flat. Also radio buttons can show images before or above text.

Center Container

You can use a Panel as container. Set Dock property of the container panel to Fill.

Content Holder

Like menu, you have many options including these 2 good options:

  • You can use different TabPages of a TabControl as content holders. Put different contents in different tab of the control. You can hide tab headers and also you can disable shortcut keys which makes navigation between tabs. Then it’s enough to set selected tab of the control based on selected menu.

  • You can use different Forms as content holders. Put different contents in different forms. Then you can show a form in the content panel based on selected menu. To show a form in content panel, it’s enough to set TopLevel property of forms to false and set FormBorderStyle of them to None and the add them to center container controls collection and show the form. You can show and hide forms based on selected menu.

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