Toolbar For Any

[TheSaint]

Here it is finally, as promised, my 'Toolbar For Any' program, which integrates pretty well with SciTE, which I've been using it with since December 2006. I've made several improvements along the way, and been meaning to give it to the Forum for some time now, but I'm always so busy.

I briefly talked about this program not long ago on another post, and even provided some screenshots - which I'm now moving to this, it's own post.

This program is truly one of the best ideas I've ever had - saves heeps of time, etc and makes programming in SciTE truly pleasurable!

Download the program from Here  (not currently working since my ISP screwed up my storage) Screenshots were lost in last major Forum software upgrade.

WARNING - Created with AutoIt v3.2.4.9, but modified to work with AutoIt v3.3.0.0. Designed and only ever used on Win XP (32 bit). Source in zip.

ADVICE - Read the Disclaimer on TheSaint's Toolbox page (see my signature).

ToolBar For Any v2.3.zip

Screenshots

Here's what it can look like!

Here's some more screenshots to whet your appettite!

The program is most comprehensive, from things like copying variables one after the other to the clipboard and then pasting all in one go in your Global section (saves heaps of mucking around that), to toggling case and adding copyright symbols, etc. Of course to make the 'Toolbar For Any' even more complete, I've created and added some very helpful complimentary programs like 'Dialog Maker', 'Make It Pretty', 'Icon Browser', 'RGBColor Selector' and 'Msgbox Viewer', etc. As you've probably noticed, I've got many buttons running things like Koda, GuiBuilder, Character Map, Clipboard Options, Bookmark Options, Character Counting and Asc/Chr reporting, Top & Bottom of Page, Find Next, Open Include file, Jump To Function, Toggle Commenting of a section, Calculator, etc. Some buttons just send a hotkey code to SciTE, others run executables or stored AutoIt code or just work with the clipboard. You can really have as few or many buttons as you like (limited to screen width of course ... and 2 rows), as the toolbar resizes to accomodate. Any visible unused buttons show a number or can be blanked. All buttons except the first 4 (last 2 columns - these are for Info, Exit, Settings & Options) can be assigned to what you like. I provide most of the icons & some examples, especially for some of the more complex scripting ones. Unassigned buttons can be edited just by clicking on them (if visible), while you can also put the whole toolbar into editing mode to edit the assigned ones.

The toolbar positioning is based on Desktop Width, so it hides itself if you reduce (move) your program width past a certain point - you can either see this as a plus or a limitation. In point of fact, it doesn't move with the program window ... though it could be fixed to do that ... I haven't bothered because I like to run SciTE fullscreen ... with a bigger screen I'd change that. The other main issue the program may have (apart from being inactive if the program window loses focus - which is no big deal, you just click the program (i.e. SciTE) window), is that it is probably not optimised for memory use ... I don't have any problems on my system, but others might ... it should be tested I guess.

While it may not be ultra perfect, I've been happily using it for quite a while now ... though I'm not above seeing others improve it. Actually a lot of noobies , etc could get quite a bit from some of the coding used ... certainly I've adapted code from others to suit!

While I call it 'Toolbar For Any', it is really ideally designed to work with editing programs like SciTE, Notepad, etc ... though you could just work with assigning executables and hotkeys for other program types.

Edited May 29, 2017 by TheSaint

[damian666]

ok, so where is the program itself man ???

nice screens, but i like to try it myself

damian666

[TheSaint]

ok, so where is the program itself man ???

nice screens, but i like to try it myself

damian666

Hi damian666

A few little hiccups tonight, the Forum server is running like a dog ... worst I've experienced it. Anyway, the 'Toolbar For Any' link above will take you to the page where the download link can be found.

[damian666]

thanx man i will test it right away

Damian666

[TheSaint]

thanx man i will test it right away

Damian666

No worries, Enjoy!

[dleigh]

Just tried to run the ToolBar for Any v2.2 setup and it died. Here's the Autoit error (painstakingly recopied):

Line 0 (File "C:\Downloads\ToolBar For Any v2.2\ToolBar For Any v2.2 Setup.exe");

$oDest.CopyHere($oItems)

$oDest.CopyHere($oItems)^ERROR

Error: The request action with this object has failed.

**************

Before this autoit error box, I got a windows error (that I'm translating from French) that said:

Could not copy the file: The name of the file specified is invalid or too long.

Specify a different file name.

*****************

I really like the AutoIt version of SciTE but am always looking for ways it could be improved so I'm looking forward to trying your toolbar. Any suggestions for how to make it work?

Thanks!

[TheSaint]

Just tried to run the ToolBar for Any v2.2 setup and it died. Here's the Autoit error (painstakingly recopied):

Line 0 (File "C:\Downloads\ToolBar For Any v2.2\ToolBar For Any v2.2 Setup.exe");

$oDest.CopyHere($oItems)

$oDest.CopyHere($oItems)^ERROR

Error: The request action with this object has failed.

**************

Before this autoit error box, I got a windows error (that I'm translating from French) that said:

Could not copy the file: The name of the file specified is invalid or too long.

Specify a different file name.

*****************

I really like the AutoIt version of SciTE but am always looking for ways it could be improved so I'm looking forward to trying your toolbar. Any suggestions for how to make it work?

Thanks!

Hi dleigh

Those commands are from the _ZipFunctions.au3 include file, which I didn't create. It appears as though you can't unzip the files for some reason.

A few questions come to mind -

1) Do you have permissions to write to the install folder location?

Are you logged on as Admin or a Power User, etc?

2) What version of Windows are you using?

I've only tested it in XP. If you are using pre WinME, then Windows did not natively support zips at that point. ME & 2000 may also support zips, but differently ... the same goes for Vista. _ZipFunctions.au3 only works with Windows native zip functionality, not a third party DLL.

3) Did you try the Zip Fix option in the program (main window)?

This is a fix I got from somebody else at the forum, related to third party compression programs that sabotage your zip registry settings.

Hope this helps!

Please let us know how you get on!

Edited December 14, 2008 by TheSaint

[Docfxit]

Are there any user instructions on how to get started with this toolbar?

I have run the exe.  I'd like to know what I need to do to see the toolbar.

Thanks,

Docfxit

[TheSaint]

As you can see from the last post date before yours, this program was created many years ago. So created with a much older version of AutoIt.

That said, I still use it on my old Windows XP laptop, if not fully so. I use most features, but I never updated or chased up some elements, that would give it smooth interaction. In that instance, I am using it there with AutoIt v3.3.0.0 and I have never updated it beyond support for that.

My recollection, is that you will only see the Toolbar, if it executed SciTE itself (or some similar program), which requires modifications to the Registry etc. Another factor I seem to recall, is whether the program executed is full screen.

I am sorry that I cannot be more precise than that, and Forum upgrade(s) has screwed with the screenshot images that you used to be able to see here above.

I am not expecting to chase up things any time soon, and in high likelihood may never do so ... so don't hold your breath.

If you or another have the skill, you are quite welcome to dissect my code, and it is possible that the code available here, may be out of date. I still use the Toolbar, as I said, and still write mini functions for buttons at need, so have a lot of more current examples of how to do things, but initial setup is tricky ... so much so, that I have never bothered to install Toolbar For Any on this Win 7 Netbook PC, which uses a recent AutoIt version. That is also the case with many programs in my Toolbox.

There is still an outside chance, that when my Win XP Laptop eventually dies, as it must eventually, that I may revisit some of my programs, including Toolbar For Any, but in recent months I have been winding down my usage of AutoIt, though I still maintain many of my programs. Perhaps when I finally move beyond Windows 7, I may do a major update to many of my programs, but once again, don't hold your breath, as I am not enamored of the direction that Microsoft and others are heading, and as I turn 60 later this year, my motivation to get involved in other areas of life, less involved with PCs and technology, has increased. I have a huge backlog of books, movies, music and even games that have been increasingly raising their voice to be heard, and I seriously need to attend to them and start making a dent in their numbers. My guitars  sometimes call out to me too, but their voices have become very weak now.

All that said, I still believe the abilities that Toolbar For Any grant you with SciTE (and maybe others, but not gone down that road), is fantastic. It would be well worth investigating should you or any other wish to do so. Ideally it would be amazing to see most of the aspects of my program incorporated into SciTE itself, and not require an external floating toolbar, but I seriously doubt that would happen or any person take the trouble to find out exactly all the benefits my program provides, which is a lot. Such is life. But even without that last, I would love to use my toolbar someday, with current AutoIt, as it is hugely beneficial in a myriad of ways.

Cheers!

P.S. Perhaps if I remember, I might do a screenshot some day soon of how the toolbar currently looks with my Win XP Laptop ... and perhaps offer an explanation of what many of the buttons do. I sure do miss using it on this PC.

Edited March 9, 2019 by TheSaint