Problem with RibbonBar after upgrade to Q3 2012 SP1

[Sandi Markon]

Please see attached files.

[Sandi Markon]

Removed problematic code, resized image to 31x31, added image again and it works.

[Plamen]

Hi Sandi,

Thank you for writing.

I am glad that the issue you were facing is now resolved.

This issue is caused by the fact that we changed the internal element structure in some of our controls in Q3 2012. This changes causes issues in properties serialized through the Element Hierarchy Editor at design time. Removing these serialized properties should solve the issue, just like it did in your case.

I hope that you find this information useful.

Kind regards,
Plamen
the Telerik team

[Don]

Something like this has happened with nearly every release for over a year now. Worse yet is that Telerik is usually aware of these issues, having consciously decided to make the change(s) that cause them in the first place, but does not disclose them in the Release Notes. In fact, these issues are only revealed publicly when a thread in the forums is created asking for assistance in dealing with them!

I like Telerik's WinForms controls and the speed with which customers' issues are handled, but I am getting very tired of playing 'what will break my app this time' with each new release. Something is going to have to change very soon.

[Stefan]

Hello Don,

Indeed, sometimes we introduce breaking changes in our controls. However, I can assure that that all of them are necessary in order to allow the enhancements the functionality requested by our users. We always strive to keep breaking changes at the possible minimum. However, changes accumulate with time and that is why we encourage our customers to keep their versions in sync with our latest release.
 
Greetings,
Stefan
the Telerik team

[Don]

I don't doubt the changes are necessary. My issue is with the hide-and-seek way that the effects and remedies for these changes are made known to Telerik's customers. The Release Notes are very good at showing what was fixed for each control, but they would be even better if they pointed out the changes that will be necessary on the users' part to upgrade applications to allow those applications to use the latest version of the Telerik controls.

For instance, Telerik made changes to the RibbonBar control that will require users that have implemented previous versions of the RibbonBar to take some actions in order to allow their applications to use the current version of the RibbonBar in the Q3 2012 SP1 release. The actions required of the users should have been disclosed in the Release Notes for Q3 2012 SP1 as Telerik was already aware of what needed to be done to mitigate the changes made for the latest release of the RibbonBar.

Instead, users attempt to upgrade their controls, try to build their applications using the new version and are left scratching their heads as to what went wrong this time. The users then turn to the Telerik forums or create Telerik support tickets in an attempt to find out why the upgrade of the Telerik controls broke their application. All of which could have been avoided by disclosing the necessary actions to be taken to ensure a successful in the Release Notes.

All I'm asking for is that if Telerik makes changes to their controls that they know will break applications using earlier versions of those controls AND Telerik knows what needs to be taken to allow applications using the earlier versions of the controls to use the latest version of the controls, then put that information in the Release Notes. I believe it would save a lot of people, both Telerik support staff and customers alike, an awful lot of time and trouble.

[Stefan]

Hello Don,

Thank you for your constructive feedback. It completely makes sense. I will pass it to the responsible department and they will take it into consideration in future uploads of the Release notes.

Regards,
Stefan
the Telerik team

[jed]

Hi..

the upgrade also scrambled my RibbonBar, see attached.

i don't change anything at runtime, and the only changed Properties are Text/Padding/Image.

any idea how to fix this? ist there a reset ribbon without changing the buttons (there are many many) rebuild/order will me take days

i used the upgrade wizard and there were no errors

thanks in advance

[Stefan]

Hello Jed,

I am not able to determine what caused such a layout in your application. What I would suggest is to open a new support ticket where you can send us a sample application together with the exact steps that we need to follow in order to reproduce this behavior. Once we are able to do that, we will investigate the reasons causing it and we will get back to you with the result.
 
All the best,
Stefan
the Telerik team

[Shaun]

Hi,

The following code, which I got from the forums, no longer works when I upgrade to the latest version :-

Telerik.WinControls.UI.RadQuickAccessToolBar.InnerItem item = this.RibbonBar.RibbonBarElement.QuickAccessToolBar.GetInnerItem();             
item.Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

Could you please let me know how to do this in the latest version.

Thank you,

Shaun

[Plamen]

Hello Shaun,

Thank you for writing.

You could set the Visibility property of the QuickAccessToolBar, which gets or sets a value indicating element visibility. Setting this property affects also the children of the element. Collapsed means the element and its children would not be painted and would not be calculated in the layout. Note, that this property has no effect in design-time on objects. Here is a code snippet:

this.radRibbonBar1.RibbonBarElement.QuickAccessToolBar.Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

In Q3 2012 SP1 (version 2012.3.1211) we have changed the internal control element structure for allowing better theming support. Please see the following link to our Release History: http://www.telerik.com/products/winforms/whats-new/release-history/q3-2012-sp1-version-2012-3-1211-3078762224.aspx.

I hope you find my information useful. Please excuse us for the introduced inconvenience.

Regards,
Plamen
the Telerik team

[jed]

Hi Stefan,

i reverted back to 1017 because i had no time.

i found some code that could affect the new structure:

radRibbonBar1.CommandTabs.Remove(ribbonTab1);
radRibbonBar1.CommandTabs.Remove(ribbonTab2);
radRibbonBar1.CommandTabs.Remove(ribbonTab3);

and then adding them again for example without Tab2

radRibbonBar1.CommandTabs.Add(ribbonTab1);
radRibbonBar1.CommandTabs.Add(ribbonTab3);

could this lead to the screenshot above? is there a better/newer way to do it?

i will build a test-dev with the new forms, but it could take a while

[Plamen]

Hi jed,

Thank you for writing.

The provided information was not enough for me to recreate the described issue and a screen shot is missing from your post. I will be glad, if you manage to isolate the problem in a sample project together with the exact steps that I need to perform in order to reproduce it and get back to me with it. This will help me to locate the issue and find a proper solution for you.

I am waiting for your response.

All the best,
Plamen
the Telerik team

[Shaun]

Hi Plamen,

Thank you for the solution, I now have problems where the following code no longer works.

//remove the title bar
 radRibbonBar2.RibbonBarElement.Children[1].Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;
 //remove the start button
 radRibbonBar2.RibbonBarElement.Children[3].Children[1].Children[1].Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

 //remove the title bar
 radRibbonBar3.RibbonBarElement.Children[1].Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

 //remove the start button
 radRibbonBar3.RibbonBarElement.Children[3].Children[1].Children[1].Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

 

 

[Shaun]

Hi Plamen,

I have found the solution to the previous problem.

Thanks,

Shaun

[Plamen]

Hello Shaun,

I am glad that the issue you were facing is now resolved.

As to the elements, tou can use the following code snippet, which sets the Visibility of the RadQuickAccessToolBar and ActionButtonElement elements to Collapsed:

// hide the RadQuickAccessToolBar

this.radRibbonBar1.RibbonBarElement.QuickAccessToolBar.Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

 

// hide the ActionButtonElement

this.radRibbonBar1.RibbonBarElement.ApplicationButtonElement.ActionButton.Visibility = Telerik.WinControls.ElementVisibility.Collapsed;

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have other questions.

Kind regards,
Plamen
the Telerik team