Adding my own toolbar to the taskbar

[Steve Swift]

I've added one of my folders to the taskbar as a toolbar (Right-click,
Toolbars, New Toolbar).

The result is perfect in every way, but for one detail. My Taskbar is
set to three rows (and auto-hide, but I don't think that matters). My
new toolbar appears spread across all three rows, with the text centered
vertically (so in the middle row) and with the ">>" button on the right
having the ">>" at the top, so in the top row, the button itself
spanning all three rows.

Is there any way to shrink this toolbar so that it occupies only one row
of the taskbar? I don't object strenuously if the other rows are not
used -it seems that toolbars in the taskbar always occupy a full column
- but having it spread out vertically like this just looks odd.

 

[Poprivet]

I've added one of my folders to the taskbar as a toolbar (Right-click,
Toolbars, New Toolbar).

The result is perfect in every way, but for one detail. My Taskbar is
set to three rows (and auto-hide, but I don't think that matters). My
new toolbar appears spread across all three rows, with the text
centered vertically (so in the middle row) and with the ">>" button
on the right having the ">>" at the top, so in the top row, the
button itself spanning all three rows.

Is there any way to shrink this toolbar so that it occupies only one
row of the taskbar? I don't object strenuously if the other rows are
not used -it seems that toolbars in the taskbar always occupy a full
column - but having it spread out vertically like this just looks odd.

You can grab the bars on the left side with your mouse and move them
right/left and up/down. Adjust to your own liking. I think that'll help
you.

Pop`

 

[Steve Swift]

You can grab the bars on the left side with your mouse and move them

right/left and up/down. Adjust to your own liking. I think that'll help
you.

I dragged it around, with all combinations of "Show Title" and "Show
text" in effect, but I couldn't get the effect of the folder title and
the ">>" button (to expand the contents) all together on one row of the
taskbar.

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

I dragged it around, with all combinations of "Show Title" and "Show text" in effect, but I
couldn't get the effect of the folder title and the ">>" button (to expand the contents) all
together on one row of the taskbar.

If you have toolbars on a separate line from the running applications, one must start at the left
side, then additional toolbars can be positioned to the right. If you want to 'pad' the left side,
you can create a toolbar that points to an empty folder -- once you turn off 'Show title' and lock
the taskbar, you have the dead space you desire.

 

[Steve Swift]

I'm sorry, but having read your post at least a dozen time I cannot work
out what precisely you are trying to tell me...

If you have toolbars on a separate line from the running applications,

I cannot get the toolbars to be on a different line from the running
applications (and this may well be the source of my puzzlement)...
My taskbar is set to have three rows. The applications seem to populate
the space filling row 1 (top) first, then row two, then row three. I
have two taskbars visible, both in row 1 (top) but seeming to occupy all
three rows (so 1 taskbar in each column)

one must start at the left side, then additional toolbars can be
positioned to the right.

This is what I see; running applications filling from the left, like
lines of text on a page, and toolbars filling from the right, but each
taking one column and the full three rows. So each taskbar seems to
occupy three times as much space as it actually needs.

If you want to 'pad' the left side, you can create a toolbar that points
to an empty folder -- once you turn off 'Show title' and lock the
taskbar, you have the dead space you desire.

What I was hoping to achieve was a toolbar pointing at a folder, but
occupying only one row/ one column of the taskbar.
In an ideal world, I'd like to be able to stack the Windows Media Player
taskbar and the Windows Desktop Search toolbars on top of each other in
the right-most column, leaving one "cell" for my 1x1 toolbar pointing to
my folder.

A picture paints a thousand words; are pictures frowned upon in this
newsgroup (I haven't come across any, so I've been assuming they are
frowned upon).

 

[Steve Swift]

After fiddling around a little more I managed to get my toolbars on a
line by themselves. Unfortunately, this wastes a lot of space, as I have
only three toolbars.

What I was trying to achieve is to have the quicklaunch toolbar on the
left, spanning three rows, my active programs to the right of that,
spanning 3 rows, my toolbars to the right of that, spanning three rows,
and then the system area on the extreme right.

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

I don't think you can manipulate the toolbars so that a multi-row bar sits side by side with a stack
of single row height toolbars, like so: (switch view to fixed-width font)

|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Running | Toolbar1 >> |
| |-------------|
| Applications | Toolbar2 >> |
|---------------------------------------------------------|

but you could have a double-height bar with your running apps above a single height bar with
quicklaunch icons starting at the left and one or more cascading toolbars at the right:

|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Running |
| Applications |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| QL_Icon1 QL_Icon2 QL_Icon1 | Toolbar1 >> | Toolbar2 >> |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

 

[Steve Swift]

|-----------------------------------------------------------|

| Running |
| Applications |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| QL_Icon1 QL_Icon2 QL_Icon1 | Toolbar1 >> | Toolbar2 >> |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|

Aha! That's wizard! I'd never seen the QL_Icons taking up less than the
full height of the taskbar, so had ignored that possibility.

I've now got the taskbar as you suggested, wasting far less space than
before.

Thank you!