How to run an "empty" Windows Application that only has a NotifyIcon?

Question

I want to make an Application that only has a NotifyIcon. It doesn't need to have at all a "Main" Form. When I want to achieve something like this, I just create an invisible form and run it, but would there be a more "elegant" way of doing this, I'd like to know it.

How do you generally do this? This application can't be a Windows Service, as having the NotifyIcon and its Context Menus is important (each one of them will run a different command).

Thanks

Answer 1

Check out this blog post:

As it turned out it was so easy it was ridiculous. All you have to do create a class that is inherits the iContainer interface. When you create the instance of the notify icon, pass a container object.

It gives you the notify icon, but not a context menu.

Answer 2

Another approach is to use special ApplicationContext which will have only the controls you need: Creating a Tasktray Application.