Customize Toolbars - Stop Toolbars from Auto Expanding

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

Hi all,

I'm trying to create a custom tab with the commands I use most often. However, I can't figure out how to set the toolbars in the tab to a fixed width and fill them with the commands I want. The problem is that when I adjust the size of the window, the toolbars automatically adjust in random ways that I don't want. This is shown in following video.
https://i.imgur.com/w1AXoTr.mp4

What I want it to do is have the toolbars have a fixed width like the default Home tab. The following video shows that the width of the toolbars in the default home tab does not change when I adjust the size of the window.
https://i.imgur.com/8falifZ.mp4

I'm probably missing something really basic such as how to use the separators. I think I've figured out what a hard-breaking separator does, but I cannot figure out the function of a non-breaking separator or a default separator that is neither non-breaking nor hard-breaking.

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap,

I am afraid that there is currently no way for you to fix the size of the toolbar items. They will dynamically be changed between small and large icon size depending on the space available in the toolbar area. I will check with our devs on whether they can add an option to force the small or large icon size and make it stick!

Kind regards,
Stefan

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

I appreciate you checking with the developers.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap

Thank you for the patience, We spoke of this in our company meeting today, the Devs confirmed that this is a planned feature for the future, but it is not something that we can provide a timeline on at the moment. We do however, hope that it will be completed during the lifetime of V10.

Kind regards,

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Force small icons in toolbars is already possible (if it might help), via Customize Toolbars > Options > Reduce large icons in toolbars.
See: viewtopic.php?p=165361

If you like, you can also remove the text from the icons and hide the titles of the toolbars.

Best regards.

Willy

PDF-XChange Editor - Customize Toolbars.png

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, Willy Van Nuffel

Thank you for that, but my understanding what that they want the Toolbar to remain looking like this:

image.png

Even when resized. instead of "expanding" the icons to the larger 1 tile appearance we currently use when you make extra room:

image(1).png

Kind regards,

[Willy Van Nuffel]

Thanks Daniel for making that clear.

Forcing to stack (small) icons is not (yet) possible, indeed.

Kind regards.

Willy

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

That's great to hear that it's on the roadmap. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Thanks Willy, but I already have the box checked to force small icons. What I want is the ability to create custom toolbars with set tile sizes that don't change.

For example, if you try to recreate the first toolbar in the Home tab (i.e., the one with "Hand," "Select Text," "Select Comments," "Snapshot," "Clipboard," and "Find" options you cannot do it. It's literally impossible. If you create a custom toolbar with those commands in it, there is no way to force the first three to have the larger 1 tile appearance and force the latter three to be stacked on each other like in the Home tab.

Instead, there is an algorithm that adjusts the sizes of the tiles depending on the available space in the window. If there is enough space, they will all have the larger 1 tile appearance (this is something I don't want). If there isn't enough space, then the algorithm reduces the tile size in unpredictable ways.

It's bad enough when you only have one toolbar, but try it when you have five or six. The algorithm now has to decide which tile in which toolbar will be made smaller when there isn't enough space and the outcome is highly unpredictable.

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

Daniel, I'd still like to know the difference between the different separators. Is there an explanation somewhere? I couldn't find it in the documentation.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap

There is no documentation on the separators, and there is only one type. The Before/after selection you see when right clicking a tool is simply indicating if that separator will appear before or after (IE, to the left or right) of the currently selected tool when placed. There is no special handling, they only exist to force a slightly wider gap between two tools, allowing to to somewhat "cordon off" areas of your toolbars.

Kind regards,

[mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap]

If I right click on the separator, it gives me the option to: (1) check the option for "Non-breaking separator," (2) check the option for "Hard-break separator," or (3) leave both options unchecked so it is neither a "non-breaking separator" nor a "hard-breaking separator." Below is a screenshot showing the options (I'm pretty sure I understand what it means to check the option for "Invisible Separator").

SS.png

I think I partially understand what it means to check the option for "hard-breaking separator" (it seems to create a break from top to bottom in the toolbar so that the tiles on opposite sides of the separator cannot cross the separator no matter what happens to the size of the window, etc.). However, I have no idea about the other two situations.

[Daniel - PDF-XChange]

Hello, mCHSNUg5Pz8cPap

My apologies, It seems that was an undocumented change I never heard about! After a little quick testing, It seems that the hard break works as you discerned, and the invisible break simply ensures that the separator rules are applied, while it remains invisible. The non-breaking separator is a bit counterintuitively named, but it forces the two tools on each side of the break to stay on the same line. like so:

image.png

Kind regards,