The latest articles on DEV Community by shailesh kumar sahu (@shailesh_kumarsahu_c601e). https://dev.to/shailesh_kumarsahu_c601e https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1520070%2F381fb0a2-0fef-42c4-89d6-77a6749b368e.png https://dev.to/shailesh_kumarsahu_c601e en shailesh kumar sahu Tue, 10 Nov 2026 20:46:32 +0000 https://dev.to/shailesh_kumarsahu_c601e/why-i-built-toolbarkit-one-place-for-everyday-tools-3h79 https://dev.to/shailesh_kumarsahu_c601e/why-i-built-toolbarkit-one-place-for-everyday-tools-3h79 <p>A quick task can interrupt whatever you were doing. You need to count the words in a draft, make a QR code for a link, or shrink a photo to fit an online form. Each takes a moment once you have the right tool open. Finding that tool is often the part that takes longer.</p> <p>That’s why I built <a href="https://www.toolbarkit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">ToolBarKit</a>. I wanted one place to find everyday tools, and I wanted each one to be easy to use as soon as you opened it.</p> <h2> Make the next step obvious </h2> <p>When I open a word counter, I want to paste my draft and see the count right away. When I make a QR code, I want to enter a link, preview the code, and download it. When an application asks for a photo between 50 and 100 KB, I want to enter that range directly.</p> <p>That’s what I mean by a clean, helpful interface. The labels should match the task, and it should be clear what to do next. I wanted that to feel familiar across the site, even when you switch to a tool you’ve never used before.</p> <h2> One bookmark for different kinds of tasks </h2> <p>I might use ToolBarKit to inspect a JWT payload while debugging, then come back later to shorten a link or save a note. The tasks have little in common, but I reach for a browser for all of them. That made me want to give them one home.</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Writing and notes:</strong> Count words, characters, or sentences, format text, or save a password-protected note.</li> <li> <strong>Development and testing:</strong> Encode or decode Base64, inspect a JWT payload, or generate placeholder text.</li> <li> <strong>Sharing and printing:</strong> Shorten a URL, generate a QR code, or create barcodes and print labels in bulk.</li> <li> <strong>Images and PDFs:</strong> Resize a photo to fit a file size range, merge or split PDFs, reorder or extract pages, or compress a document for an upload.</li> <li> <strong>Conversions and calculators:</strong> Convert units like length, weight, and temperature, estimate a monthly loan payment, or check BMI and daily calorie estimates.</li> </ul> <h2> Bringing ToolBarKit to mobile </h2> <p>I also plan to launch a ToolBarKit mobile app. A lot of these tasks already come up on my phone, like making a QR code for a link I want to share or resizing a photo for a form. I want the app to make those jobs just as straightforward.</p> <p>If you give <a href="https://www.toolbarkit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">ToolBarKit</a> a try, I’d love to hear <strong>which tool you’d use again and what you’d add to the kit.</strong></p> showdev webdev productivity sideprojects