Rated 5 out of 5 stars

by RDL on July 6, 2007 ·

A Valuable and Functioning Tool for many Thunderbird Users
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TB_Custom_Toolbar brings Firefox style user defined extra (custom) toolbars to Thunderbird.

Exceedingly easy and trouble free to use, it allows users to call on extra toolbar space for all the additional buttons they might want to deploy from extensions they install. Thus buttons and other widgets may be arranged at will to provide a clear and uncluttered TB window.

This could also be particularly useful as one of two solutions for those who want more space for the 'View' and 'Quicksearch' widgets which, in TB 2 were moved out of their dedicated Searchbar in the Thread Pane.

>> It appears to be an excellent product and, if released from the sandbox, could benefit many TB users.

I tested TB_Custom_Toolbar (TBCT) version 1.0 in TB 2.0.0.4 on Windows XP Pro SP2 (fully patched). Extension listing is appended.
In this instance, in testing I used both the default theme and the Outlook 2003 GreenTB 2.0 theme.

Download and Installation (by drag-and-drop on the EM window) went without trouble.
Uninstallation and re-installation was done several times without any problem in the course of testing.

Once TBCT is installed, Customize shows an 'Add New Toolbar' as is seen inFirefox.
This appears (and works) in 'Customize' for the TB Main, Message, Edit/Compose windows and (even) the Address Book window.
Use of the button to produce a new, named user defined toolbar, is exactly as in Firefox (FF).

Something must be dragged onto the new toolbar before clicking 'OK' in Customize.
Otherwise, as in FF, the toolbar is discarded.

After reloading TB, an extra entry for the new toolbar appears under View -> Toolbars
Ticking/unticking that entry toggles the toolbar visibility.

In this release, of TBCT, I only saw menu entries for custom toolbars created in the TB Main Window.
There were none for toolbars created in Message, Edit or Address Book Windows.

** Hopefully, in later versions, code can be added for those other windows.
I note that my own greatest need for extra TB toolbar space tends to occur in the main window.

Note: As in FF, custom toolbars which are hidden when TB is closed will be visible when it is restarted.
That appears to be the same as FF known error https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=220701
It is not a fault in this extension.

A TBCT custom toolbar in any window may be removed by customizing, moving all objects off the toolbar and clicking 'OK' in customize.

When this is done for a toolbar in the main window, the assocoated View -> Toolbars menu entry remains until TB is reloaded.
However, ticking/unticking it before reloading appeared to have no effect, detrimental or otherwise.
After reloading, the entry has disappeared.

If a TBCT custom toolbar exists at the time TBCT is uninstalled
then it will not be removed by the unstallation or insubsequent reloads.
However, the View -> menu entry for such a toolbar in the main window will disappear so the toolbar cannot be toggled.

However, any such toolbars may still be customized, and most importantly, deleted, by the usual method.

** It is arguable that uninstalling TBCT should remove the toolbar and return its content to the customize palette.
However, given the ease with which that can be done anyway, using 'Customize', this is a minor matter.
TBCT 1.0 has enabled creation of extra toolbars and provided code to handle their menu entries for the main window.
All other management features already exist in TB and are currently, successfully, left to TB.

If, after TBCT is fully uninstalled, such a custom toolbar still exists in the main window when TBCT is re-installed
then, after reloading TB, the associated View -> Toolbars menu entry is restored.

I have briefly experimented with more than one TBCT custom toolbar present in the same TB window.
All functions appeared to work well and as described previously.

I have not observed any conflicts with the other extensions installed in that profile.
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Conclusion:
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This is already a very powerful, useful and healthy product and should be made available in the AMO public add-ons list.
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Extensions etc Present in the Test Profile.
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Generated: Sun Jul 01 2007 00:21:51 GMT+0100 (GMT Daylight Time)
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.4) Gecko/20070604 Thunderbird/2.0.0.4 Mnenhy/0.7.5.0
Build ID: 2007060411

Enabled Extensions: [23]
- British English Dictionary 1.19
- Buttons! 0.5.3.2
- Contacts Sidebar 0.7
- Fix Tb Titlebar Extension 0.5.0
- Grippies 0.1+
- keyconfig 20060828.1
- MagicSLR 1.2.2
- Menu Editor 1.2.3.3
- MessageID-Finder 2.0.0
- Mnenhy 0.7.5
- More Button Plus 0.3
- MR Tech Local Install 5.3.2.3
- No New Window on Double Click 0.2.3
- Preferential 0.8.2
- QuickNote 0.6.0.3
- Quicktext 0.9.9.9
- Quote Colors 0.2.8
- Rewrap Toolbar Button 1.0.1
- Shift-Delete Controller 0.2.8
- Talkback 2.0.0.4
- Tb AutoSave Extension 0.1.4
- TB Custom Toolbar 1.0
- xSearchbarT2 0.2

Disabled Extensions: [1]
- QuoteCollapse 0.7

Total Extensions: 24

Installed Themes: [3]
- Mostly Crystal 2.0.0.3
- Outlook 2003 GreenTB 2.0
- Thunderbird (default)