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| Toolbars |
Toolbars
are used to provide quick access to frequently used functions in a
program. Windows comes with several toolbars, including those found
in Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer, Wordpad (and other
applications), and the Quick Launch toolbars on the Taskbar (see
Figure 3-32).
Figure 3-34. Wordpad's toolbar provides access to eleven of the most commonly used functions, such as Open, Save, Print, and Find
functionality that isn't otherwise accessible
through the menus or via a keystroke or two. Toolbars are almost
exclusively mouse oriented, so a toolbar that works with the keyboard
is a rare occurrence.The toolbars in most modern applications are configurable; that is,
you can rearrange the tools to your liking, add new items, and remove
the ones you don't use. It's
definitely worth taking a few minutes to configure the toolbar with
the features that you use the most, especially since the default
toolbars in most applications are set up to showcase the most
marketable features of the product rather than to make the program
easier to use.The configuration and features of a particular toolbar is typically
the responsibility of the application that owns it, although most
modern applications use Microsoft's toolbar
controls, which afford a good degree of consistency.You can often right-click on an empty portion of a toolbar to change
its properties or to add or remove buttons.
Toolbars
can usually be "docked" to the top,
bottom, or sides of an application, or they can float. Play around
with toolbars to get a feel for how they respond to being dragged and
resized; there's no substitute for 30 seconds of
fooling around. Some newer toolbars can be
"locked" so that they
can't be accidentally moved, resized, or closed. I
can't tell you how many phone calls
I've gotten from frantic friends and relatives
telling me that they've lost their toolbars! Locking
is a welcome feature, indeed.Many larger applications, such as WordPerfect Office and Microsoft
Office, support multiple toolbars, including custom toolbars you can
create as needed. These
toolbars can typically be
rearranged by dragging them around, although you may not get any
visual feedback until you let go. To hide a toolbar, try
right-clicking on it, or just drag it (if it's
docked) so that it floats and then click the close button in the
toolbar's titlebar.
Toolbars on the Taskbar
In addition to the Desktop and Start menu, shortcuts to
frequently used programs can also be placed in configurable toolbars
that are either docked on the Taskbar (discussed earlier in this
chapter) or are allowed to float.By default, there are four Taskbar toolbars. Right-click an empty
area of the Taskbar and select Toolbars to show or hide any of them.
The four toolbars are as follows:Address
The Address Bar
on the Taskbar is the same as the one in Windows Explorer and
Internet Explorer and works very much like Start
Run. See "Address Bar", earlier in this chapter,for details.
Links
The Links
toolbar is designed to hold your favorite Favorites or, more
specifically, links (Internet shortcuts) to your favorite web sites.
This is the same toolbar as the Links toolbar in Internet Explorer
(see "Internet Explorer" in Chapter 4). Shortcuts displayed on this toolbar are
stored in \Documents and
Settings\{username}\Favorites\Links.
Quick Launch
The Quick Launch toolbar works very much
like the Programs menu in the Start menu: it shows any number of
shortcuts to your most frequently used programs.The Quick Launch toolbar, as well as any other custom toolbars you
create (except Desktop, discussed below) are mirrors of folders on
your hard disk. For example, the contents of the Quick Launch toolbar
are stored in \Documents and
Settings\{username}\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Quick Launch. You can get there quickly by
right-clicking on an empty portion of the Quick Launch toolbar and
selecting Open Folder (see below for other items on this menu).
|
.custom
toolbars by right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Toolbars
New Toolbar. Simplyspecify an existing folder whose contents you want made into a
toolbar (such as Control Panel, Dial-Up Networking, or one of the
folders in your Start menu), or click Make New Folder if you want to
start with a blank toolbar.One of the limitations of custom toolbars is that if
they're ever closed, Windows won't
display them on the list of available toolbars, as with the
preconfigured toolbars discussed here. If you ever close a custom
toolbar, you'll have to start over and go through
the New Toolbar process to get it back (though all your shortcuts
will still be there). For a more sophisticated toolbar launcher, go
to http://www.creativelement.com/software/route1l
Desktop
The
Desktop
Toolbar was intended as a handy way to get at the contents of your
Desktop when it's covered with open windows.
It's really just another custom toolbar (like Quick
Launch, discussed above), except that it mirrors the contents of your
Desktop folder. Of course, if you have a lot of things on your
Desktop, this toolbar can itself get pretty unwieldy, so I
don't find it too useful. Your mileage may vary.
You'll probably prefer to just use Show Desktop
(either the button in the Quick Launch toolbar or the entry on the
Taskbar's context menu) for quick access to items on
your Desktop.
Once a toolbar is enabled, you can right-click on an empty portion to
display a context menu
with several options. (Right-clicking one of the toolbar buttons is
the same as right-clicking the corresponding shortcut in Explorer.)
In addition to the standard entries on the Taskbar context menu (see
"Taskbar", earlier in this
chapter), you'll find the following:View
Large Icons, View
Small Icons
Allows you to display either large (32 32) or small (16 16) icons.
Neither choice is perfect; small icons can be very difficult to see
and distinguish and large icons take up too much space and offer
little advantage over Desktop icons. Choose whichever icons best suit
your needs.
Open Folder
Opens the folder to which the toolbar is linked. When customizing a
toolbar, it's often easier to deal with the actual
shortcuts in a real folder than it is to mess with the buttons on the
Toolbar.
Show Text
Displays a text label next to each icon. This is useful if you have a
toolbar containing icons of the same type, and if
you've got room on your Taskbar to spare.
It's the default setting for the Links toolbar, but
not for the Quick Launch toolbar.
Show Title
Shows the name of the toolbar when it is docked on the Taskbar; this
option has no effect when the toolbar is floating.
It's really a waste of space for the standard
toolbars, but perhaps it is useful if you set up a lot of custom
toolbars. The title can also be used as a handle.
Close Toolbar
Closes the Toolbar. You can also drag the toolbar off the Taskbar and
then click the close button to get rid of it. As stated above, closed
custom toolbars do not remain on the Toolbars list.
Notes
- Taskbar toolbars can be docked on the Taskbar
simply by dragging them there. You can also dock these toolbars along
the sides or top of your Desktop, regardless of the position of the
Taskbar. - If a Taskbar toolbar doesn't seem to allow dragging
or resizing, right-click on an empty portion of the Taskbar and turn
off the " Lock the Taskbar" option.
