custom toolbar

[Cheryl Lemire]

If I create my own toolbar and use the following:

tbar = toolbar.open("My Own Toolbar")

Where exactly would I put the above code so that my custom toolbar appears on the form? I thought I had read a post in the past that was similar to this but all my searches for toolbars did not return the thread I was looking for :(

How do I save my custom toolbars so that I can use them in other applications? Is there a way to do this like with the code library for functions?

[CALocklin]

RE: custom toolbar

I'm not sure if this is what you are doing but if the form will always use the same toolbar, just set the toolbar for that form in the form properties.

If the toolbar to be used depends on who is using it or some other "variable" then you will need to set it with xbasic but I've never had to do that so I'm not really sure how it's done - however, your thread lead me to do some testing so I will know in the future. Here's what I found:

First, in the interest of time, I only tested from the OnActivate event.

If you want to remove the system toolbar on a form, this seems to work:
DIM tbp as P
tbp = toolbar.get("form view")
tbp.close()

To add "MyToolbar" to a form (note that this says "add" - it does not replace an existing toolbar) I did this:
toolbar.open("MyToolbar")

And, of course, something similar to the first routine can be used to remove the custom toolbar - with the appropriate name change - if you want to replace it with a different toolbar.

Cal Locklin
www.aimsdc.net

[whanigsberg]

RE: custom toolbar

Hi to you both,

I have the attached code on the in_init event of a menu form.

You will observe that it has the effect of replacing the menu entered in form properties with another menu if the logon is a person with a system privilege.

Don't get confused that both of the choices in the select_case are the same. That is temporary; remember that the default, non-sys, menu is set in the form's properties.

Bill

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

Thanks to both of you, I will play around with your suggestions and let you know what I end up with. May be a little while as I have a new project to work on.

Consider that a warning, a new project means I will be posting more questions than answering again for a little while ***winks***

[Jerry Gray]

RE: custom toolbar

Cheryl,

Maybe I missed something. Did you create your custom toolbar in the CODE section of the control panel (New " Toolbar)? If you did, then you saved it with a name (MyToolbar)?

On the form you attach the toolbar with the form properties tab.

If I missed something, I apologize :). I attached a bmp showing how I have mine attached. You can attach the same one to multiple screens.

Hope this helps,
Jerry

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

Hi Jerry,

Yes to all of your questions. I already know how to attach my toolbar if it is in the code of the current application. What I am trying to accomplish is taking that toolbar and saving it in a code library like I do with my functions so that I can access it from all my applications and use and/or modify it in the new application if I need to.

Thanks
Cheryl

I have not yet tried any of the other suggestions yet :(

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

OK, this is what I ended up with. I opened my application that had the basic toolbar that I wanted to start with. I did a copy to new database and selected the new application that I am working in (thanks Jerry). I then opened my new application and the toolbar appeared in the code window so that I could modify it to fit my specific needs for that particular application.

What I would really prefer is a toolbar library feature similar to the code library feature. That way I can keep all my custom toolbars, menus, functions, scripts, etc in one central location. What I am going to do since this is not available is create a dummy master database just for this purpose.

Thanks to all for your suggestions and ideas.

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

Hi again,

I realize this is an old thread. I thought I had read elsewhere in the forum where there was an easier way to copy toolbars from one application to another.

If there is an easier way than the way I used, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If not, perhaps I will add this to the new features wish list.

Thanks
Cheryl

[G Gabriel]

RE: custom toolbar

Cheryl:
Since you are always out there helping everybody, I suppose everybody should try to return the favor once in a while.
Your observation that alpha does not have a library to store toolbars is correct, and maybe for a good reason. Actually, couple reasons:
1-How many toolbars you anticipate to build ??
Your work around of creating a dummy table is not necessary, for the following reason:
2-The custom toolbar is, in essence, a libarary of toolbars in and by itself.

What you need to do, instead of creating a table of all toolbars you anticpate to create (and since most likely those toolbars will have many icons in common), what you should do is create "The Mother of All Toolbars". One that contain ALL possible icons. That's your library. Then on each particular form, enable/disable the ones you like.

As to user-specific toolbars:
1-Bill suggestes a table to have toolbars specific to the user who logs in. That is one way and a legitimate way to do it and most liekly the most common way to do it.
2-But you could also take advantage of the condtions to enable/disable icons which is also built-in the custom toolbars.
Good Luck.
Gabe

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

Hi Gabe,

Thanks for your suggestions. Although they are helpful for use within ONE application, it does not resolve my problem of being able to take my custom toolbar(s), copy it from one application, to another application.

I have been able to 'duplicate' the toolbar to the new location, but it would be so much easier if the toolbars and menus could be stored in a library like our custom scripts and functions.

I have a lot of scripts, functions, toolbars, etc that I have standardized so that I can use them in most applications that I work with. I of course am a 'lazy' programmer and prefer to not have to write my code more than once.

I will post this to the wish list. If there are specific reasons why a decision has been made to NOT allow something like this, then I am sure I will be told. Otherwise, maybe someday in the list of millions of wishes, this one will come true.

Thanks again for your suggestions.
Cheryl

[Selwyn Rabins]

RE: custom toolbar

I am not sure why you say that toolbars and menus cannot be stored in a library that is shared among many different databases. They can.

For example, open any database that you created. Go to file/database properties.

Go to the Libraries tab
attach c:\program files\a5v6\samples\alphasports.alb

now create a form for one of the tables in your app.
in the form properties, go to menu/toolbars.
set the toolbar for you app to "MainMenu" (this is a toolbar defined in alphasports).

it works fine!

[Cheryl Lemire]

RE: custom toolbar

Selwyn,

Your solution is a great resource that I was not aware of, however, it gives me way to much. I followed the steps you provided and imported one of the application libraries that I had created several custom toolbars in.

Now I have every single custom script, function, toolbar, etc from that application which is not what I need. Now I would need to go through all the files on the code tab, delete those that I do not need and then still have to 'duplicate' the ones I do need in order to have it for specific use in the new application.

I would prefer to be able to right click like I do with the code library and select and choose the 2 or 3 toolbars that I want, just like I can with the scripts and functions.

Although the resource you just showed me would allow me to create my own master library of toolbars and menus like I do with my scripts and functions.

Thanks
Cheryl

[G Gabriel]

RE: custom toolbar

Selwyn:
I think Cheryl was elluding a library that would be "specific" to store toolbars only so she could transport it from one app to the other as opposed to one that stores menus, toolbar etc.
That way if you need Only the custom toolbar, you could copy it to the new app instead of copying everything else along with it.
Gabe

[G Gabriel]

RE: custom toolbar

Obviously Cheryl is a much faster typist than I am. Sorry if my post seems reptitive to hers, I didn't read hers before postin mine !
Gabe

[Lenny Forziati]

RE: custom toolbar

Cheryl, don't go deleting what you don't need! You haven't imported the library, you've attached directly to it. Deleting anything here will delete it in the original database too.

-Lenny