Toolboxes and Toolbars

This section gives an overview of the tools and functions available in ActivInspire's toolboxes and toolbars:

For full details of the tools and functions provided in ActivInspire, see Reference > Tools.

For a summary of the tools and functions available in each menu and popup menu in ActivInspire, see Reference > Menus and Popup Menus.

You can customise the Main Toolbox and Object Edit Toolbar to contain any combination of tools to suit your needs. For details, see Choosing your tools.

Main Toolbox

The Main Toolbox contains the following tools and menu items by default.

Tool/Menu item

Studio

Primary

Description

 More info...

Main Menu  

Opens the Main Menu. This gives you access to the same menus as the Menubar.

Reference > Menus > File, Edit, View, Insert, Tools, Help

Switch Profile

Opens a popup box showing the available profiles, to quickly switch from one profile to another.

More about ActivInspire > Making profiles work for you

Desktop Annotate

Makes your computer's live desktop the background of your flipchart page. Lets you annotate the desktop and interact with other applications.

Reference > Tools > Desktop Annotate

Desktop Tools

Minimises ActivInspire and launches the Desktop Tools.

Desktop Tools

Previous Page

Displays the previous flipchart page.

 

 

Next Page

Displays the next flipchart page.

Adds a new flipchart page, if you click it on the last page of a flipchart.

 

Start/Stop Flipchart Vote

Opens the 'Voting Summary' Box. Only enabled (green) if the current page contains a prepared voting question.

 

Using Learner Response Systems > Prepared questions -Using the Question Wizard

Express Poll

Lets you ask your students a quick question and display voting results instantly.

Using Learner Response Systems > Quick question and ExpressPoll

Reference > Tools > ExpressPoll

Colour Palette

see Pen Tray

In ActivInspire Studio, lets you select the colour of text, highlighter, lines and shapes, filling objects, etc.

To select a colour not included in the Colour Palette, right-click on the colour you want to change and select a colour, or create your own custom colour.

First steps with ActivInspire > Writing on a flipchart

Width Selectors

see Pen Tray

In ActivInspire Studio, lets you select a different size for your Eraser, Highlight or Pen. To change the size, ensure the tool is selected, then do one of the following:

  • Click on one of the circular settings in the Width Selector.
    For the Eraser and Highlighter you can choose from 20 or 50 pixels.
    For the Pen you can choose from 2, 4, 6 or 8 pixels.

  • Click and drag the slider to change the width from 0 to 100 pixels in increments of 1.
    Setting the width to 0 will result in a fixed width of 1 pixel. That means the width will always be 1 pixel, even if you use Page Zoom to change the magnification.

You can change the outline width of annotations, lines and shapes just by selecting the object and clicking on a pen width.

First steps with ActivInspire > Writing on a flipchart

Select

Lets you select and interact with objects on the flipchart page.

Reference > Tools > Select

Tools

Opens the Tools Menu.

Reference > Menus and Popup Menus > Tools

Pen

Writes or draws on your flipchart.

In ActivInspire Primary, it also opens the Pen Tray at the bottom of the ActivInspire window.

Reference > Tools > Pen

First steps with ActivInspire > Writing on a flipchart

Highlighter

see Pen Tray

Emphasises areas of your flipchart with translucent colour.

Reference > Tools > Highlight

First steps with ActivInspire > Writing on a flipchart

Eraser

see Pen Tray

Permanently erases Pen, Highlight and Magic Ink annotations from your flipchart.

Reference > Tools > Eraser

First steps with ActivInspire > Deleting stuff

Fill

Fills a selected object or page with colour.

In ActivInspire Primary, it also opens the Fill Tray at the bottom of the ActivInspire window.

Reference > Tools > Fill

First steps with ActivInspire > Adding and manipulating shapes

Shape

Opens the Shapes Menu, to let you select a shape, then draw it.

Reference > Tools > Shape

Connector

Connects objects or shapes with a Connector line.

Reference > Tools > Connector

Insert Media From File

Opens a Dialog Box from which you can browse to, select and insert graphics, videos or other files into the flipchart page.

 

Text

Adds text you type at your computer keyboard.

Reference > Tools > Text

First steps with ActivInspire > Adding and formatting text

Resource Browser

not applicable

Opens the Resource Browser.

A tour of ActivInspire > Exploring ActivInspire Primary > Resource Browser

Page Browser

not applicable

Opens the Page Browser.

A tour of ActivInspire > Exploring ActivInspire Primary > Page Browser

Clear

Deletes items from the current page:

First steps with ActivInspire > Deleting stuff

 

 

Annotations

 

Deletes anything drawn with the Pen, Highlight or Magic Ink.

Objects

Deletes all images, shapes and text.

Grid

Deletes any grid.

Background

 

Deletes any background.

Page

Deletes all objects from the current page.

Reset Page

Resets the current page to the state it was in when it was last saved.

For new, unsaved flipcharts, clears the current page.

First steps with ActivInspire > Deleting stuff

Undo

Undoes or redoes your last action, for example, Fill. Click repeatedly to undo or redo as many actions as required.

Reference > Tools > Undo and Redo

Redo

Edit-user defined buttons

Visible when the Main Toolbox is not rolled in or rolled up.

Opens the 'User defined buttons' Tab in the 'Edit Profiles' Dialog Box. You can assign properties to a button, for example to open a file or run a program. You can also add a tooltip to identify the button.

More about ActivInspire > Making profiles work for you > Creating and switching profiles > Defining your own buttons

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Pen Tray (ActivInspire Primary)

In ActivInspire Primary, some tools that are available in the Main Toolbox in ActivInspire Studio, are instead provided in the Pen Tray, for easy access by smaller learners.

The Pen Tray opens, when you on click the Pen . The Pen Tray contains the following tools:

Tool

Description

 More info...

Highlighters

Three highlighters of different thicknesses.

A tour of ActivInspire > Exploring ActivInspire Primary > Pen Tray

Pens

Six pens of different thicknesses.

Erasers

Three erasers of different thicknesses.

Colour

 

 

 

Along the bottom edge of the tray:

  • A range of colours from which you can select the colour for the Pen and Highlighter Tools.

  • Some blank colour slots on which you can right-click to pick or mix your own colour.

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Fill Tray (ActivInspire Primary)

The Fill Tray opens, when you on click the Fill Tool. It contains

 

Dual Fill Tray (ActivInspire Primary)

The Dual Fill Tray is identical to the Fill Tray, except for the tray colour.

 

Dual Pen Tray (ActivInspire Primary)

The Dual Pen Tray contains the same tools as the Pen Tray, except for the Erasers.

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Desktop Tools

Desktop Tools are available in the form of a 'Wonderwheel' when you minimise ActivInspire. It contains tools that can be used over the desktop. Desktop Tools close automatically when you restore the ActivInspire window.

To move Desktop Tools, click in the centre of the Wonderwheel and drag the tools to their new location.

Tool

Studio

Primary

Description

 More info...

Restore ActivInspire

Maximises ActivInspire and closes the Desktop Tools.

 

ExpressPoll

Lets you ask your students a quick question and display voting results instantly.

Reference > Tools > ExpressPoll

Promethean Planet

Opens the Promethean Planet website in your web browser.

 

 

On-Screen Keyboard

Lets you add typed text to your flipchart while at the board.

Reference > Tools > On-screen Keyboard

More about ActivInspire > Working at the board > Using the On-screen Keyboard

Camera

Lets you take a snapshot from the screen, for example, a picture on a website or flipchart.

Reference > Tools > Camera

More about ActivInspire > Working at the board > Using the Camera

Tickertape

Lets you create messages that scroll continuously across the screen.

Reference > Tools > Tickertape

More about ActivInspire > Working at the board > Using Tickertapes

Clock

Lets you choose an analogue or digital clock. You can set the display, choose count down or count up as desired.

Reference > Tools > Clock

More about ActivInspire > Working at the board > Using the Clock

Screen Recorder

Lets you record the actions on a flipchart, desktop flipchart, the desktop, or another application, saving them to a file and play them back as an animation.

Reference > Tools > Screen Recorder

Sound Recorder

Lets you record sounds if you have the required hardware.

Reference > Tools > Sound Recorder

Calculator

Lets you do maths calculations at the board.

Reference > Tools > Calculator

More about ActivInspire > Number tools for all occasions > Using the Calculator

Dice Roller

Lets you roll up to five dice.

Reference > Tools > Dice Roller

More about ActivInspire > Number tools for all occasions > Using the Dice Roller

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Format Toolbar

The Format Toolbar opens by default, whenever you work with the Text Tool. You can also open the Format Toolbar from the Notes Browser.

For details, see First steps with ActivInspire > Adding and formatting text.

You can access the following functions from the Format Toolbar:

Function

Studio

Primary

Description

Fonts

Lets you select a font from the drop-down menu.

Font Size

Lets you select a font size from the drop-down menu.

Increase Font Size

Increases or decreases the font size by two points at a time.

Decrease Font Size

Bold

Lets you add bold or italic text, or changes the selected text to bold or italic.

Italic

Underline

Lets you underline text, or underlines the selected text.

Superscript

Lets you add text in superscript or subscript, or changes the selected text to subscript or superscript.

Subscript

Text Colour

Lets you select a text colour or background colourfrom the ColourC Palette, or mix and match your own colour.

Background Colour

Align Left

Aligns text left, centred, or right.

Centre

Align Right

Increase Line Spacing

Increases or decreases the space between selected lines of text.

Decrease Line Spacing

Increase Indent

Increases or decreases the indentation of the selected text.

Decrease Indent

Bullets

Lets you turn text into a bulleted list.

On-Screen Keyboard

Displays the On-Screen Keyboard that lets you create typed text at he board.

Select All

Selects all the text in the currently selected text object.

Text Symbols

Lets you select symbols from a drop-down list.

 

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Voting Wonderwheel

Tool

Studio

Primary

Description

Click To List Likert Scale

Displays 'Likert Scale' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Number Question

Displays 'Number entry' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Text Question

Displays 'Text entry' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Multiple Choice

Displays 'Multiple choice' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Sort in Order

Displays 'Sort in Order' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Yes/No - True/False

Displays 'Yes/No or True/False' answering options in the 'Voting Summary' Box and sends them to ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Actions

 

 

 

Device Registration

Opens the 'Device Registration' Dialog Box to let you begin registering ActiVote or ActivExpression devices or ActivEngage clients.

Assign Students To Devices

Opens the 'Assign students to devices' Dialog Box to let you import student names from a database.

Close

Closes the voting Wonderwheel.

Target ActivExpression Devices

Sets the type of device from which votes will be accepted in the current voting session.

Target ActiVote Devices

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Dual Toolbox

The Dual Toolbox appears in the bottom left of the ActivInspire window by default. You can pin or drag and drop the Dual Toolbox. You cannot add or remove tools from this toolbox.

The Dual Toolbox contains the following tools:

Tool/Menu item

Studio

Primary

Description

Colour Palette

 

see Pen Tray

Click a colour to select the colourc for the Pen, Highlighter, or Shape Tools.

Right click to access the Extended Colour Palette, or create a custom colourc.

Width selectors

see Pen Tray

Use presets or slider to set pen width.

Select

Lets you select and interact with objects on the flipchart page.

Fill

Fills a selected object or page with colourc.

In ActivInspire Primary, it also opens the Dual Fill Tray at the bottom of the ActivInspire window.

Pen

Writes or draws on your flipchart.

In ActivInspire Primary, it also opens the Dual Pen Tray at the bottom of the ActivInspire window.

Highlighter

see Pen Tray

Emphasises areas of your flipchart with translucent colourc.

In ActivInspire Primary, it also opens the Dual Fill Tray at the bottom of the ActivInspire window.

Shape

Opens the Shapes Menu, to let you select a shape, then draw it.

Connector

Connects objects or shapes with a Connector line.

Handwriting Recognition

Turns annotations into text.

Shape Recognition

Turns free-hand drawings into shapes.

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