CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#.netwinformssystem-tray
xyz
xyz

Reputation: 27837

How can I make a .NET Windows Forms application that only runs in the System Tray?

What do I need to do to make a Windows Forms application to be able to run in the System Tray?

Not an application that can be minimized to the tray, but an application that will be only exist in the tray, with nothing more than

Upvotes: 274

Views: 260232

Answers (13)

Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman

Reputation: 1167

"System tray" application is just a regular win forms application, only difference is that it creates an icon in Windows system tray area. In order to create "sys.tray" icon, use "NotifyIcon" component. You can find it in Toolbox(Common controls), and modify it's properties: Icon, tool tip. Also it enables you to handle mouse click and double click messages.

And One more thing, in order to achieve look and feels or standard tray app, add following lines to the main form show event:

private void MainForm_Shown(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized;
    Hide();
}

Upvotes: 16

Evolved
Evolved

Reputation: 609

Here is how I did it with Visual Studio 2010, .NET 4

  1. Create a Windows Forms Application, set 'Make single instance application' in properties
  2. Add a ContextMenuStrip
  3. Add some entries to the context menu strip, double click on them to get the handlers, for example, 'exit' (double click) -> handler -> me.Close()
  4. Add a NotifyIcon, in the designer set contextMenuStrip to the one you just created, pick an icon (you can find some in the Visual Studio folder under 'common7...')
  5. Set properties for the form in the designer: FormBorderStyle:none, ShowIcon:false, ShowInTaskbar:false, Opacity:0%, WindowState:Minimized
  6. Add Me.Visible=false at the end of Form1_Load, this will hide the icon when using Ctrl + Tab
  7. Run and adjust as needed.

Upvotes: 5

MarredCheese
MarredCheese

Reputation: 20811

.NET Core

I adapted the accepted answer to .NET Core, using the recommended replacements for deprecated classes:

  • ContextMenu -> ContextMenuStrip
  • MenuItem -> ToolStripMenuItem

Program.cs

namespace TrayOnlyWinFormsDemo
{
    internal static class Program
    {
        [STAThread]
        static void Main()
        {
            ApplicationConfiguration.Initialize();
            Application.Run(new MyCustomApplicationContext());
        }
    }
}

MyCustomApplicationContext.cs

using TrayOnlyWinFormsDemo.Properties;  // Needed for Resources.AppIcon

namespace TrayOnlyWinFormsDemo
{
    public class MyCustomApplicationContext : ApplicationContext
    {
        private NotifyIcon trayIcon;

        public MyCustomApplicationContext()
        {
            trayIcon = new NotifyIcon()
            {
                Icon = Resources.AppIcon,
                ContextMenuStrip = new ContextMenuStrip()
                {
                    Items = { new ToolStripMenuItem("Exit", null, Exit) }
                },
                Visible = true
            };
        }

        void Exit(object? sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            trayIcon.Visible = false;
            Application.Exit();
        }
    }
}

Upvotes: 26

Post Impatica
Post Impatica

Reputation: 16393

In .Net 6 I had to work the guts of my class like this:

private NotifyIcon trayIcon;
private ContextMenuStrip contextMenu1;
private ToolStripMenuItem menuItem1;

public MyCustomApplicationContext()
{
    contextMenu1 = new System.Windows.Forms.ContextMenuStrip();
    menuItem1 = new System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem();
    this.menuItem1.Text = "E&xit";
    this.menuItem1.Click += new System.EventHandler(Exit);
    this.contextMenu1.Items.AddRange(
            new System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem[] {this.menuItem1 });
    trayIcon = new NotifyIcon(){Icon = Resources.AppIcon, ContextMenuStrip = this.contextMenu1, Visible = true };            

}

Upvotes: 3

Ronny Alfonso
Ronny Alfonso

Reputation: 135

You can create the form, modify it then pass it to the Application.Run as a parameter. :

    internal static class Program
    {
        /// <summary>
        ///  The main entry point for the application.
        /// </summary>
        [STAThread]
        static void Main()
        {
            ApplicationConfiguration.Initialize();
            var form = new Form1();
            form.Hide();
            form.Opacity = 0;
            form.ShowInTaskbar = false;
            Application.Run(form);
        }
    }

Add your NotifyIcon and ContextMenu (if needed) to your form at design time as a regular app. Make sure your Notifyicon is Visible and has an icon associated. This will also let you work with a form that you may need later for any reason

Upvotes: 1

Nico
Nico

Reputation: 61

notifyIcon1->ContextMenu = gcnew

System::Windows::Forms::ContextMenu();
System::Windows::Forms::MenuItem^ nIItem = gcnew
System::Windows::Forms::MenuItem("Open");

nIItem->Click += gcnew System::EventHandler(this, &your_class::Open_NotifyIcon);

notifyIcon1->ContextMenu->MenuItems->Add(nIItem);

Upvotes: 0

Wolf5
Wolf5

Reputation: 17140

  1. Create a new Windows Application with the wizard.
  2. Delete Form1 from the code.
  3. Remove the code in Program.cs starting up the Form1.
  4. Use the NotifyIcon class to create your system tray icon (assign an icon to it).
  5. Add a contextmenu to it.
  6. Or react to NotifyIcon's mouseclick and differenciate between Right and Left click, setting your contextmenu and showing it for which ever button (right/left) was pressed.
  7. Application.Run() to keep the app running with Application.Exit() to quit. Or a bool bRunning = true; while(bRunning){Application.DoEvents(); Thread.Sleep(10);}. Then set bRunning = false; to exit the app.

Upvotes: 14

YTerle
YTerle

Reputation: 2696

Simply add

this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized;
this.ShowInTaskbar = false;

to your form object. You will see only an icon at system tray.

Upvotes: 0

XWiśniowiecki
XWiśniowiecki

Reputation: 1843

It is very friendly framework for Notification Area Application... it is enough to add NotificationIcon to base form and change auto-generated code to code below:

public partial class Form1 : Form
{
    private bool hidden = false;

    public Form1()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        this.ShowInTaskbar = false;
        //this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized;
        this.Hide();
        hidden = true;
    }

    private void notifyIcon1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (hidden) // this.WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized)
        {
            // this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal;
            this.Show();
            hidden = false;
        }
        else
        {
            // this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized;
            this.Hide();
            hidden = true;
        }
    }
}

Upvotes: 4

Fawzan Izy
Fawzan Izy

Reputation: 1850

The code project article Creating a Tasktray Application gives a very simple explanation and example of creating an application that only ever exists in the System Tray.

Basically change the Application.Run(new Form1()); line in Program.cs to instead start up a class that inherits from ApplicationContext, and have the constructor for that class initialize a NotifyIcon

static class Program
{
    /// <summary>
    /// The main entry point for the application.
    /// </summary>
    [STAThread]
    static void Main()
    {
        Application.EnableVisualStyles();
        Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);

        Application.Run(new MyCustomApplicationContext());
    }
}


public class MyCustomApplicationContext : ApplicationContext
{
    private NotifyIcon trayIcon;

    public MyCustomApplicationContext ()
    {
        // Initialize Tray Icon
        trayIcon = new NotifyIcon()
        {
            Icon = Resources.AppIcon,
            ContextMenu = new ContextMenu(new MenuItem[] {
                new MenuItem("Exit", Exit)
            }),
            Visible = true
        };
    }

    void Exit(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Hide tray icon, otherwise it will remain shown until user mouses over it
        trayIcon.Visible = false;

        Application.Exit();
    }
}

Upvotes: 151

M.Turrini
M.Turrini

Reputation: 738

I've wrote a traybar app with .NET 1.1 and I didn't need a form.
First of all, set the startup object of the project as a Sub Main, defined in a module.
Then create programmatically the components: the NotifyIcon and ContextMenu.
Be sure to include a MenuItem "Quit" or similar.
Bind the ContextMenu to the NotifyIcon.
Invoke Application.Run().
In the event handler for the Quit MenuItem be sure to call set NotifyIcon.Visible = False, then Application.Exit(). Add what you need to the ContextMenu and handle properly :)

Upvotes: 16

ChrisF
ChrisF

Reputation: 137148

As mat1t says - you need to add a NotifyIcon to your application and then use something like the following code to set the tooltip and context menu:

this.notifyIcon.Text = "This is the tooltip";
this.notifyIcon.ContextMenu = new ContextMenu();
this.notifyIcon.ContextMenu.MenuItems.Add(new MenuItem("Option 1", new EventHandler(handler_method)));

This code shows the icon in the system tray only:

this.notifyIcon.Visible = true;  // Shows the notify icon in the system tray

The following will be needed if you have a form (for whatever reason):

this.ShowInTaskbar = false;  // Removes the application from the taskbar
Hide();

The right click to get the context menu is handled automatically, but if you want to do some action on a left click you'll need to add a Click handler:

    private void notifyIcon_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        var eventArgs = e as MouseEventArgs;
        switch (eventArgs.Button)
        {
            // Left click to reactivate
            case MouseButtons.Left:
                // Do your stuff
                break;
        }
    }

Upvotes: 19

Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples

Reputation: 8058

As far as I'm aware you have to still write the application using a form, but have no controls on the form and never set it visible. Use the NotifyIcon (an MSDN sample of which can be found here) to write your application.

Upvotes: 9

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