Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

This month…

From the Vault

Originally published March 2010

The Ribbon and Toolbars, too?

The Ribbon is quickly becoming my default operating mode - I know, you never thought I'd say that, but it's true. When I go back to using toolbars in A2010, it looks… old. However, I was doing a training with a customer just the other day and she was interested in putting the Object Snap toolbar over on the right side of her screen, just for those occasional single-hits you need for that random object snap like, maybe, Nearest.

Important Note: Changing of the arrangement of your Ribbon and toolbars directly relates to your Workspace. If you have not created a workspace, see Michael's Corner, May 2009.

Add a Toolbar to a Ribbon-Based Workspace

1. Save your current workspace.

2. Enter CUI (or any other method you would like) to open the Customize User Interface.

3. In the upper left section, click on the workspace name that is [current].

4. In the upper right section, under Workspace Contents, click Customize Workspace.

5. Back in the upper left section, expand the Toolbars node to display a list of available toolbars.

6. Check the box beside the toolbar(s) you would like to display and you will see them added to the Toolbar list on the right side, under the Workspace Contents heading.

   These last steps are very important…

7. In the upper right, under Workspace Contents, click Done, then click OK to close the CUI and apply your changes.

8. You will now see your toolbar(s) in the drawing, so first, position them where you want them.

9. Finally, save your workspace by clicking Workspace Switching, then Save Current As.

10. In the dropdown list, select your workspace name, then Save and Replace. You are good to go!

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