How to dock my custom ToolBar to MainFrame, MDI, MFC, VisualC++?

Question

I have a problem with docking my toolbar to my mainframe inside the OnCreate method.

Everything was fine till I added DockControlBar(&m_wndColorBar) -m_wndColorBar is my toolbar.

There is a Debug Assertion Failed Error while running the compiled and successfully build exe file.

Here is the code for OnCreate method:

int CMainFrame::OnCreate(LPCREATESTRUCT lpCreateStruct)
{
if (CMDIFrameWndEx::OnCreate(lpCreateStruct) == -1)
    return -1;

BOOL bNameValid;

CMDITabInfo mdiTabParams;
mdiTabParams.m_style = CMFCTabCtrl::STYLE_3D_ONENOTE; // other styles available...
mdiTabParams.m_bActiveTabCloseButton = TRUE;      // set to FALSE to place close button at right of tab area
mdiTabParams.m_bTabIcons = FALSE;    // set to TRUE to enable document icons on MDI taba
mdiTabParams.m_bAutoColor = TRUE;    // set to FALSE to disable auto-coloring of MDI tabs
mdiTabParams.m_bDocumentMenu = TRUE; // enable the document menu at the right edge of the tab area
EnableMDITabbedGroups(TRUE, mdiTabParams);

if (!m_wndMenuBar.Create(this))
{
    TRACE0("Failed to create menubar\n");
    return -1;      // fail to create
}

m_wndMenuBar.SetPaneStyle(m_wndMenuBar.GetPaneStyle() | CBRS_SIZE_DYNAMIC | CBRS_TOOLTIPS |      CBRS_FLYBY);

// prevent the menu bar from taking the focus on activation
CMFCPopupMenu::SetForceMenuFocus(FALSE);

if (!m_wndToolBar.CreateEx(this, TBSTYLE_FLAT, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | CBRS_TOP | CBRS_GRIPPER |     CBRS_TOOLTIPS | CBRS_FLYBY | CBRS_SIZE_DYNAMIC) ||
    !m_wndToolBar.LoadToolBar(theApp.m_bHiColorIcons ? IDR_MAINFRAME_256 : IDR_MAINFRAME))
{
    TRACE0("Failed to create toolbar\n");
    return -1;      // fail to create
}



CString strToolBarName;
bNameValid = strToolBarName.LoadString(IDS_TOOLBAR_STANDARD);
ASSERT(bNameValid);
m_wndToolBar.SetWindowText(strToolBarName);

CString strCustomize;
bNameValid = strCustomize.LoadString(IDS_TOOLBAR_CUSTOMIZE);
ASSERT(bNameValid);
m_wndToolBar.EnableCustomizeButton(TRUE, ID_VIEW_CUSTOMIZE, strCustomize);

// Allow user-defined toolbars operations:
InitUserToolbars(nullptr, uiFirstUserToolBarId, uiLastUserToolBarId);




/*if (!m_wndStatusBar.Create(this) || !m_wndStatusBar.SetIndicators(indicators,     sizeof(indicators) / sizeof(UINT)))
{
    TRACE0("Failed to create status bar\n");
    return -1;      // fail to create
}
*/

if (!m_wndStatusBar.Create(this))
{
    TRACE0("Failed to create status bar\n");
    return -1;      // fail to create
}
m_wndStatusBar.SetIndicators(indicators, sizeof(indicators)/sizeof(UINT));


int iTBCtlID;
if (!m_wndColorBar.CreateEx(this, TBSTYLE_FLAT, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | CBRS_TOP | CBRS_GRIPPER | CBRS_TOOLTIPS | CBRS_FLYBY | CBRS_SIZE_DYNAMIC) ||
    !m_wndColorBar.LoadToolBar(IDR_TBCOLOR))
{
    TRACE0("Failed to Create toolbar \r\n");
    return -1;
}

iTBCtlID = m_wndColorBar.CommandToIndex(ID_COLORS_BLACK);
if (iTBCtlID >= 0)
{
    for (int i = iTBCtlID; i < (iTBCtlID + 11); i++)
        m_wndColorBar.SetButtonStyle(i, TBBS_CHECKGROUP);

}

// TODO: Delete these five lines if you don't want the toolbar and menubar to be dockable
m_wndMenuBar.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
m_wndToolBar.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);

m_wndColorBar.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);

EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
DockPane(&m_wndMenuBar);
DockPane(&m_wndToolBar);


// enable Visual Studio 2005 style docking window behavior
CDockingManager::SetDockingMode(DT_SMART);
// enable Visual Studio 2005 style docking window auto-hide behavior
EnableAutoHidePanes(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);



// Load menu item image (not placed on any standard toolbars):
CMFCToolBar::AddToolBarForImageCollection(IDR_MENU_IMAGES, theApp.m_bHiColorIcons ? IDB_MENU_IMAGES_24 : 0);

// create docking windows
if (!CreateDockingWindows())
{
    TRACE0("Failed to create docking windows\n");
    return -1;
}

m_wndFileView.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
m_wndClassView.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
DockPane(&m_wndFileView);
CDockablePane* pTabbedBar = nullptr;
m_wndClassView.AttachToTabWnd(&m_wndFileView, DM_SHOW, TRUE, &pTabbedBar);
m_wndOutput.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
DockPane(&m_wndOutput);
m_wndProperties.EnableDocking(CBRS_ALIGN_ANY);
DockPane(&m_wndProperties);

// set the visual manager and style based on persisted value
OnApplicationLook(theApp.m_nAppLook);

// Enable enhanced windows management dialog
EnableWindowsDialog(ID_WINDOW_MANAGER, ID_WINDOW_MANAGER, TRUE);

// Enable toolbar and docking window menu replacement
EnablePaneMenu(TRUE, ID_VIEW_CUSTOMIZE, strCustomize, ID_VIEW_TOOLBAR);

// enable quick (Alt+drag) toolbar customization
CMFCToolBar::EnableQuickCustomization();

if (CMFCToolBar::GetUserImages() == nullptr)
{
    // load user-defined toolbar images
    if (m_UserImages.Load(_T(".\\UserImages.bmp")))
    {
        CMFCToolBar::SetUserImages(&m_UserImages);
    }
}

// enable menu personalization (most-recently used commands)
// TODO: define your own basic commands, ensuring that each pulldown menu has at least one basic command.
CList<UINT, UINT> lstBasicCommands;

lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_FILE_NEW);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_FILE_OPEN);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_FILE_SAVE);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_FILE_PRINT);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_APP_EXIT);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_EDIT_CUT);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_EDIT_PASTE);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_EDIT_UNDO);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_APP_ABOUT);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_STATUS_BAR);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_TOOLBAR);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_OFF_2003);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_VS_2005);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_OFF_2007_BLUE);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_OFF_2007_SILVER);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_OFF_2007_BLACK);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_OFF_2007_AQUA);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_VIEW_APPLOOK_WINDOWS_7);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_SORTING_SORTALPHABETIC);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_SORTING_SORTBYTYPE);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_SORTING_SORTBYACCESS);
lstBasicCommands.AddTail(ID_SORTING_GROUPBYTYPE);

CMFCToolBar::SetBasicCommands(lstBasicCommands);

// Switch the order of document name and application name on the window title bar. This
// improves the usability of the taskbar because the document name is visible with the thumbnail.
ModifyStyle(0, FWS_PREFIXTITLE);

    DockControlBar(&m_wndColorBar);

    return 0;
}

Here is the error.

And here is the line it's referring to.

Answer 1

Your ASSERT will not refer to the line you show. The mentioned code line is: winfrm2.cpp line 92

And the code there says:

ASSERT(pDockBar != NULL);
// assert fails when initial CBRS_ of bar does not
// match available docking sites, as set by EnableDocking()

See also the last answer in this thread if this isn't sufficient for you.