============== The Ribbon Bar ============== Introduction ------------ The ribbon is first introduced by Microsoft in the 2000's. It is a toolbar with a tabbed interface. According to `Microsoft `_: .. note:: A ribbon is a user interface (UI) element that organizes commands into logical groups. These groups appear on separate tabs in a strip across the top of the window. The ribbon replaces the menu bar and toolbars. A ribbon can significantly improve application usability. For more information, see Ribbons. The following illustration shows a ribbon. A ribbon can significantly improve application usability. For more information, see `Ribbons `_. The following illustration shows a ribbon. .. image:: _images/ribbon_no_callouts.png :align: center :width: 50% Definitions of Ribbon Elements ------------------------------ .. image:: _images/ribbon.png :align: center :width: 50% - **Application button**: The button that appears on the upper-left corner of a ribbon. The Application button replaces the File menu and is visible even when the ribbon is minimized. When the button is clicked, a menu that has a list of commands is displayed. - **Quick Access toolbar**: A small, customizable toolbar that displays frequently used commands. - **Category**: The logical grouping that represents the contents of a ribbon tab. - **Category Default button**: The button that appears on the ribbon when the ribbon is minimized. When the button is clicked, the category reappears as a menu. - **Panel**: An area of the ribbon bar that displays a group of related controls. Every ribbon category contains one or more ribbon panels. - **Ribbon elements**: Controls in the panels, for example, buttons and combo boxes. To see the various controls that can be hosted on a ribbon, see RibbonGadgets Sample: Ribbon Gadgets Application. Ribbon Elements in PyQtRibbon ----------------------------- .. image:: _images/main-interface.png :align: center :width: 100%