On-screen toolbar programs (Toolbar Creator, Tablet Pro, TouchKey, etc.)

On the now-defunct TPCR website, there were many threads dedicated to the discussion of software that create hovering on-screen toolbars that can be especially useful for art programs. This is my attempt to create a general thread for the discussion of such programs, and to provide useful links that were previously available on the old TPCR website and beyond. All programs below are for PC only.

Below are links to on-screen toolbar programs as discussed on the old TPCR website and other sites. Let me know if I’ve forgotten any or if you need more information about any of these.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TOOLBAR PROGRAMS:

TOOLBARS THAT SHOULD WORK ON MODERN TABLETS:

TOOLBAR CREATOR (it’s now quite dated and is very pen-centric, but I’ll mention it first since I created it ages ago in a previous life!):

Here is the link for downloading the program: Toolbar_Creator 2_2_Beta_5.zip - Google Drive

Here is a link to advanced instructions once you are familiar with the basic functionalities of the program:

Here is a link to the original post on TPCR:

TABLET PRO (probably the most advanced and useful toolbar program, but it’s paid, and a pain to install and customize):

RADIALMENU (another one that hasn’t been updated in quite a while, it offers unique possibilities, among others the possibility to customize pen buttons):

TABLET FRIEND (a newcomer that looks great for use on modern tablets, but still relatively untested; let’s hope the developer keeps on working on it):

TACTION (an underappreciated toolbar option):

CHOMP (another underappreciated program):

OLDER TOOLBARS THAT MAY NOT WORK ON MODERN TABLETS:

TOUCHKEY (not sure it still works on current tablets, but a favorite and surprisingly robust toolbar throughout the years):

https://kannagi.net/touchkey/

RAWINPUTCONTROLTEST (the original wonder script, on which ArtDock, PaintDock, devDock, slatepal, and many others were based; most probably won’t work on anything after Windows 7/8):

http://39kasen.sakura.ne.jp/rawinputcontroltest/

ARTDOCK:

https://www.deviantart.com/konartist3d/art/ArtDock-283342420

PAINTDOCK:

http://enliighten.com/blog/slate-shortcut-tools-paintdock/

DEVDOCK:

SLATEPAL:

SUIT:

MODLOCK (an oldy but a goody, the ancestor to all tablet toolbar programs):

https://web.archive.org/web/20220125223202/http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/modlock-and-how-it-changed-my-digital-art-life.43665/

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Thank you for curating this list. :+1:

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Outstanding job, @lblb :+1:

Thank you.

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Hat’s off to you! By the way, I made your post a wiki so others can edit and contribute.

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@Hifihedgehog
Awesome, thanks!

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Will also add this old thread I made years back that was stickied in the old forum.

Any tips for a better pressure curve on a tablet PC?

Direct link to the tool here.

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Thanks! I was looking for something like that (gotten back into trying my hand at art).

It’s a prime example of all the valuable information that was almost lost!

Edit: The links on Karel’s site don’t appear to be working, but you can get them if you click on ‘Version history & Previous versions’.

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To quote someone else, if I could give the OP and this thread 10 likes, I would…

Yeah, it’s a handy tool. Good to hear that you’re getting back into art - I need to do the same.

Unfortunately, Samsung’s implementation of EMR software means it doesn’t work.

Ah well. At least their default pressure curve is pretty good as it is and works well with the programs I usually use.

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So, my question is can we change the default Font of Toolbar Creator’s on-screen modifier Indicator? That’s the only thing that looks outdated. Every thing else was spot on for me given I created 3D looking buttoon and 3D looking on-off feel (so off PNG changed color and moves the button down and changed the apparent height of the button in the png making it look like a 3D action).

The image is for reference.
Can we change the Font?

Another thing is, now, the layouts can be at max 20x20 buttons. Is there a way to make it say 100x100? Well, then I will use it as a 40x2 layout and dock it to the left or 2x50 layout and dock it to the bottom!

@CHOKSTARmusic

Welcome to this forum!

I’ll be happy to help you with your questions about Toolbar Creator. To deal with the issues you mention, you’ll need to have AutoHotkey installed on your computer as you’ll need to change some of the code. Do you have AutoHotkey installed? You can download the “Current Version” from here https://www.autohotkey.com/. When I install it, I like to select the ANSI 32 bit version as it provides better compatibility with older scripts.

Yes. I have AHK installed, with ANSI 32 bit.
Your HELP would be AMAZING.
Once again, sorry for Late reply

I know, due to server outage, you were not able to see my post may be. But do reply whenever you see.

Hey @CHOKSTARmusic,

By the way, your toolbar looks great!

Indeed, I’m very sorry that I missed your previous post.

For the on-screen modifiers:

  • In the Toolbar Creator subfolder named “Source_Code”, you should find the file “Your Toolbar.ahk”. Copy this file and put it in the same location as the usual “Your Toolbar.exe” file.

  • Right-click on this .ahk file, and open it in a text editor program (I like to use the free Notepad++).

  • On line 267, you will find the command that controls the font for the onscreen modifiers. You can change the name of the font (by default: Times) to any font available on your computer, and also decide if it’s bold or not (by keeping or deleting “Bold”).

  • Then double-click on this modified .ahk file to see the effect of the changes you made.

  • This will change the font used for the onscreen modifiers. This way, you may be able to find a font that looks better for your needs. Unfortunately, AutoHotkey is pretty bad at making the contours of letters appear to be smooth when the background for the text is transparent. I think a better option is to leave a colored background so that the letters look much better.

  • For example, put a semi colon ; in front of line 338. This will comment out line 338, which is the line that makes the background of the modifiers transparent. Relaunch the toolbar by double-clicking the .ahk file, and you’ll see that there is now a grey background to the modifiers.

  • You can change the color of the background on line 262 by using the hex code for the color you want. By default, this is C0C0C0 for silver, but you can google hex colors to get any color you want.

  • On line 272 you can change the height of the colored background for the modifiers: the default value for the height is h45 (45 pixels).

Does this help?

As far as using a larger canvas for your buttons, this is easily doable by manually editing the .ini file for your toolbar. There used to be a pdf file with advanced instructions on the original TPCR website, but I can see that the link is broken. See section 4 on page 4 of the following pdf:

Let me know if you need more help!

I got error at line 4311. When I double click

Did you put the .ahk file in the same location as the .exe file?

I know I am asking way too much, but can you please help me out? So I want to have a 48*1 grid (horizontal; So 1 row and 48 buttons laid horizontally) Can you help me get that?
My main Toolbar is called “Studio One.ini”.
It will be a huge help.
I am attaching the file. If you have time, do help me out.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1McjcEsAOsRyca4gxOiI-Laga-4_IE5Z2/view?usp=sharing

Do reply whenever you have time.
Thank you so much for helping.