Saving the toolbar layout?

**Scrimshaw** · 01 July 2010, 08:30 PM

Think I might already know the answer to this one but here goes anyway...
Does anyone know an easy way to save a user-preferred layout for all control bars in Designer Pro? Something that can be restored from a backup file later maybe?

Just downloaded and installed the latest DP6 update and find I've got to spend a while sorting all my icons out again. I'm just betting that I'll have to go through the whole darn thing yet again when the CD's arrive.

A way of saving the current layout would be extremely useful.

**gwpriester** · 01 July 2010, 08:40 PM

Sorry.

I cannot tell you how many times I have recreated my custom tool bars. But I have been using Xara since about 1996.

And like you, I will now be creating it once again.

**Scrimshaw** · 01 July 2010, 08:58 PM

Thanks for the reply Gary - thought that would be the case.

I'm a long time user myself (I remember pre-ordering my first copy of Xara Studio when they previewed it at the Windows 95 show in London - I was just blown away by its speed compared to CorelDRAW in those days!!)

Its always been a real drag having to re-do the bars and I can't believe it can be that hard to just have an option to backup and restore a favorite layout.

I can understand that it would be problematic between different versions but surely recreating a defined button set should be possible within a single version. sigh...

**Rik** · 02 July 2010, 09:55 AM

I used to use (and sometimes I still do!) a programme called Aldus Photostyler. I am now going back to the Windows 95 days.

Photostyler has the option to save a customised toolbar. Give is a name and reload/update/modify/save whenever you like.

Seems strange that a programme as powerful as Xara Xtreme or Designer cannot.

Well, maybe one day!

**Jimi King** · 02 July 2010, 10:12 AM

And don't switch between the dark and light UI's either or you'll lose any customisations you made.

**MarcP** · 02 July 2010, 03:24 PM

It is possible to back up the bars for a given version via the registry:

Open the registry
Find the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Xara\XtremePro\6.1\Bars Normal folder
Right-click on this and select "Export"
Save the resulting .reg file somewhere

To restore that bar format at a later date, double click on the .reg to merge this back in.

I've just tried it and it seems to work

Note: The reason this method may give undefined behaviour when restoring bar settings to a more recent build of the program is that the data contains information about operations and controls which may have been changed in the later build.

**amoore** · 02 July 2010, 03:43 PM

Thanks, Marc! I'll be trying that out when the CD arrives.

**jimhanus** · 02 July 2010, 04:30 PM

Did not work for me with XDP6 6.1.1. It put some Gallery icons like Duplicate, Layers (small rectangles icons) on the toolbars and I couldn't remove them. Had to reset the toolbars and re-build. Not recommended by me...

Jim

**gwpriester** · 02 July 2010, 05:22 PM

Thanks for that Marc.

Is there some way that this registry setting can be protected or not deleted like some of the other user info that does not get deleted when you uninstall and then reinstall an upgrade?

**Scrimshaw** · 02 July 2010, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by MarcP

To restore that bar format at a later date, double click on the .reg to merge this back in.

I've just tried it and it seems to work

Yup, I've tried this too, with variable success (I was not sure whether to use the bars normal or bars full key).

Got some VERY strange results but I still think it should be a simple option.

Scrim