How to Create Toolbars in BricsCAD

Quick answer: New toolbars and flyouts are created from the Toolbars tab of the Customize dialog, with properties controlling their name, position, visibility, and behaviour once loaded.

Creating a Toolbar

1. In the Customize dialog, click the Toolbars tab.
2. Either select a menu group, right-click, and choose Append toolbar (adds it below the last existing toolbar), or select an existing toolbar, right-click, and choose Insert toolbar (adds it above the selected one). The Add toolbar dialog opens.
3. Type a name in the Title field.
4. Click OK; the toolbar is created.
5. Define its properties:
   • Title: alphanumeric characters only, with punctuation limited to a dash or underscore. Combined with its Alias, this lets the toolbar be referenced programmatically.
   • Position: Floating, Top, Left, Bottom, or Right, the latter four docking it to that window edge.
   • Display: whether the toolbar shows when the CUI file loads.
   • Rows: the number of rows when Floating; toolbars containing controls can’t have multiple rows.
   • Xval / Yval: the toolbar’s X and Y position in pixels when Floating, measured from the left and top edges of the screen respectively.
6. Add items to the toolbar.

Adding a Flyout to a Toolbar

1. In the Customize dialog, click the Toolbars tab.
2. Either select a toolbar, right-click, and choose Append Flyout (adds it at the end of the toolbar), or expand a toolbar, right-click a tool, and choose Insert flyout (adds it above that tool).
3. The Add flyout dialog opens.
4. Type a name in the Title field.
5. Click OK; a new, empty toolbar is created and inserted as a flyout within the selected toolbar.
6. Define the flyout’s properties:
   • Title: same alphanumeric/dash/underscore rule as a regular toolbar.
   • Target alias: identifies which toolbar the flyout references.
   • Own Icon: No shows the icon of the first tool, or whichever was most recently used, in the parent toolbar; Yes shows a specifically selected icon there instead.
7. Define its properties for when it’s torn off and becomes its own floating toolbar.
8. Add items; anything added to the flyout also appears on the toolbar, and vice versa.

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters are allowed in a toolbar’s title? Alphanumeric characters, plus a dash or underscore, no other punctuation.

Can a floating toolbar with controls have multiple rows? No, toolbars containing controls are limited to a single row even when floating.

What’s the difference between Append toolbar and Insert toolbar? Append adds the new toolbar below the last existing one in the menu group; Insert adds it directly above whichever toolbar you’ve selected.

If I add a tool to a flyout, does it also appear on the main toolbar? Yes, items sync both ways between a flyout and the toolbar it’s part of.