Sometimes it's just the little things - #12: The VBE_Extras Toolbar

VBE_Extras adds a whole load of functionality (see What is VBE_Extras) to the standard VBE. But sometimes, rather than the major areas of functionality, it's just the little things that it does that make me smile. Here's an example.

For a long time, the VBE_Extras Toolbar was 'fixed' ... you couldn't add or remove buttons and so the commands that could be triggered by the Toolbar were set in stone. You only had the buttons that I thought were most useful. To me.

Of course, the buttons (and so the commands) that are most useful to you might be different. Almost certainly will be. So now the VBE_Extras Toolbar can be customised. You can remove the buttons that are present by default, you can add other buttons for any VBE_Extras command and you can re-order the buttons. And you can add tiny little vertical separator bars. Nice!

This is the Toolbar by default:

It includes buttons that trigger a large number of commands including Highlighting, Show All Members, Cursor location history, clearing the Immediate window, using a Sub To Run, editing code Full Screen and many more.

But you can set the buttons / commands that you want to be available in the Toolbar. Either via the Settings dialog (Extras > Settings then select the UI tab, click on 'Customise Toolbar') or via the Toolbar itself (click on the small down-pointing arrow just to the right of the Toolbar, then click on Add Or Remove Buttons > Customize). You'll then see this dialog ...

... allowing you to add, remove and re-order buttons for any VBE_Extras commands (as well as adding or removing the small separator bars). Make me smile!

A couple of small 'bonuses' with the Toolbar:

• The 'Show / hide hidden members' button (in the image of the Toolbar above, this is the button with a pair of binoculars in front of a form, 5th from the right): indicates whether you are showing hidden members (when 'pressed down' as in the image of the Toolbar above) or not showing hidden members (when not 'pressed down' ie without the specific shading that it has in the image of the Toolbar). Having this button present means that you can see immediately whether hidden members are being shown rather than having to check via the Object Browser.

• The 'Show History' button (in the image of the Toolbar above, this is the button with a down pointing arrow, about one third of the way along from the left): you can click this to view a list of your recent cursor locations and jump directly to any one of those locations (this is the only place you can access this VBE_Extras functionality). For more on this, see Tracking your cursor location history.