Are the commands well represented by icons? Toolbar buttons are usually represented by icons instead of text labels (although some toolbar buttons use both), whereas menu commands are represented by their text.Can most of the commands be presented directly? That is, users interact with them using a single click? While some commands can be presented using menu buttons, presenting most commands this way undermines the efficiency of the toolbar, making a menu bar a better choice.If not, menu bars are better suited for commands that require additional input. Are most of the commands immediate? That is, are they mostly commands that don't require additional input? To be efficient, toolbars need to have a direct and immediate feel.Are there a small number of frequently used commands? Toolbars can't handle as many commands as menu bars, so they work best as a way to efficiently access a small number of frequently used commands.For secondary windows, use command buttons, menu buttons, and links instead. Is the window a primary window? Toolbars work well for primary windows, but are usually overwhelming for secondary windows.Guidelines related to menus, command buttons, and icons are presented in separate articles. For more information about toolbar varieties, see Usage patterns in this article. Some types of toolbars can be undocked, resulting in a palette window. Some toolbars are customizable, allowing users to add or remove toolbars, change their size and location, and even change their contents. In contrast to menu bars, toolbars don't have to be comprehensive or self-explanatory just quick, convenient, and efficient. Toolbars can be more efficient than menu bars because they are direct (always displayed instead of being displayed on mouse click), immediate (instead of requiring additional input) and contain the most frequently used commands (instead of a comprehensive list). Use toolbars in addition to or in place of menu bars. Toolbars are a way to group commands for efficient access. Much of the guidance still applies in principle, but the presentation and examples do not reflect our current design guidance. This design guide was created for Windows 7 and has not been updated for newer versions of Windows.
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