# RadToolBar Items Overview

**RadToolBar** Items can be **buttons**, **drop-downs** or **split buttons**. The sections below describe the most important properties of the three item-types.

## RadToolBarButton

The **RadToolBarButton** has a few important properties, which are listed below:

* **Text** is the string that the user sees for the button.

* **ToolTip** is the text of the tooltip that appears when the user hovers the mouse over the button.

> note Setting the tooltip can enable an accessibility feature: Special accessibility readers like JAWS can pronounce the tooltip of the highlighted item.

* **Value** is the value associated with the button.

* **CommandName** and **CommandArgument** let you associate a command with the button.

* **CheckOnClick** indicates whether the button has [two states](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/two-state-buttons): "checked" and "unchecked". When **CheckOnClick** is **True**, the user can change the state to "checked" by clicking on the button.

* **Checked** indicates whether the button is checked. A button can be checked only if the **CheckOnClick** property is set to **True**.

* **Group** lets you group toolbar buttons together so that they act like radio buttons.

* **AllowSelfUnCheck** lets the user turn off the checked state of a button by clicking. This property should not be set to **True** if the button is used in a group.

* **Enabled** determines whether the user can click the button to perform some task.

* **IsSeparator** turns the button into a [separator](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/appearance-and-styling/separators). Separators do not perform a task, but simply act to make visual distinctions in the layout of buttons in the toolbar or a drop-down list.

* **CssClass** is the name of a CSS style to be applied to the button. The style can be declared in the CSS file of the applied skin.

In addition to the built-in properties, you can add your own [custom attributes](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/custom-attributes) to the toolbar buttons to expand their functionality.

## RadToolBarDropDown

The **RadToolBarDropDown** object exposes a **Buttons** collection. In other words, the **RadToolBarDropDown** can contain **RadToolBarButtons**. Below are listed some of the most important properties of the **RadToolBarDropDown**:

* **Text** is the string that the user sees for the drop-down.

* **Enabled** indicates whether the user can expand/collapse the drop-down.

* **Visible** indicates whether the drop-down is visible or not.

* **CssClass** is the name of the CSS style to be applied to the drop-down. The style can be declared in the CSS file of the applied skin.

* **ToolTip** is the text of the tooltip that appears when the user hovers the mouse over the drop-down.

In addition to the built-in properties, you can add your own [custom attributes](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/custom-attributes) to drop-downs to expand their functionality.

## RadToolBarSplitButton

The **RadToolBarSplitButton** object also exposes a **Buttons** collection.

* **Text** is the string that the user sees for the split button.

* **EnableDefaultButton** lets you specify a button in the split button's **Buttons** collection that acts as a [default button](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/default-items). When the split button has a default button, it displays the **Text** and image of the default button rather than the values assigned to its own **Text** and image properties.

* **DefaultButtonIndex** identifies which button in the **Buttons** collection is the default button when the **EnableDefaultButton** property is **True**.

* **Value** is the value associated with the split button.

* **CommandName** and **CommandArgument** let you associate a command with the split button.

* **Enabled** indicates whether the user can click/expand/collapse the split button.

* **Visible** indicates whether the split button is visible or not.

* **CssClass** is the name of the CSS style to be applied to the split button. The style can be declared in the CSS file of the applied skin.

* **ToolTip** is the text of the tooltip that appears when the user hovers the mouse over the split button.

In addition to the built-in properties, you can add your own [custom attributes](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/custom-attributes) to split buttons to expand their functionality.

## Controlling what items appear

There are a number of ways you can control the buttons that **RadToolBar** holds. You can:

* [Specify the buttons in-line](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/declaring-items-statically-at-design-time) at design time.

* Load the items from an [XML file](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/loading-items-from-xml).

* [Bind the toolbar](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/data-binding/overview) to a data source.

* Add, remove, and edit the items in the toolbar in [server-side code](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/radtoolbar-items/working-with-items-at-the-server).

## See Also

* [RadToolBar Item Editor](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/design-time/radtoolbar-item-editor)

* [Structure](https://www.telerik.com/products/aspnet-ajax/documentation/controls/toolbar/structure)