ToolsToo Pro v12: Conversation with Gil Segal

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  Gil Segal is the creator of ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint and an expert technologist with a deep understanding of a wide range of architectures, tools, and technologies and their impact. Gil is always on the lookout for ways to automate manual tasks in any software he uses and has been a PowerPoint power-user since the mid-90s.

In this conversation, Gil talks about the new ToolsToo Pro v12.

Geetesh: Gil, ToolsToo 12 introduces several new tools, including Make Same Shape, Swap Formatting, Extract Comments, and new chain tools. Which of these additions best reflects how ToolsToo is evolving, and why did you feel this was the right time to introduce them?

Gil: The ToolsToo add-in has always been about productivity, about getting things done quicker and/or more precisely than doing the same action(s) manually. All the new tools in v12 fall under that same core vision.

These are the new tools:

• Extract Comments – one-click extract of all comments from all slides to a Word document
• Split Text to Two Columns – easily split the current shape to create two columns of text
• Make Same Shape – easily change shapes to match another shape

ToolsToo v12 also features 2 new chain tools (Select Body and Select Title) to further enrich the automations possible via ability to build custom tools chains. For example, with the new Select Title chain tool, you can easily build a chain to auto-fit the titles on all selected slides.

Productivity improvements can be found in the v12 changes as well, most notably, many of the tools will now operate on the selected shape even if text input is active. So, you no longer need to stop what you’re doing and make sure to select the shape, rather than the text.

Most of the above features (as has been in the case in recent ToolsToo versions) originated in customer suggestions. Accepted suggestions are implemented as soon as feasible.

Geetesh: ToolsToo began as a personal productivity toolkit and has steadily grown over two decades. With version 12 adding new chain tools and automation features, how do you decide when a capability belongs in ToolsToo rather than remaining a manual PowerPoint task?

Gil: First and foremost, the capability has to be something that is generic and applicable to many users. Any generic and repetitive task that can be automated (meaning that the required action is supported in the object model that Microsoft exposes for add-in developers to use) and fits within the existing ToolsToo framework is a candidate for inclusion.

ToolsToo hooks into PowerPoint in a non-intrusive way. It is passive – waiting to be invoked. Presentations edited with the assistance of ToolsToo are normal PowerPoint files that do not require ToolsToo to be present to be opened or further edited. Capabilities that require a more intrusive approach, such as monitoring keystrokes or requiring ToolsToo to open the presentation, are not accepted.

Geetesh: Does ToolsToo have a trial version available? If yes, where can we get access?

Gil: Yes, a free 30-day fully-featured trial version of ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint is available for download.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.