How to Lock the toolbars in PowerPoint 2004

[May]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC

the only forum I could find for this question is in 2008, but hopefully the answer applies to 2004 too. I'm really frustrated at the way the toolbars have a habit of slipping out of position and/or the PPT docs have a habit of sliding under the toolbars. Then it's impossible to access the buttons on the top LHS. Also, if the doc happens to have been set up narrower than the toolbar, it's really irritating to have to move the toolbars around in order to free the top of the doc in order to be able to move it around. it is very very frustrating when I am trying to work fast, with lots of keystrokes, slides etc to manage. I really hope there is a workaround for this, or a macro, as there is for Word.

Also, to Microsoft, if you ever listen to your consumers, why can you not develop a mechanism equivalent to the windows version, where everything is contained inside the overall frame of the application window so the toolbars move along with the document space, so it doesn't matter where you choose to move the doc, or how you resize it, the toolbars remain in the same place in relation to the doc?

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC

the only forum I could find for this question is in 2008, but hopefully the
answer applies to 2004 too. I'm really frustrated at the way the toolbars have
a habit of slipping out of position and/or the PPT docs have a habit of
sliding under the toolbars. Then it's impossible to access the buttons on the
top LHS. Also, if the doc happens to have been set up narrower than the
toolbar, it's really irritating to have to move the toolbars around in order
to free the top of the doc in order to be able to move it around. it is very
very frustrating when I am trying to work fast, with lots of keystrokes,
slides etc to manage. I really hope there is a workaround for this, or a
macro, as there is for Word.

Also, to Microsoft, if you ever listen to your consumers, why can you not
develop a mechanism equivalent to the windows version, where everything is
contained inside the overall frame of the application window so the toolbars
move along with the document space, so it doesn't matter where you choose to
move the doc, or how you resize it, the toolbars remain in the same place in
relation to the doc?

Hi,

This forum is mostly messages from users like you and me. Only occasionally
does Microsoft employees peruse this forum. If there's a comment you want
to make sure get seen by Microsoft employees use PowerPoint's Help menu and
choose the feedback feature.

The toolbar problem you're having is a result of the toolbars becoming
"undocked." If you move toolbars to the very edge of the screen, you'll find
a position where the main window of PowerPoint will seem to automatically
fit into the right place. When that happens a toolbar is "docked." There's a
sort of sweet spot for the toolbars when they're docked.

Because you have PowerPOint 2004 you can use Visual Basic, which has the
ability to dock the toolbars for you.

Try this:
From the Tools menu choose Macro > Visual Basic Editor
In the editor choose Insert > Module
Then paste this code into the module
Sub dockme()
CommandBars("standard").Position = msoBarTop
End Sub

Leave the VB editor by click the first button on the left on its toolbar
(view Microsoft PowerPoint button).

Now use Tools > Macro > Macros. Click the Run button. If no other toolbars
are in the way, the standard toolbar will dock itself right under the menu.

As far as the main document window goes with relationship to the MacOS dock,
use the Apple menu and move the dock location from the bottom to one of the
sides and back again. That should cause the PowerPoint window to "dock"
itself like the toolbars did above.

With regard to the general behavior of windows and toolbars, I'm sorry to
report that many people have become accustomed to toolbars being restricted
to document windows. Personally, I think it's a bad programming practice,
and as you pointed out, it's the way Microsoft Windows works. Often it's the
way lazy web browser makers handle their toolbars. Having independent
toolbars makes it easier to understand that toolbars belong to the
application, not to the document. If I have 5,000 presentation files, why do
I need 5,000 standard toolbars (one inside each document window) when just
one toolbar for the entire application will do just as well? If I have 10
presentations open at once, then I have 10 identical standard toolbars all
active that all do the exact same things if they are locked into the
document window. What a waste! That's just goofy to me. But if you like this
idea, give Office 2008 a look over. The standard toolbar is now imprisoned
by the document window and can't be undocked, moved, resized, or otherwise
freed. I know this is a trend, and I don't like it at all.

So only some customers like the boxy, restrictive, space wasting duplication
of toolbars they way that Microsoft Windows and Sun's OpenOffice does it.
There's folks like me who want the freedom to move toolbars anywhere on the
screen that I want them to be. I know how to make effective use of this
feature that I can't have on Microsoft Windows.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Quoting from "Jim Gordon MVP" <[email protected]>, in article
C4283758.1A951%[email protected], on [DATE:

With regard to the general behavior of windows and toolbars, I'm sorry to
report that many people have become accustomed to toolbars being restricted
to document windows. Personally, I think it's a bad programming practice,
and as you pointed out, it's the way Microsoft Windows works. Often it's the
way lazy web browser makers handle their toolbars. Having independent
toolbars makes it easier to understand that toolbars belong to the
application, not to the document. If I have 5,000 presentation files, why do
I need 5,000 standard toolbars (one inside each document window) when just
one toolbar for the entire application will do just as well? If I have 10
presentations open at once, then I have 10 identical standard toolbars all
active that all do the exact same things if they are locked into the
document window. What a waste! That's just goofy to me. But if you like this
idea, give Office 2008 a look over. The standard toolbar is now imprisoned
by the document window and can't be undocked, moved, resized, or otherwise
freed. I know this is a trend, and I don't like it at all.

So only some customers like the boxy, restrictive, space wasting duplication
of toolbars they way that Microsoft Windows and Sun's OpenOffice does it.
There's folks like me who want the freedom to move toolbars anywhere on the
screen that I want them to be. I know how to make effective use of this
feature that I can't have on Microsoft Windows.

-Jim

Just to follow up - I was trying to be a little humorous but it doesn't read
that way. My point is that our disagreement about the way toolbars ought to
work goes to one of the core differences between the way Mac applications
work and the way Windows applications work. I prefer the Mac way, but there
are many who are used to the Microsoft Windows way and find that it's
uncomfortable to work with free floating windows all over the screen. It's a
new feature that takes some getting used to. It's actually more work for the
user, but once you get the hang of it, the reward is a better computing
experience (IMHO).

It's certainly easier for developers to do it the Microsoft Windows way, but
more importantly, computers should work the way people expect them to, and
your expectations are every bit as valid as mine. The problem for developers
like Microsoft and Apple is which path do you take when there is
disagreement about which way is best?

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[May]

Thanks for a very comprehensive response. I will try the VB/Macro route when I have a nice long time to look at what I'm doing, as I'm not that familiar with operating macros etc..

Re the windows vs mac mechanisms, I see the value of both sorts of ways - inspite of the fact that I have been using nothing but Macs in my home office for many years and only tolerate windows, very irritably, when I am working in other people's offices.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Thanks for a very comprehensive response. I will try the VB/Macro route when I
have a nice long time to look at what I'm doing, as I'm not that familiar with
operating macros etc..

Re the windows vs mac mechanisms, I see the value of both sorts of ways -
inspite of the fact that I have been using nothing but Macs in my home office
for many years and only tolerate windows, very irritably, when I am working in
other people's offices.

Hi,

There was a time when I would have strongly advocated that the Mac and
Windows interfaces be very different.

But that is not very helpful to people who are switching to the Mac, so now
I've changed my tune and would like to know more about what things you may
have found so different that they took your attention away from your work
and forced you to have to concentrate on the interface more than you would
have liked.

How do you think it should work so that you can have a Mac-like user
experience but not feel unwelcome or that it is burden?

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[May]

...........How do you think it should work so that you can have a Mac-like user

experience but not feel unwelcome or that it is burden?

-Jim

Jim,
it is so long since I regularly used a windows machine that I have almost forgotten what the differences are. For example, I don't recall what you said about toolbars being duplicated when more than one doc was open in an app in windows, but I could be mis-remembering. This will change from next week when I shall be starting a new job in a windows based office so I will be better able to compare.

I do recall that customizing the toolbars in windows was an easier process to some extent, especially the naming and icon editng part. Of course, the subject of this forum - the way you can park toolbars in MS Windows, in a fixed relationship to the application window is, I still think, the better way, rather than having the tool bars in a fixed position while the doc is moved around, in Mac OS. I prefer to be able to move the whole application window with its collection of not only toolbars, but also all open docs docked within the app window with just their names visible so you can switch through different docs without having to pull down a menu.

This system also this keeps under control any concurrently open docs below the one that is currently being worked. I suppose the Mac system of "show all docs/show current doc/clear window" etc is supposed to help, but these Mac OS function aren't useful if you want to cut and past between two docs or more as touching the docs makes everything go back to the original desktop view.

Most functions are much better in Mac than in Win, however, and I wouldn't want too many changes to what we have now, bearing in mind I'm still talking from the Office 2004 (student edition) point of view as I have not been able to afford to upgrade to 2008 yet.

I just wish we didn't have the problem of the doc's buttons and top part disappearing under a stationery tool bar when I happen to resize the doc without deliberately keeping a conscious eye on what I'm doing. My point is, all keyboard and mouse actions ought to be manageable without having to remain constantly conscious of what I'm doing, and having to take care to move the frame away from toolbars before performing any resizing.