Customizing Toolbars in Microsoft Office XP 2003

Microsoft Office allows you to arrange and manage toolbars and menus that you see at the top of your editing window. This tutorial uses the Microsoft Word application as an example, but the same steps can be used for the other Microsoft Office applications, and for many Windows-compatible programs in general.

Read the Shifting Toolbars tutorial first to learn how to reposition your toolbars within the application. Use this tutorial to learn how to add and subtract menu and toolbar options to suit your needs.

• Under the Tools menu at the top of the editing window, choose Customize... to open the Customize dialog box.

  

• From the Customize dialog box, there are three things that you can do:

  

  • Add or remove an entire toolbar
  • Add or remove a specific button or menu item
  • Modify a specific button or menu item

Adding or Removing an Entire Toolbar

1. Click the Toolbars tab at the top of the Customize dialog box.

   

2. Locate the name of the toolbar that you wish to add or remove from the Toolbars list.
3. Check the box next to the name of the toolbar to add it to the editing screen, or uncheck the box if you wish to remove it.
4. The new toolbar should appear immediately in the application window. Use the Shifting Toolbars tutorial to position it properly.

Adding or Removing a Command Option from a Menu or Toolbar

1. Click the Commands tab at the top of the Customize dialog box. The dialog box will be divided into two halves. The left half will contain a list of available command categories in the Categories box. The right half will contain all available commands in a chosen category in the Commands box. The two most useful categories are All Commands and Built-In Menus.

   

2. Choose a category from the Categories box, and highlight it.
3. Choose a command to add from the Commands box, and click the left mouse button on it.
4. While holding the left mouse button, drag the command from the Commands box to the location on the toolbar or in the menu where you wish to place the command.

   

5. Release the left mouse button to lock the new command in position. It should appear on the toolbar or menu immediately.

   

Note: If you wish to remove a command from a toolbar or menu, find its current position, and drag it from the menu or toolbar into the Customize dialog box.

Modifying a Command in a Menu or Toolbar

1. Click the Commands tab at the top of the Customize dialog box. The dialog box will be divided into two halves. The left half will contain a list of available command categories in the Categories box. The right half will contain all available commands in a chosen category in the Commands box. The two most useful categories are All Commands and Built-In Menus.

   

2. Locate the command that you wish to change in the appropriate command or toolbar, and click on it. The command should be highlighted with a thick black border.

   

3. Click the Modify Selection ↓ button. A drop-down menu will be revealed.



4. Use the various options in the Modify Selection menu to change the appearance or behavior of the command you have chosen.
   
   
   • Reset - resets all customizations you have made to the default settings for that command
   • Delete - removes that command from the menu or toolbar
   • Name - changes the name of the command as it appears in the menu, or when you mouseover the toolbar button

   Note: Place an ampersand (&) before a letter in the name to create a keyboard shortcut for that command. For example, a command with the name &Underline will be executed every time you press [Alt]+[U] on your keyboard.

   • Copy Button Image - copies the icon used to represent the command to the Windows clipboard
   • Paste Button Image - changes the command icon to whatever is stored in the Windows clipboard
   • Reset Button Image - resets the command icon to the application's default
   • Edit Button Image... - opens a small image-editing program that allows you to change the appearance of the command icon
   • Change Button Image → - allows you to choose an alternate command icon from a short list of possibilities
   • Default Style - check this option to display the icon only if the command is on a toolbar, and both the icon and name when the command is in a menu
   • Text Only - check this option to display only the name of the command when on a toolbar or in a menu
   • Text Only (in menus) - check this option to display only the icon when the command is on a toolbar, and only the name when the command is in a menu
   • Image and Text - check this option to display both the icon and the name when the command is on a toolbar or in a menu
   • Begin a Group - check this option to place a dividing line to the left of the command on the toolbar, or above the command in a menu
   • Assign a Hyperlink → - allows you to have the command open a specific location on your hard drive or on the Internet

To finish customizing your toolbars and menus, click the Close button at the bottom of the Customize dialog box.