Browse the Web, Your PC and More From Your Taskbar!
We have discussed optimizing your Taskbar and adding those frequently use programs to your Jump Lists. Did you know you can add also enable and use the Toolbars directly accessible from your Taskbar?
In computer interface design, a toolbar is a graphical control element on which on-screen buttons, icons, menus, or other input or output elements are placed. An earlier term used was “ribbon”. Toolbars are seen in many types of applications such as office suites, graphics editors and web browsers. Toolbars are usually distinguished from palettes by their integration into the edges of the screen or larger windows, which results in wasted space if too many underpopulated bars are stacked atop each other (especially horizontal bars on a landscape oriented display) or interface inefficiency if overloaded bars are placed on small windows.Just What is a Toolbar?
Right-click on an open area of your taskbar and select the Toolbars tab. You will be given a list of possible Toolbars you can enable on your PC. The possible list of Toolbars for your PC will vary depending on the configuration of your PC and the software installed. You can see at right that I can choose from the following Toolbars:
- Address
- Links
- Touch Keyboard
- Itunes
- Desktop
- New Toolbar
To activate a toolbar, simply place a check-box next to one of the Toolbars you would like to be added to your Taskbar and click OK.
The address Toolbar places a URL address bar in your taskbar allowing you to navigate directly to any website or search for any URL string using your default browser.
As shown at left, the Desktop Toolbar adds a “drop-up” (assuming your taskbar is located at the bottom of your screen) menu allowing you to directly access any file or folder on your desktop. If you are one of the PC users with lots of files and folder shortcuts on your desktop, using this method to find just the right one can be a real time saver.
You can also define a new toolbar by selecting any folder on your system.
Play around with these Taskbar Toolbars and find the ones that make sense for you, then get used to using them! You will find your time spent in front of your PC more productive and fun! 