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The toolbar, also called a bar or standard toolbar (originally known as ribbon), is a graphical control element on which on-screen icons can be used. A toolbar often allows for quick access to functions that are commonly used in the program. Some examples of functions a toolbar might have are open file, save, and change font. Toolbars are usually distinguished from palettes by their integration into the edges of the screen or of other windows. This can result in wasted space if multiple underpopulated bars are stacked atop each other or interface inefficiency if overloaded bars are placed on small windows.
The toolbar, also called a bar or standard toolbar (originally known as ribbon), is a graphical control element on which on-screen icons can be used. A toolbar often allows for quick access to functions that are commonly used in the program. Some examples of functions a toolbar might have are open file, save, and change font. Toolbars are usually distinguished from palettes by their integration into the edges of the screen or of other windows. This can result in wasted space if multiple underpopulated bars are stacked atop each other or interface inefficiency if overloaded bars are placed on small windows.
Variants
There are several user interface elements derived from toolbars: * Anaddress bar
In a web browser, the address bar (also location bar or URL bar) is the element that shows the current URL. The user can type a URL into it to navigate to a chosen website. In most modern browsers, non-URLs are automatically sent to a search eng ...
, location bar or URL bar is a toolbar that mainly consists of a text box. It typically accepts URL
A uniform resource locator (URL), colloquially known as an address on the Web, is a reference to a resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A URL is a specific type of Uniform Resource Identi ...
s or file system addresses. They are found in web browsers and file manager
A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to manage computer files, files and folder (computing), folders. The most common Computer file#Operations, operations performed on files or groups of files incl ...
s.
* A breadcrumb
Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cutlet ...
or breadcrumb trail allows users to keep track of their locations within a program or a file system. They are toolbars whose contents dynamically change to indicate the navigation path.
* A ribbon was originally used to refer to a toolbar, but it now means a complex user interface which consists of multiple toolbars chosen between through tabs.
* A taskbar
The taskbar is a graphical user interface element that has been part of Microsoft Windows since Windows 95, displaying and facilitating switching between running computer program, programs. The taskbar and the associated Start menu, Start Menu were ...
is a toolbar provided by an operating system to launch, monitor and manipulate software. A taskbar may hold other sub-toolbars.
A search box is not in itself a toolbar but one may appear within a toolbar, as is the case with the address bar.
Toolbars may appear in various software. Some web browsers
A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scree ...
allow the user to customize its toolbars' contents or location. Plug-ins can be used to add new toolbars to some programs.
Sometimes trojan horse viruses will take the form of a toolbar.
See also
* Browser toolbarReferences
External links
* {{Graphical control elements Graphical control elements Graphical user interface elements