IETools band objects:

 Band Objects

This sample demonstrates how to create band objects in Delphi. You can create tool bands, Explorer bands, communication bands and Desk bands:

A tool band is a band object that was introduced with Internet Explorer 5 to support the Microsoft® Windows® radio toolbar feature.

The Explorer Bar was introduced with Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0 to provide a display area adjacent to the browser pane. It is basically a child window within the Internet Explorer window, and it can be used to display information and interact with the user in much the same way. Explorer Bars are most commonly displayed as a vertical pane on the left-hand side of the browser pane. However, an Explorer Bar can also be displayed horizontally, below the browser pane. (Communication Band).

Band objects can also be used to create desk bands. While their basic implementation is similar to Explorer Bars, desk bands are unrelated to Internet Explorer. A desk band is basically a way to create a dockable window on the desktop. The user selects it by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting it from the Toolbars submenu.

The following demos have been created and tested using: 

Delphi 5/6, IE 5.01/5.5/6, Win98/Win2000.

Enjoy!

Updates: 

Oct 14, 2001: Version 1.2:
 
Enhanced version fixing many of the problems in ver. 1.1, including use of backspace-key and multiple instances. (Thanks alot to Kurt Senfer).

 

Download Band Objects Samples

Band Objects ver 1.2 for Delphi 5/6

Links:

	IDeskBand
	IObjectWithSite
	IPersistStream
	IInputObject
	IInputObjectSite
	IContextMenu

Q196339 - WebBand Hosts WebBrowser Control in an Explorer Band

Q246234 - SAMPLE: KBBAR Internet Explorer Toolband

MSDN Online Samples - Band Object Implementation

Creating Custom Explorer Bars, Tool Bands, and Desk Bands

MyBand is Your Band: More Reusable MFC Goodies with Band Objects and COMToys -- MSJ, November 1999

More Reusable MFC Goodies: Simplify Your (Programming) Life with the COMToys Library -- MSJ, December 1999

Q255920 - HOWTO: Programmatically Activate an Explorer Bar

Q231621 - BUG: Same Menu Item Appears for All Internet Explorer Tool Band Objects

Q214842 - PRB: Installed DeskBand Not Displayed in Taskbar Shortcut Menu

Q247705 - PRB: Explorer Bar Does Not Appear in Internet Explorer 5.01

Q230734 - FIX: Custom Vertical Explorer Bar Doesn't Resize with Auto-Hide