Some of the simplest toolbar customizations
can make your daily drawing tasks more efficient. For example, you
can consolidate frequently used commands and controls onto one toolbar,
remove buttons that you never use, or change some simple toolbar
properties.
You can also specify information to be displayed
when the cursor passes over a button in the form of a tooltip.
You can add buttons or
remove buttons you use infrequently, and rearrange buttons and toolbars.
You can also create your own toolbars and flyout toolbars, and create
or change the button image associated with a command. When creating
a toolbar, you can create a toolbar from scratch, create a copy of
an existing toolbar, or create a toolbar from an existing pull-down
menu. Sub-menu items are not included when a toolbar is created
from a pull-down menu.
NoteWhen you create a
toolbar, you should determine in which workspaces you want to display
the toolbar. By default, a new toolbar is displayed in all workspaces.
The following table shows
the properties of the Standard toolbar as they appear in the Properties
pane.
Properties for the Standard
toolbar
Properties pane item
Description
Example
Name
String used as the caption
for the toolbar.
Standard
Description
Text used to describe
the element; does not appear in the user interface.
Standard Toolbar
Default Display
Specifies if the toolbar
is displayed when the CUIx file is loaded as a partial customization
file. The available options are Do Not Add to Workspaces or Add
to Workspaces.
Add to workspaces
Orientation
Specifies whether the
toolbar is floating or docked (top, bottom, left, or right) the
first time the CUIx file is loaded.
Top
Default X Location
Specifies the location
from the left edge of the screen when the toolbar appears when it
is floating, or the location when it is docked. If docked, a value
of 0 indicates the left most location in a docked area.
0
Default Y Location
Specifies the location
from the top edge of the screen when the toolbar appears when it
is floating, or the location when it is docked. If docked, a value
of 0 indicates the top most location in a docked area.
0
Rows
Specifies the number
of rows the items on the toolbar are displayed in when the toolbar
is floating.
1
Aliases
Specifies the aliases
for the toolbar. Click the […] button to open the Aliases dialog box.
Each alias in the CUIx file should be unique and it is used to reference
the toolbar programmatically.
TB_STANDARD, Standard
Element ID
Tag that uniquely identifies
a toolbar.
ID_TbStandard
NoteThe properties On
By Default, Orientation, Default X Location, Default Y Location,
and Rows are used only the first time the CUIx file is loaded and
when no default workspace is set. After a toolbar is loaded the
first time, a workspace is used to control the Appearance properties
of a toolbar. See the procedure
To change the properties of a toolbar for
more information.
When you create a new
toolbar, the first task you need to do is to provide a name for
it. A new toolbar has no commands or controls assigned to it. If
a toolbar has no commands or controls on it, it is ignored by the
program until you add at least one command or control to it. You
add commands and controls to a toolbar by dragging a command or
control from an existing toolbar or the Command List pane and dropping
it onto a toolbar. Once a command or control has been added to a
toolbar, you can change the text that is displayed in the tooltip
when the cursor hovers over top of the button by changing the Name
property that is displayed in the Properties pane.
Customize Toolbars with
the Toolbar Preview Pane
You can customize a toolbar
using the tree view under the Customizations In <file name> pane
or the Toolbar Preview pane. The Toolbar Preview pane allows you
to add and remove commands or controls visually in real-time instead
of just using the tree view. You can also interactively drag a command
or control in the preview pane to reposition it.
Customize Toolbars from
the Application Window
The program allows you
to customize toolbars that are displayed in the application when
the Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor is open. You drag commands
from the Command List pane and drop then directly onto a visible
toolbar that is docked or floating in the application window. You
can also remove, reposition, or copy commands on a visible toolbar
while the CUI Editor is open.
Create Ribbon Panels from
Toolbars
New
ribbon panels can be created from a toolbar by dragging existing
toolbars from the Toolbars node under the Customizations In <file
name> pane to the Panels node under Ribbon in the
Customizations In <file name> pane. When the
toolbar is dropped, you are prompted to convert a copy of the toolbar
to a ribbon panel. See
Ribbon Panels for
more information about customizing ribbon panels.
Show Me: Create a Toolbar
The following animation
shows how to create a custom toolbar, and place both standard and
custom commands on it.
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
right-click Toolbars. Click New Toolbar.
A new toolbar (named
Toolbar1) is placed at the bottom of the Toolbars tree.
Do one of the following:
Enter a new name over the default name
Toolbar1.
Right-click Toolbar1. Click Rename. Enter
a new toolbar name.
Click Toolbar1, wait, and click again
over the toolbar’s name again to edit its name in-place.
Select the new toolbar in the tree view,
and update the Properties pane:
In the Description box, enter a description
for the toolbar.
In the Default Display box, specify if
the toolbar should be displayed by default when the CUIx file is
loaded as a partial customization file.
In the Orientation box, specify the orientation
of the toolbar.
In the Default X Location box, enter
a number.
In the Default Y Location box, enter
a number.
In the Rows box, enter the number of
rows for an undocked toolbar.
In the Aliases box, enter an alias for
the toolbar.
In the Command List pane, drag the command
you want to add to a location just below the name of the toolbar
in the Customizations In <file name> pane.
Click Apply.
To create a toolbar from
a pull-down menu
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Menus tree node to expand it.
Drag the menu that you want to create
a toolbar from and drop it onto the Toolbars node.
Update the workspace as desired to update
the display and position for the new toolbar.
To add a command to a toolbar
in the Customizations In pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
In the Command List pane, drag the command
to the toolbar you want to add it to in the Customizations In <file
name> pane.
Click Apply.
To add a command to a toolbar
in the Toolbar Preview pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Select the toolbar you want to add a
command to.
In the Command List pane, drag the command
you want to add to the selected toolbar and drop it on the toolbar’s
preview in the Toolbar Preview pane.
You can control where
the command is placed by releasing the mouse button when the black
vertical splitter bar is displayed.
Click Apply.
To add a command to a toolbar
outside the CUI Editor
Display the toolbar you want to add a
command to by right-clicking over a toolbar button. Click the name
of the toolbar.
Right-click over any toolbar button.
Click Customize.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, Command List pane, drag the command you want to add
and drop it onto the toolbar.
You can control the location
of the command you are adding by using the visual or horizontal
indicator bar.
Click Apply.
To reposition a command
or control on a toolbar in the Customizations In pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the toolbar
that contains the command or control you want to reposition to expand
it.
Drag the name of the command or control
you want to reposition to the new location in the list of tools.
While dragging the command or control, use the
visual indicator bar to specify the new position of the command
or control. When the left arrow appears, the command or control
is moved to the front of the toolbar.
Click Apply.
To reposition a command
or control on a toolbar in the Toolbar Preview pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Select the toolbar that contains the
command or control you want to reposition.
In the Toolbar Preview, drag the command
or control that you want to reposition.
While dragging the command
or control, use the visual indicator bar to specify the new position
of the command or control.
Click Apply.
To reposition a command
on a toolbar outside the CUI Editor
Display the toolbar you want to reposition
a command on by right-clicking over a toolbar button. Click the
name of the toolbar.
Right-click over any toolbar button.
Click Customize.
The Customize User Interface
(CUI) Editor is displayed.
Drag the command on the toolbar that
you want to reposition.
While dragging the command,
use the visual indicator bar to specify the new position of the
command.
Click Apply.
To remove a command or
control from a toolbar in the Customizations In pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Click the plus sign (+) next to a toolbar
that contains the command or control you want to remove.
Right-click the name of the command or
control you want to remove. Click Remove.
Click Apply.
To remove a command or
control from a toolbar in the Toolbar Preview pane
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Select the toolbar that contains the
command or control you want to reposition.
In the Toolbar Preview pane, drag the
command or control that you want to remove and drop it outside of
the preview.
Click Apply.
To remove a command from
a toolbar outside the CUI Editor
Display the toolbar from which you want
to remove a command by right-clicking over a toolbar button. Click
the name of the toolbar.
Right-click over any toolbar button.
Click Customize.
The Customize User Interface
(CUI) Editor is displayed.
Drag the command you want to remove from
the toolbar and drop it over the drawing window.
Click OK to confirm the deletion of the
command from the toolbar.
In the Customize User Interface (CUI)
Editor, click Apply.
To change properties of
a toolbar
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
NoteMaking changes to
a toolbar’s properties here only affect the initial appearance of
the toolbar after the CUIx file has been loaded. To control the appearance
of a toolbar, it is best to use a workspace.
Select the toolbar whose properties you
want to change.
In the Properties pane, make your changes.
Click Apply.
To change the tooltip of
a command
Click Manage
tab Customization
panel User
Interface. At the Command prompt,
enter cui.
In the Customize User Interface Editor,
Customize tab, in the Customizations In <file name> pane,
click the plus sign (+) next to the Toolbars tree node to expand
it.
Select the toolbar whose tooltip text
you want to change.
In the Properties pane, Display section,
make the desired change to the Name property (not the Command Name
or Command Display Name properties), and the Description and Extended
Help File properties.
Show Me: Create a Toolbar
