Custom Tools

GeoGebra Classic allows you to create your own construction tools based on an existing construction.

Once created, your custom tool can be activated by clicking on the related icon or using the related a command in the Input Bar.

All tools are automatically saved in the GeoGebra file in which they have been created.

The outputs of a tool are not movable, therefore they cannot be dragged with the mouse even if they are defined as objects on a path. In case you need a movable output, define instead a list of commands and use it with the Execute Command.

Creating custom tools

Create the construction that you want to save as a tool, then select Create new tool in the Tools Menu.

In the appearing dialog window, select the Output objects and the Input Objects from the available drop down lists, then assign a Name to the tool.

GeoGebra will automatically assign the same name to the Command that will allow you to use the tool in the input bar. The command name can be customized.

Enter a brief set of instructions in the Tool help box (optional) and upload an image file for the tool’s icon (optional).

Select Finish to complete the creation of your custom tool.

Saving custom tools

When you save a construction as .ggb file, all the custom tools created in the construction are stored in it. To save the tools in separate file(s) use the Tool Manager Dialog by selecting Manage Tools in the Tools Menu.

Custom tools will be saved as .ggt files, to distinguish them from standard GeoGebra files (.ggb).

Accessing custom tools

After creating a custom tool, when opening a new GeoGebra file by selecting New in the File Menu, the tool’s icon will be visible in the GeoGebra toolbar. However, if you open a new GeoGebra window by selecting New Window in the File Menu, or open GeoGebra after a computer restart, your custom tool won’t be part of the toolbar any longer.

In order to have a custom tool always displayed in the GeoGebra toolbar, save your current settings by selecting Save Settings in the Options Menu.

To remove a custom tool from the toolbar, select Customize Toolbar in the Tools Menu. Then select the custom tool to remove from the list shown on the left and press the Remove button (GeoGebra desktop) or drag and drop it to the right side (GeoGebra Web and apps). Don’t forget to save your settings after removing the custom tool.

Importing custom tools

When a custom tool is saved on your computer (as a .ggt file), you can import it into any GeoGebra file at any time by selecting Open in the File Menu, and selecting the custom tool file.

Opening a GeoGebra tool file (.ggt) in GeoGebra doesn’t affect your construction: it only makes this tool part of the current GeoGebra toolbar.
You can also load the .ggt file by dragging it from the computer’s File Manager and dropping it into the GeoGebra window.