Ribbon's wide array of controls allow it to reproduce an Office-like user interface exactly, everything from split buttons to galleries and mini-toolbars.
Variants
Various layout controls govern where other controls are placed within a ribbon as the ribbon decreases in width. Through the use of these layout phases, called variants, you can achieve nearly any dynamic layout that you find in Office.
Galleries
Galleries are controls that are designed to visually present a choice to the end user and are often used to render things like styles, colors, underlines, etc. that may be applied to a document. Both in-ribbon and popup galleries are included.
Key and Screen Tips
Key tips provide easy keyboard access to any control on the ribbon or in its popups. Screen tips are advanced tool tips with a standardized layout and contextual help support.
Mini-ToolBar
The mini-toolbar semi-transparently appears near the mouse when a selection is made, offering controls related to the selection. It becomes more opaque as the mouse moves closer to it and becomes less opaque as the mouse moves away from it.
Interactive Controls
Numerous controls are included that are designed for use in ribbon tabs, such as buttons (normal, checkable, popup, and split), check boxes, radio buttons, combo boxes, text boxes, galleries, and separators.
Quick Access ToolBar
The QAT may be located above the ribbon, below the ribbon or hidden completely. It is a centralized place to store the most commonly-used commands and can be customized by the end user.
Contextual Tab Groups
Contextual tab groups may be displayed when the context of the selection is appropriate for them to be visible. For instance a Picture Tools contextual tab group's Tabs may become active when a picture is selected in a document.
Ribbon Window
Used as a WPF Window replacement that provides tight integration with the Ribbon control and Backstage.
