Essential Tools是用户界面控件集，可以轻松创建强大实用的应用程序界面。含有VS.NET风格停靠和完全可定制的VS.NET风格菜单工作框架，还包括VS.NET风格Tabbed MDI界面，XP标签，XP任务菜单，分组条，文本编辑器等。
特征包括：
Editors Package
- Editors package是一个全面的创建数据录入表单的控件集合，所有的编辑器控件都采用简单并且强大的方式捕捉数据输入，验证数据，以及按照特有的方式显示。还提供完全的数据捆绑以及全球化和本地化支持
Notification Package
- Notification packag针对程序中特定事件的状态向用户提供可视化的反馈，包含增强的进度条、splash screens、以及自定义的信息框；
Wizard Package
- Wizard Package提供Wizard界面的（设置一系列的”下一步”， ”返回”和其他按钮）被许多基于Windows的应用程序所使用。Wizard控件可以让用户更加快速方便的创建这类应用程序。并且XP Task Pane提供了完全不同wizards界面，看起来如Office XP的效果。
Tabs Package
- XP Tabs (TabControlExt)，含丰富的外观风格和配置能力。可以非常容易的创建自定义外形和Tab风格；
Navigation Package
- Navigation package包括GroupBar、GroupView和XPTaskBar等控件，主要用于实现命令列表，其中每个命令单元都可以通过图片或文本表示。常见命令列表样式有Microsoft OutlookBar, VS.NET, Windows 2000/XP 文件选择器和Windows XP任务条等；
Layout Manager Package
- 完全的布局管理组件集，帮助用户对窗体布局进行高级管理，完全的设计时支持，为您提供了所见即所得功能；Tabbed MDI Package· 为您的多文档程序提供了一个新的标签多文档界面（MDI）（相对于默认的层叠和平铺模式），该框架考虑了易用性，您无需修改已有的MDI程序，就可以在其中应用标签模式。通过一个简单的方法调用就可以实现标签模式（Tab）和常规MDI布局模式的转换.
CommandBars Package
- CommandBars package包含命令条框架，为创建Visual Studio.NET型可停靠或浮动菜单和工具条提供框架支持。命令条本身只提供可停靠宿主，用户需要利用菜单或工具条来填充命令条的功能。Essential Tools的菜单包可以利用命令条框架来创建XP菜单和工具条；
Menus Package
- The Essential Tools Menus package XP菜单框架，能提供给用户最新的OfficeXP界面风格的菜单、工具条和上下文菜单的功能；
Docking Package
- The Docking Package包含Essential Tools的可停靠的窗口结构，为您的Windows窗体应用程序添加Visual Studio.NET的可停靠控件。
Tree Package
Tree Package提供高级的TreeView控件，含大量的外观选项和定制能力，并支持数据绑定，并可通过一个或者多个指定字段进行分组操作；
Essential Tools is a great collection of user interface components. Easily create robust and usable application interfaces using powerful frameworks like VS.NET style Docking and fully customizable VS.NET style menus. Also included are VS.NET style Tabbed MDI interface, XP Tabs, XP Task Menu, Group bar, Text Editors and much more.Feature include:
Editors Package
- The Editors package is a comprehensive collection of controls most commonly used in creating data entry forms. All the editor controls have been architected with to provide simple and powerful means for capturing data input, validating the data and displaying it with the appropriate formatting. They also come with full data binding, internationalization and localization support.
Notification Package
- The Notification package consists of controls used for providing visual feedback to the user of the status of certain events in an application. Common applications of the notification package include enhanced progress bars, splash screens and customized message boxes with animation.
Wizard Package
- The Wizard Package provides controls that use the Wizard interface (a series of tabs laid out with next, back and other buttons) popularized by many Windows based applications. The Wizard control lets users create such applications quickly. The XP Task Pane provides a different view to wizards than seen in the Task Pane feature in Office XP.
Tabs Package
- The XP Tabs (TabControlExt) feature provided as part of this package is an advanced tab control with plenty of appearance styles and configuration capabilities. It makes the creation of custom tabs with custom shapes and styles a snap.
Navigation Package
- The Navigation package includes controls such as the GroupBar, GroupView and the XPTaskBar that are primarily used for implementing command lists, where each command is represented by an image and/or text. Popular examples of command lists are the Microsoft OutlookBar, VS.NET Toolbox, Windows 2000/XP Folder Selectors and the Windows XP TaskBar. The GroupBar implements a tab-type container that can serve as a host for a collection of GroupView or other Windows Forms controls. The GroupView is an extensively customizable list-type control capable of cloning the above listed popular command interfaces. The XPTaskBar may be used for displaying standard command items or as a container that can host several other controls.
Layout Manager Package
- The Layout Manager package provides users with a comprehensive set of Layout Managers that help manage advanced layouts on a form.
- Essential Tools provides Swing like Layout Managers for the most common layout needs. FlowLayout, CardLayout, GridLayout and GridBagLayout managers are provided. Complete design-time support with extended properties provides WYSIWYG functionality while designing containers.
Tabbed MDI Package
- The Tabbed MDI package provides users a new Tabbed MDI layout mode (as an alternative to the default Cascade and Tiled modes), popularized by VS.Net, in MDI applications. This framework was built with great consideration for ease of use, to avoid having to modify an existing MDI application in any way to enable Tabbed MDI mode. With a single method call, users can switch between Tabbed and regular MDI layout modes.
CommandBars Package
- The CommandBars package is comprised of the CommandBars framework. CommandBars implement the framework support that is required for creating Visual Studio.NET type dockable/floatable menus and toolbars. A CommandBar in itself provides only the dockable host, and it is up to the user to implement the menu or toolbar that imparts the CommandBar its functionality. The Essential Tools Menus Package uses the CommandBars framework for creating the XP menus and toolbars.
Menus Package
- The Essential Tools Menus package comes with the XP Menus framework which provides users the latest Office XP look and feel and functionality for menus, toolbars and context menus.
Docking Package
- The Docking Package consists of the Essential Tools docking windows architecture that allows users to add Visual Studio.NET type dockable controls to Windows Forms applications. Any control can be set as a docking window and docking layouts can be hosted within Forms, UserControls or any derivative of the ContainerControl type. The framework supports the complete range of docking behaviors such as docking/floating, nested levels, tabbed groups, state transitions, autohide, MDIchild transitions, non-dockable/non-floatable options, a unique fill mode and full state persistence. An advanced designer allows users to harness full WYSIWYG configuration of the dock layout.
Tree Package
