@TRiG :)

@WilliamMariager I keep it open, but it has always gone through phases of activity.

Hehe, yeah, some rooms are like that.

Indeed they are :)

Maybe you can give me a bit of advice.

Not sure if it's suited for the site as a question.

Ask away. The chat room has nothing off topic other than the usual things that polite people don't discuss anyway.

I'm working on an application that looks like this.

Now I'm thinking, is it okay to change what the buttons in the tool bar does, based on context? So if I hit New in the Data Manager tab, one thing happens, but if I hit New in the File Manager tab, another thing happens.

It seems logical to me, but I'm worried it might confuse the end user.

Change what the button does, or change the button?

Change what it does. Button remains the same.

Which button?

The "New" one, right under the File menu.

Basically, in the Data Manager, it creates a new entry in the list to the left.

As long as it's still creating a new object consistent with the current view, I don't see any problem with it.

However, you will save a lot of support issues if you have a label under it saying "new xyz"

Then the xyz changes to make the new action clearer.

In general, unless space is a constraint, labeled icons are better UX.

Yeah, I'm already doing that actually. If you hover it in the Data Manager it shows "New Trade Item", if you hover in the File Manager it says "New File".

Oh, as in an always visible label?

Yes.

A hover takes effort to see, although if you have a restriction on using icon labels, it's the next best thing.

But in principle, what you've suggested seems fine to me.

In fact, not changing it would be poor UX.

That's how it looks with labels.

Not very common for toolbars though.

@JohnGB Actually, I agree. Clicking a button resulting in something happening outside the view would be bad.

It's not common for toolbars, as most toolbars are terrible

What I would suggest (unless space is at a premium) is to use a larger icon and have much smaller text under it.

The text shouldn't be the same size as the text in the file menu for example.

Something like that? What's a good alternative to toolbars. I'm mostly focused on function rather than form, since this will be used by non-techy people, so it can't be confusing.

I'm not saying that toolbars are bad in and of themselves. Just that they are usually poorly implemented.

You still need consistency in the toolbar, so you need all items to be bigger and with labels, not just one.

Yeah, of course, just testing :)

Although I'm not a big fan of Microsoft's design, they generally get their toolbars in their office suite right - although they call it a ribbon.

Looks like I have the option of using ribbons like Office. They would definitely look better and be more flexible.

@WilliamMariager I would go for that then. It's also what more users will recognise as you seem to be developing for Windows.