The user can access the controls included in a toolbar or status bar with the mouse or pen through the usual means of interaction for those controls. You can provide keyboard access using either shortcut keys or access keys. If a control in a toolbar or status bar does not have a text label, access keys may not be as effective. Furthermore, if a particular access key is already in use in the primary window, it may not be available for accessing the control in the toolbar. For example, if the menu bar of the primary window is already using a particular access key, then the menu bar receives the key event.
When the user interacts with controls in a toolbar or status bar that reflect properties, any change is directly applied to the current selection. For example, if a button in a toolbar changes the property of text to bold, choosing that button immediately changes the text to bold; no further confirmation or transaction action is required. The only exception is if the control, such as a button, requires additional input from the user; then the effect may not be realized until the user provides the information for those parameters. An example of such an exception would be the selection of an object or a set of input values through a dialog box.
Always provide a tooltip for controls you include in a toolbar or status bar that do not have a text label. The system provides support for tooltips in the standard toolbar control and a tooltip control for use in other contexts.