I have searched this issue for a while and have not been able to fins a solution. Is it possible either directly or through some kind of workaround to lock a floating toolbar in place so it cannot be accidentally moved.
I use a floating toolbar along the top edge of my screen to provide a menu system instead of the Start menu. Unless I dock this toolbar I can see no way to lock it in place. I dont like docking as I only want to see the toolbar when Im on the desktop and not when I have a window open. I did think ticking the lock toolbar box would do this but its doesnt sadly. Any advice on how I can get round this issue?
[quote="thedatabug"]I have searched this issue for a while and have not been able to fins a solution. Is it possible either directly or through some kind of workaround to lock a floating toolbar in place so it cannot be accidentally moved.
I use a floating toolbar along the top edge of my screen to provide a menu system instead of the Start menu. Unless I dock this toolbar I can see no way to lock it in place. I dont like docking as I only want to see the toolbar when Im on the desktop and not when I have a window open. I did think ticking the lock toolbar box would do this but its doesnt sadly. Any advice on how I can get round this issue?[/quote]A docked floating toolbar can be set to 'Auto-hide when docked'. Doesn't this meet your requirement: 'I only want to see the toolbar when Im on the desktop and not when I have a window open'.
Not really an annoying side effect of this is it shrinks the work space and displaces other program windows on the desktop. Such as Digsby window (msn messenger type app) which I have at the side of my screen extended to the whole height.
I had a feeling that I at some point managed to lock the toolbar too but couldnt swear to it.
My floating toolbar used to be made of graphic button images that I made. Because there was no free space between the buttons it was actually very difficult to pick it up and move it. But now Ive re-designed it to match my Windows 7 like theme and I just have text menus with huge spaces either side so it is very easy to accidentally pick it up and move it. I then have to load in a grid wallpaper so I can space it all out again its very annoying .
Not really an annoying side effect of this is it shrinks the work space and displaces other program windows on the desktop. Such as Digsby window (msn messenger type app) which I have at the side of my screen extended to the whole height.[/quote]
A docked toolbar set to auto-hide should not shrink the workspace. (Or if it does, only by one pixel row/column.)
Thank you for the advice regarding docking. I tried it and it does work as you state but its really not what Im after. I would like the toolbar to be permanently in place but locked. There is an option to lock Toolbar but it doesn't do anything. If this option worked then that is exactly what Im after.
But did you right click the floating toolbar and did you click 'Lock Position' (see screenshot below)? It works for me (on Vista, Opus 9.5.2.0 / 9.5.3.0) ...
Strange that that works for you Christian, it certainly doesn't here. It removes the gripper from the toolbar as if it's locked, but you can still move the toolbar around.
grab it anywhere and move it. If your using separators you can pick the toolbar up there. I have all my menu entries in the middle so both left and right areas are empty.
This is how the problem came about. Before I installed my custom Win7 theme I was using the silver XP theme. I had made my own Menu buttons which matched the Footprints on the taskbar. The whole menu bar was filled from end to end with buttons so it was very difficult to move the menu bar. The only areas where it could be picked up where the separators of which there where only a few. But since I changed the theme the menu bar has no picture buttons and I just have type only menus which are centered using two equal sized re sizable separators. This now means there is ample area to pick the bar up. Hence why its only just become a (minor) annoyance.
This thread gave me the idea to my own solution. I got rid of the re sizable spacers and made invisible buttons instead by hiding the icon and naming the button a series of spaces. A little bit of trial and error to get the number of spaces right was a tad tedious. There is an option to hide the highlight from just selected buttons as I didn't want the spacer buttons to show up when I mouse over them. I inserted just 2 separators one at the start and one at the end of the actual menu items so i can access the customize menu from there. Those are the only areas the mouse can grab on to to move the menu bar. Im happy with that.
I love the way opus can more or less be made to do anything with a bit of lateral thinking. BTW Ive been using DOpus since version 4.12 . I would never consider being without it.
As others have said, once the gripper is removed you can still move the toolbar by grabbing it anywhere without a button. The toolbar I've been testing with is quite wide with a lot of empty space at the end.
[quote="steve"]
As others have said, once the gripper is removed you can still move the toolbar by grabbing it anywhere without a button. The toolbar I've been testing with is quite wide with a lot of empty space at the end.[/quote]
Interesting. I thought it might be because the toolbar I tested with was configured with 2 rows of buttons but having now tested with a single row toolbar I have eliminated that as a point of difference. As indicated earlier, once locked my floating bars stay where they are. I'll attach my toolbar settings in case there is a clue in there.
So you can 'lock' a toolbar, then grab it and move it anywhere you like ? Or do you mean it just stays there itself and survives restarts in the same position ?
Confirmed now! I tested a toolbar without space or separators. But when a floating toolbar is locked (lock position), it can be moved with the mouse on a separator or empty space (green area below).
But a locked floating toolbar can't be moved around with the mouse on the red areas in the screenshot below (or when you dock the toolbar).
Christiaan. Well done. Neither of the toolbars I tested have separators and cannot be grabbed/moved when locked. However, if I add a separator, it creates a grabbable spot just as you show in your annotated screen capture.
Is this a bug or a feature? If there are situations where the user is able to move the toolbar despite it being supposedly positionally locked then the natural conclusion is that it's a bug. On the other hand, as long as you know the trick it's a potentially useful feature.
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. I would never consider being without it.
