toolbar

A row or column of on-screen buttons used to activate functions in the application. Many toolbars are customizable, letting you add and delete buttons as required. Toolbars may be fixed in position or may float, which means they can be dragged to a more convenient location in the application window by the user. For example, floating toolbars are common in graphics applications so that they can be moved into the canvas area closer to the objects being drawn. See tool palette, tool and toolkit.

A Toolbar with Tools!

Most toolbar buttons show only pictures, while some have a text explanation too. This toolbar from VTEL's videoconferencing software has real tools on it!

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(operating system)

toolbar - A common graphical user interface component, consisting of a permanently visible row of button icons that, when clicked with the mouse, cause the program to perform some action such as printing the current document or changing the mode of operation. The toolbar buttons often invoke functions accessible via menus but they are easier to use since they are permanently visible. A typical use would be in a paint program where the toolbar allows the users to select one of the various painting "tools" - brush, pencil, bucket etc. Some application programs under some operating systems may allow the user to customise the functions accessible via toolbars; in others, the choice is fixed by the programmer.