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What's the proper way to minimize to tray a C# WinForms app?

Asked 2008-09-05T21:20:47.040
63

What is the proper way to minimize a WinForms app to the system tray?

Note: minimize to system tray; on the right side of the taskbar by the clock. I'm not asking about minimizing to taskbar, which is what happens when you hit the "minus" button on the window.

I've seen hackish solutions like, "minimize, set ShowInTaskbar = false, then show your NotifyIcon."

Solutions like that are hackish because the app doesn't appear to minimize to the tray like other apps, the code has to detect when to set ShowInTaskbar = true, among other issues.

What's the proper way to do this?

c# winforms trayicon
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3 Answers

1

Similar as above...

I have a resize event handler that is triggered whenever the window gets resized (Maximized, minimized, etc.)...

    public form1()
    {
       Initialize Component();

       this.Resize += new EventHanlder(form1_Resize);
    } 


    private void form1_Resize(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
       if (this.WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized && minimizeToTrayToolStripMenuItem.Checked == true)
       {
             NotificationIcon1.Visible = true;
             NotificationIcon1.BalloonTipText = "Tool Tip Text"
             NotificationIcon1.ShowBalloonTip(2);  //show balloon tip for 2 seconds
             NotificationIcon1.Text = "Balloon Text that shows when minimized to tray for 2 seconds";
             this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Minimized;
             this.ShowInTaskbar = false;
       }
    }

This allows the user to select whether or not they want to minimize to tray via a menubar. They can go to Windows -> and click on Minimize to Tray. If this is checked, and the window is being resized to Minimized, then it will minimize to the tray. Works flawlessly for me.

answered 2009-02-10T16:19:29.550
-1

In the constructor of the Form:

this.Resize += new EventHandler(MainForm_Minimize);

Then use this Event Handler method:

    private void MainForm_Minimize(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if(this.WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized)
            Hide();
    }
answered 2009-02-06T13:31:58.907
-1

If you are having problems getting this to work, check that you have

this.Resize += new System.EventHandler(this.Form1_Resize);

in the fom1.designer.cs

answered 2010-08-03T08:51:46.517

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