 Menu Designer Help Contents

Introducing Menu Designer

Overview

Terminology used in this Help

Using Menu Designer

How to run Menu Designer

How to determine the active menu file

How to activate a different menu file

How to store a part of menu in a separate file

How to move a part of menu between menu files

How to add a command to StepUp Menu

How to make a command to run an application

How to make a command to process an associated file

How to make a command to process an arbitrary file

How to make a command to open a specific folder

Commands

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Insert menu

Help menu

Shortcut Menus


 Menu Designer Overview

Menu Designer is a component of StepUp’96 which you can use to modify StepUp Menu and manage menu files.

The organization of StepUp Menu and properties of its items are stored on your disk in a menu file (extension .mnu). There may be several menu files on your disk, containing different menus, but only one such a file can be active at a time.

When you choose the Customize command from StepUp Menu (or run Menu Designer without command line parameters), the currently active menu file is opened, allowing you to modify its contents and therefore to modify StepUp Menu. After you have saved changes to the menu file, the updated menu is immediately available for use. With Menu Designer you can also open and modify other menu files, not just the active one.

With Menu Designer you can add new commands to StepUp Menu, delete existing ones, change positions of the menu items, modify their properties. Menu Designer also supports drag-and-drop operations for menu items, as well as transferring data through the clipboard.

With Menu Designer you can create several menu files with different sets of commands and activate them as needed. Menu Designer allows you to move menu items between menu files, store separate items or whole submenus in different files, combine several menu files into a single menu file.

StepUp’96 comes with a ready to use menu file StepUp.mnu. It contains a number of useful commands, which you can use as starting points for constructing your own commands.

For further information please refer to the descriptions of the commands and dialog boxes of Menu Designer in this Help.


 Terminology used in this Help

StepUp Menu

a set of commands provided by StepUp’96. Can be accessed in two different ways:

•	as a part of the Context Menu, after you have selected one or more file objects which can be processed by the commands of StepUp Menu,

•	as the Taskbar Menu, without any file objects selected.

Menu file

a file (extension .mnu) containing information about organization and properties of the StepUp menu.

Active menu file

the menu file which is used by StepUp’96 to display StepUp Menu. Only one menu file can be active at a time. If none menu file is set active, no StepUp Menu is available for use.

Menu Designer

an application used to modify menu files, including the active menu file, and thus to customize StepUp Menu.

Menu command

a menu item which executes a command when you select it in StepUp Menu.

Menu node

a menu item which opens a submenu when you select it in StepUp Menu.

Root menu node

the menu node at the top of the menu hierarchy. Its name is shown in the windows context menu and as the tooltip of the Taskbar Menu.

Submenu

a set of menu items grouped together. A submenu may contain menu commands, menu nodes and separators.

File object

A file or a file system folder (not a virtual folder).

Selected file object

A file object which is selected in an Explorer window. Selected objects are highlighted in the list of the files. There may be several file objects selected simultaneously.

Focused file object

A file object which is indicated by a rectangle around its name in an Explorer window. No more than one object can have a focus at a time.

Primary selected file object

The focused file object if it is selected. If the focused file object is not selected, the first of the selected file objects.

Verb

A command defined for a particular file type. To view the list of verbs defined for a particular file type, open an Explorer window, choose  View Options from its menu, switch to the File Types page, select the file type in question, and click on the Edit button. The verbs will appear in the Actions list.


How to run Menu Designer

There are several ways:

•	Choose Customize from StepUp Menu. This opens the currently active menu file and runs Menu Designer to modify it. If you don’t have this item in the StepUp menu, or cannot access it for some reason, use one of the other methods.

•	Choose Menu Designer from either Start Menu or StepUp folder on your Desktop. These items may not be available if you have declined their creation while installing StepUp’96.

•	Using Explorer, open folder in which you have installed StepUp’96, and double-click file Designer.exe. This will automatically open the active menu file for editing, if any.

•	To modify an arbitrary menu file, double-click its name in the Explorer window.


How to determine the active menu file

Run Menu Designer and choose File | Activate from its menu. When the dialog box opens, it shows the active menu file at the bottom.


How to activate a different menu file

Run Menu Designer and choose File | Activate from its menu. When the dialog box opens, select the menu file to activate and press OK.

Note StepUp’96 maintains the information about the active menu file on the per-user basis. That is, if your computer is used by more than one user, every user may activate and use his or her private menu file. The changes to the private menu file will not affect menu files used by other users, unless two or more users activate the same menu file as StepUp Menu.


How to store a part of menu in a separate file

While editing a menu file, select the menu item you wish to store (which can be a command or a node) and choose the File  Export command from the menu bar. Menu Designer displays the Export dialog box, similar to the Save As dialog box, so you can name the menu file in which to store the selected item. If you are exporting a menu node, all its child items are exported as well. You can insert the saved part of the menu into the same or some other menu file later on by using the File  Import command of Menu Designer.


How to move a part of menu between menu files

While Menu Designer can only work with one menu file at a time, you can run several instances of Menu Designer and work with different menu files simultaneously. To move or copy a part of a menu file into another menu file, first open both of the menu files (by double-clicking their names in an Explorer window, for example). Select the menu item you wish to move or copy (which can be a command or a node) and choose either the Edit Cut (to move) or Edit Copy (to copy) command from the menu bar, to place the selected item on the clipboard. Now switch to another instance of Menu Designer (using the Taskbar, for instance) and select the menu item above which you wish the transferred part of the menu file to appear. Finally choose Edit Paste

to insert the menu item being transferred at the marked position.


How to add a command to StepUp Menu

Run Menu Designer and select an item above which you want to insert the new command. Then choose the Insert Command from the menu bar or from the Shortcut Menu. Menu Designer will create a new command item named New Command.

Change the name of the new item to reflect the purpose of the command you are creating. This name will appear in the StepUp menu. To make one of the characters of the name underlined in the StepUp Menu, put an ampersand (&) in front of it.

Now you have created a new command. Menu Designer initially assigns no properties to it, so if you were choosing such a command from the StepUp Menu, it would do nothing. To make the command to do some useful work, you need to specify its properties. To do this, make sure the menu item in question is still selected and choose Edit Properties in the menu bar (or just double-click the menu item). Menu Designer will show the Menu Item Properties dialog box, which you can use to specify the file to be run when you choose the command from the StepUp Menu, its parameters (if needed), the folder in which its execution begins, etc.

After you have set the desired properties of the command, choose the Save command to save the changes to the menu file. From this time on the newly created command appears among other items of the StepUp menu and you can use it to do the work for you.

Tip Instead of creating a fresh new command, you can also create a copy of an existing command and then modify its properties. Use the Edit Copy and Edit Paste commands for this purpose.


How to make a command to run an application

First run Menu Designer and create a new command which you will later choose from StepUp Menu to run the application. In the File field of the Menu Item Properties dialog box specify the full path to the executable file of the application. You can also specify other properties of the command, if needed. For example, to make the application start with its main window maximized, choose such an option in the Window list.

After you have set the desired properties of the command, choose the Save command to save the changes to the menu file. From this time on the newly created command appears among other items of the StepUp menu and you can use it to launch the application.

Example:

see command New text file, included in the original StepUp Menu.


How to make a command to process an associated file

First run Menu Designer and create a new command which you will later choose from StepUp Menu to process a file. In the File field of the Menu Item Properties dialog box specify one of the file macros corresponding to the full path of the focused file, for example, %1. The focused file object is indicated by a rectangle around its name in an Explorer window.

After you have set the desired properties of the command, choose the Save command to save the changes to the menu file. From this time on the newly created command appears among other items of the StepUp menu. To use this command, select the file you wish to process in an Explorer window and choose the command from the StepUp part of its context menu. StepUp Menu Handler will substitute the file macro %1 with the actual path of the selected file object and launch its associated application to process the file.

Note Since such a command makes sense only if a file is selected, you may wish to turn on the Disable menu item if selected: Folder option on the Advanced page of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box . Also, to prevent this command from being chosen if no files selected (as is in case of using the StepUp menu as the Taskbar Menu), you may wish to turn on the Disable menu item if selected: Nothing option as well.

Note Keep in mind that a number of different associations may exist for a particular file type. Such associations are called verbs. You can specify the verb to be executed when you choose the command in the StepUp Menu by entering its name in the Verb area of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box for the menu item. If you leave the Verb area empty, Windows will attempt to execute the default verb defined for the file type.

Example:

see command Open Maximized, included in the original StepUp Menu.


How to make a command to process an arbitrary file

First run Menu Designer and create a new command which you will later choose from StepUp Menu to process a file. In the File field of the Menu Item Properties dialog box specify the full path to the application executable which you wish to be used in processing a file. In the Parameters area specify one of the file macros corresponding to the full path of the focused file, for example, %1. The focused file object is indicated by a rectangle around its name in an Explorer window.

After you have set the desired properties of the command, choose the Save command to save the changes to the menu file. From this time on the newly created command appears among other items of the StepUp menu. To use this command, select the file you wish to process in an Explorer window and choose the command from the StepUp part of its context menu. StepUp Menu Handler will substitute the file macro %1 with the actual path of the selected file object and supply it as the parameter to the application you have specified in the File area. The application will open the selected file for processing, even if it is not associated with the type of the file.

Note Since such a command makes sense only if a file is selected, you may wish to turn on the Disable menu item if selected: Folder option on the Advanced page of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box . Also, to prevent this command from being chosen if no files selected (as is in case of using the StepUp menu as the Taskbar Menu), you may wish to turn on the Disable menu item if selected: Nothing option as well.

Examples:

see commands Open with Notepad and Open with Wordpad, included in the original StepUp Menu.


How to make a command to open a specific folder

First run Menu Designer and create a new command which you will later choose from StepUp Menu to open the folder. In the File field of the Menu Item Properties dialog box specify the full path to the folder which you wish to be opened when you choose this command from the StepUp Menu. If you want the folder to be opened in a single-pane window (a window without the folder tree), specify open in the Verb field or leave this field empty. If you wish the folder to be opened in a double-pane window (a window showing both the folder tree and the contents of the folder), specify explore in the Verb field of the dialog box.

After you have set the desired properties of the command, choose the Save command to save the changes to the menu file. From this time on the newly created command appears among other items of the StepUp menu. You can use this command from both the context menu and the Taskbar Menu.

Note You can use file macros to specify locations of the special folders.

Examples:

see groups of commands Go to Folder and Go to Drive, included in the original StepUp Menu.


File menu commands

The File menu offers the following commands:

New

Creates a new menu file.

Open

Opens an existing menu file.

Save

Saves an opened menu file using the same file name.

Save As

Saves an opened menu file to a specified file name.

Activate

Activates a menu file as the StepUp Menu.

Import

Imports an existing menu file into the menu file being edited.

Export

Exports the selected menu item or node to a specified file name.

Exit

Exits Menu Designer.


Edit menu commands

The Edit menu offers the following commands:

Undo

Reverse previous editing operation, if possible.

Cut

Deletes data from the menu file and moves it to the clipboard.

Copy

Copies data from the menu file to the clipboard.

Paste

Pastes data from the clipboard into the menu file.

Move Up

Move Down

Change the order of items within the same submenu.

Move Level Up

Move Level Down

Move the selected item between submenus of different levels in the menu hierarchy.

Delete

Deletes the selected menu item.

Rename

Rename the selected menu item or node.

Test

Runs the selected menu command.

Properties

Displays properties for the selected menu item.


View menu commands

The View menu offers the following commands:

Toolbar

Shows or hides the toolbar.

Status Bar

Shows or hides the status bar.

Expand All

Expands all menu nodes.

Options

Shows options for Menu Designer.


 Insert menu commands

The Insert menu offers the following commands:

Command

Inserts a new menu command above the currently selected menu item.

Node

Inserts a new menu node above the currently selected menu item.

Separator

Inserts a new menu separator above the currently selected menu item.


Help menu commands

The Help menu offers the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Help Topics

Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.

About Menu Designer

Displays the version number of this application and the registration information.


 Shortcut menus

Menu Designer provides a number of shortcut menus for various components of its user interface. The shortcut menus provide quick access to many tools used in Menu Designer:

Shortcut menu for menu items

Shortcut menu for edit boxes


 Shortcut menu for menu items

The Shortcut menu for menu items is displayed after you click with the alternative mouse button within the client area of the Menu Designer window. The Shortcut menu provides quick mouse access to many tools used in Menu Designer. It offers the following commands:

Insert

Command

Node

Separator

Duplicate commands of the Insert menu

Cut

Copy

Paste

Delete

Rename

Test

Properties

Duplicate commands of the Edit menu


 Shortcut menu for edit boxes

The shortcut menu for an edit box is displayed after you click with the alternative mouse button within the edit box area. It can also be summoned by pressing Shift+F10 or clicking on a small square at the right-bottom corner of the edit box. The shortcut menu offers one or more of the following commands:

Edit

Generic editing commands to be performed on the contents of the edit box.

Choices

the list of pre-set lines which, when chosen, replace the current text of the edit box. You can manipulate the contents of this list by choosing Properties from the shortcut menu for the edit box.

Add to Choices

adds the current text of the edit box to the Choices submenu

Recent

the history list of the lines used in the edit box. When you close the dialog box by pressing OK, the contents of the edit box is added to the top of this list. You can manipulate the contents of this list by choosing Properties from the shortcut menu for the edit box.

Browse for File

opens a dialog box which allows you to choose a file, which full path is to be inserted in the edit box.

Browse for Folder

opens a dialog box which allows you to choose a folder, which full path is to be inserted in the edit box.

Properties

opens the Properties for the Edit Box dialog box.


 Shortcut menu for the list of ...

The shortcut menu for a list box is displayed after you click with the alternative mouse button within the list box area. It can also be summoned by pressing Shift+F10 or clicking on a small square at the right-bottom corner of the list box. The shortcut menu offers one or more of the following commands:

Insert New

allows you to insert a line in an empty list box

Insert Before

Insert After

allow you to insert a new line in a list box before or after the currently selected line

Modify

allows you to modify the currently selected line in the list box

Remove

deletes the currently selected line in the list box

Remove All

empties the list box

Move Up

Move Down

move the currently selected line in the list box up or down

Properties

opens the Properties for the list of ... dialog box.


`Properties for Edit Box' Dialog Box
 ‘Properties for Edit Box’ Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to change properties of an edit box of Menu Designer. It contains one or more of the following pages:

Choices

list of items which appear in the Choices submenu of the edit box shortcut menu.

Recent

list of items which appear in the Recent submenu of the edit box shortcut menu.


`Properties for the list of ...' Dialog Box
 ‘Properties for the list of ...’ Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to change properties of the corresponding list of items (Recent or Choices) associated with an edit box. It contains the following areas:

Max. number of lines

the maximum number of lines the associated list of items may contain. If Auto arrange lines option is checked for the Choices list, then when you add a line to the list by using the command Add to Choices from the shortcut menu for the edit box, and the list already contains the Max. number of lines, the last line of the list is automatically deleted and the new line is added to the top of the list.

Auto arrange lines

when checked causes the corresponding list of items to be automatically rearranged when you choose an item of that list from the shortcut menu for the edit box: the item you have chosen is moved to the top of the list. This option is always enabled for the Recent lists.

Confirm Remove

when checked, causes Menu Designer to prompt you to confirm the removing of a line from the list.

Confirm Remove All

when checked, causes Menu Designer to prompt you to confirm the removing of all lines from the list.


File New command
New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new menu file in Menu Designer.

You can open an existing menu file with the Open command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+N


File Open command
Open command (File menu)

Use this command to open an existing menu file in a window.

You can create new menu files with the New command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Save command
Save command (File menu)

Use this command to save the menu file being edited to its current name and directory.  When you save a menu file for the first time, Menu Designer displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your menu file.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing menu file before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+S


File Save As command
Save As command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the menu file being edited.  Menu Designer displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your menu file.

To save a menu file with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.


File Activate command
Activate command (File menu)

Use this command to activate a menu file as StepUp Menu.  Menu Designer displays the Activate Menu File dialog box so you can specify which menu file to activate.


File Import command
Import command (File menu)

Use this command to import a menu file into the menu file being edited. When you choose this command, Menu Designer displays the Import dialog box so can select the menu file to import. The menu file being imported is inserted before the currently selected menu item or node in the window. If the root menu node is selected, the Open command is performed instead.


File Export command
Export command (File menu)

Use this command to export the currently selected menu item or node to a separate menu file. When you choose this command, Menu Designer displays the Export dialog box so can name the menu file. If you are exporting a menu node, all its child items are exported as well. If the root menu node is selected, the Export command saves a copy of the whole menu file being edited under a different name.


File 1, 2, 3, 4 command
1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four menu files you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the menu file you want to open.


File Exit command
Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your Menu Designer session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  Menu Designer prompts you to save menu files with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Edit Undo command
Undo command (Edit menu)

Use this command to reverse the last editing action, if possible.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+Z or

ALT-BACKSPACE


Edit Cut command
Cut command (Edit menu)

Use this command to remove the currently selected data (a menu command or a menu node) from the menu file and put it on the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if there is no data currently selected.

Cutting data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Edit Copy command
Copy command (Edit menu)

Use this command to copy selected data (a menu command or a menu node) onto the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if there is no data currently selected.

Copying data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Edit Paste command
Paste command (Edit menu)

Use this command to insert a copy of the clipboard contents at the insertion point.  This command is unavailable if the clipboard is empty.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Edit Move Up command
Move Up command (Edit menu)

Use this command to move the selected menu item or node above the previous one within the same submenu.  This command is unavailable if the selected item is the first one in the submenu.

You can also drag and drop the item to the desired position.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+UP


Edit Move Down command
Move Down command (Edit menu)

Use this command to move the selected menu item or node after the next one within the same submenu.  This command is unavailable if the selected item is the last one in the submenu.

You can also drag and drop the item to the desired position.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+DOWN


Edit Move Level Up command
Move Level Up command (Edit menu)

Use this command to move the selected menu item or node to the parent submenu, if any. This command is unavailable if the selected item is in the submenu of the highest level.

You can also drag and drop the item to the desired position.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+LEFT


Edit Move Level Down command
Move Level Down command (Edit menu)

Use this command to move the selected menu item to a node following the selected item. This command is unavailable if the item following the selected item is not a node.

You can also drag and drop the item to the desired position.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+RIGHT


Edit Delete command
 Delete command (Edit menu)

Use this command to delete the selected menu item.

Shortcuts

Keys:	Del


Edit Rename command
 Rename command (Edit menu)

Use this command to rename the selected menu item.

You can also click on the selected item to rename it.


Edit Test command
 Test command (Edit menu)

Use this command to run the selected menu command.

Note This command executes the menu item as if it were chosen from Taskbar Menu, i.e. no selected file objects is supplied to it. To test the menu item in the Context Menu mode, save the menu file being edited, select a file object in an Explorer window and choose the menu item from the Context Menu.


Edit Properties command
 Properties command (Edit menu)

Use this command to view and/or modify properties of the selected menu command. When you choose this command, Menu Designer displays the Menu Item Properties dialog box.

You can also double click on the selected item to modify its properties.

Shortcuts

Keys:	ALT+ENTER


View Toolbar command
Toolbar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Toolbar, which includes buttons for some of the most common commands in Menu Designer, such as File Open.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Toolbar is displayed.

See Toolbar for help on using the toolbar.


Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick mouse access to many tools used in Menu Designer.

To hide or display the Toolbar, choose Toolbar from the View menu (ALT, V, T).

Click	To

Open a new menu file.

Open an existing menu file.  Menu Designer displays the Open dialog box, in which you can locate and open the desired file.

Save the active menu file or template with its current name.  If you have not named the menu file, Menu Designer displays the Save As dialog box.

Remove selected data from the menu file and stores it on the clipboard.

Copy the selection to the clipboard.

Insert the contents of the clipboard at the insertion point.


View Status Bar Command
Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button, and keyboard latch state. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.

See Status Bar for help on using the status bar.


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Menu Designer window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  This area similarly shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing them.  If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the pointer is off the toolbar button.

If a menu command is currently selected, the left area of the status bar shows its description.

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

Indicator	Description

CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.

NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.

SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


View Expand All command
 Expand All command (View menu)

Use this command to expand all nodes of the menu hierarchy.


View Options command
 Options command (View menu)

Use this command to view and/or modify options for Menu Designer. When you choose this command, Menu Designer displays the Options for Menu Designer dialog box.


Insert Command command
 Command command (Insert menu)

Use this command to insert a new menu command above the currently selected menu item.

Shortcuts

Keys:	Ins


Insert Node command
 Node command (Insert menu)

Use this command to insert a new menu node above the currently selected menu item.


Insert Separator command
 Separator command (Insert menu)

Use this command to insert a new menu separator  above the currently selected menu item.


Help Topics command
Help Topics command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using Menu Designer and various types of reference information.

Once you open Help, you can click the Contents button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.


Help About command
About command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the copyright notice and version number of your copy of Menu Designer.


Help Using Help Command
Context Help command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of Menu Designer.  When you choose the Toolbar's Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark.  Then click somewhere in the Menu Designer window, such as another Toolbar button.  The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+F1


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and menu file.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the menu file

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the menu file window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the menu file.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the menu file.


System Size Command
Size command (System menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


System Move Command
Move command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F7


System Minimize Command
Minimize command (application Control menu)

Use this command to reduce the Menu Designer window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.


System Maximize Command
Maximize command (System menu)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.


System Close Command
Close command (Control menus)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.


System Restore Command
Restore command (Control menu)

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


No Help Available

No help is available for this area of the window.


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.


<< If you wish to author help specific to each message box prompt, then remove the AFX_HIDP_xxx values from the [ALIAS] section of your .HPJ file, and author a topic for each AFX_HIDP_xxx value.  For example, AFX_HIDP_INVALID_FILENAME is the help topic for the Invalid Filename message box. >>


 Options for Menu Designer Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to change options for Menu Designer. It contains the following areas:

Show menu items in bold

When checked, causes names of the menu commands and nodes in the menu hierarchy to be shown in bold typeface.

Show icons for menu items

When checked, causes small icons to be displayed next to the names of the menu items.

Prompt to activate menu file on closing

When checked, causes Menu Designer, when you close it, to prompt you to activate the menu file being edited, if its name differs from the name of the current active menu file.

Activate previous instance, if found

When checked, causes Menu Designer, when you start it without command line arguments, to search for another running instance of Menu Designer and switch to it, if found. This option is ignored if you start Menu Designer specifying the menu file to edit. In the latter case, a new instance of Menu Designer is always opened.


 Activate Menu File Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to activate a menu file to be used as StepUp Menu. Only one such file can be set active at a time.


 Menu Item Properties Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to change properties of an item of the StepUp Menu. It contains the following pages:

General

Advanced


Menu Item Properties, General
Menu Item Properties: General

Use this property page to change general properties of an item of the StepUp Menu. It contains the following areas:

Name

Name of the menu item as it should appear in the StepUp Menu. Put an ampersand (&) before the letter you want to be underlined in the menu name.

File

Primary file object to be executed when you select this menu item from the StepUp menu, usually a complete path to the file object. You can use the environment variables and file macros in this area. File object may be one of the following:

•	Executable file (extensions EXE or COM). When you choose the menu item, StepUp runs this file, supplying the text specified in the Parameters area of the dialog box as the command line argument.

•	Associated file (a file with extension for which a verb is defined). When you choose the menu item, StepUp performs the verb specified in the Action area of the dialog box.

•	Folder. When you choose the menu item, StepUp opens the folder for browsing its contents.

Parameters

Text to be supplied as the command line argument when you select this menu item from the StepUp menu. You can use the environment variables and file macros in this area. If the File area specifies not an executable file, the contents of this area is ignored.

Start in

Folder which StepUp should make current before executing the menu item. You can use the environment variables and file macros in this area.

Window

Specifies how you want the window to be displayed when you choose the menu item (normal, minimized, or maximized).

Action

The verb to be applied to the file object specified in the File area when you choose the menu item. If no verb is specified, the default verb is assumed. For the list of defined verbs, open folder “My Computer”, choose “View - Options”  from menu, and go to the property page “File types”.

Description

Text describing the menu item. If you access StepUp Menu through the contents menu for a file object(s) in a Browser or Explorer window, this text is displayed in the status bar of the window when you select the menu item. You can use the environment variables and file macros in this area. In addition, special character combinations are recognized by StepUp when displaying the description:

^f	the original text specified in the File area, before substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^F	the resulting text specified in the File area, after substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^p	the original text specified in the Parameters area, before substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^P	the resulting text specified in the Parameters area, after substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^s	the original text specified in the Start in area, before substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^S	the resulting text specified in the Start in area, after substitutions for the environment variables and file macros are performed.

^a	the text specified in the Action area.

See also:

Menu Item Properties Dialog Box

Menu Item Properties: Advanced


Menu Item Properties, Advanced
Menu Item Properties: Advanced

Use this property page to change advanced properties of an item of the StepUp Menu. It contains the following areas:

Before executing the command

Actions to perform after you choose the menu item but before the execution of the command begins. This group contains the following areas:

Prompt for confirmation

When checked, StepUp displays the confirmation dialog box before executing the command. The dialog box contains the resulting values of the fields File, Parameters, Start in, Window, and Verb, which you can modify before continuing the command.

Copy selection to clipboard

When checked, StepUp copies the currently selected file objects, if any, to the clipboard, before executing the command. You can use this option, for example, to pass arguments to applications via the clipboard.

Note To use this option effectively, the application you are running must be appropriately designed. An example of such an application is File Handler, which accepts information from the clipboard if the source argument in its command line is specified by the symbol @.

Disable menu item if selected:

Conditions under which the menu item should be disabled. This group contains the following areas:

Nothing

When checked, StepUp disables the menu item if no file objects had been selected before opening the StepUp menu. This condition is satisfied if StepUp Menu is opened as Taskbar Menu. It is not satisfied if StepUp Menu is opened as the context menu (by a right-click on a file object), since in this case there always is at least one object selected.

Multiple objects

When checked, StepUp disables the menu item if more than one file objects had been selected before opening the StepUp menu. This condition is never satisfied if StepUp Menu is opened as Taskbar Menu.

Folder

When checked, StepUp disables the menu item if a folder had been selected before opening the StepUp menu. This condition is never satisfied if StepUp Menu is opened as Taskbar Menu. If more than one file object is selected, only the the primary one is examined to satisfy this condition.

File

When checked, StepUp disables the menu item if a file had been selected before opening the StepUp menu. This condition is never satisfied if StepUp Menu is opened as Taskbar Menu. If more than one file object is selected, only the primary one is examined to satisfy this condition.

Confirm if more objects selected than:

When checked, StepUp asks you to confirm the execution of the command if the number of the selected file objects exceeds the specified number. Possible values are between 1 and 255.

See also:

Menu Item Properties Dialog Box

Menu Item Properties: General


 Environment variables

Environment variables control the behavior of some batch files and programs and control the way MS-DOS appears and works. The SET command is often used in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files to set environment variables. Examples of the environment variables are COMSPEC, specifying the DOS path to the MS-DOS command interpreter, and  WINDIR, specifying the folder in which Windows has been installed. For more information on environment variables please refer to documentation on MS-DOS.

You can use environment variables in the fields File, Parameters, and Start In of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box. References to environment-variable strings have the form: %variable%. For each such reference, the %variable% portion is replaced with the current value of that environment variable.

The replacement rules are the same as those used by the command interpreter. Case is ignored when looking up the environment-variable name. If the name is not found, the %variable% portion is left undisturbed. If both environment variables and file macros are used in the same line, the values of the environment variables are substituted first.

For example, if you specify the field Start In of a menu command as “%windir%” (without quotes), the execution of the command will begin in the folder in which Windows is installed (usually C:\Windows).


 File macros

File macros are special character combinations which can be specified in the fields File, Parameters, and Start In of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box. StepUp Menu Handler substitutes the file macros based on the context in which the StepUp Menu is invoked before executing its menu commands.

File macros can be divided in several groups on the basis of their priority. The following file macros have the highest priority, i.e. StepUp Menu Handler attempts to recognize and process them first of all:

%(StepUp)

Substituted with the path to the folder in which StepUp’96 is installed. For example, if you have installed StepUp’96 in its default location, this macro is substituted with the following text: C:\Program Files\Chaosoft\StepUp

%(Windows)

Substituted with the path to the folder in which Windows is installed, usually C:\Windows.

%(System)

Substituted with the path to the folder containing Windows system files, usually C:\Windows\System.

%(Desktop)

Substituted with the path to the folder used to physically store file objects on the desktop, usually C:\Windows\Desktop.

%(Programs)

Substituted with the path to the folder containing your program groups, usually C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.

%(Neighborhood)

Substituted with the path to the folder containing objects that appear in the network neighborhood, usually C:\Windows\NetHood.

%(Personal)

Substituted with the path to the folder that serves as a common respository for documents.

%(Templates)

Substituted with the path to the folder that serves as a common respository for document templates.

%(Recent)

Substituted with the path to the folder that contains the your most recently used documents, usually C:\Windows\Recent.

%(Send To)

Substituted with the path to the folder that contains Send To menu items, usually C:\Windows\Send To.

%(Start Menu)

Substituted with the path to the folder that contains Start menu items, usually C:\Windows\Start Menu.

%(Start Up)

Substituted with the path to the folder that corresponds to the Startup program group, usually C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp .

%%

Substituted with a single character %

%n  (where n can be a digit from 1 through 9)

Substituted with the full DOS path (without quotes) of the n-th file object selected before choosing the menu command. If the number of the selected file objects is less than n, the whole combination %n is removed from the text. If the number of the selected file objects is more than one, %1 is substituted with the path of the primary selected file object. For example, if you have selected 2 files, “My File.txt” and “Another File.txt” in the folder “C:\My Folder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, and file “My File.txt” is focused, then

[%1] is replaced with [C:\My Folder\My File.txt]

[%2] is replaced with [C:\My Folder\Another File.txt]

[%3] through [%9] are replaced with []

%*c  (where c can be any character or omitted)

Substituted with the full DOS paths (enclosed in quotes) of all file objects selected before choosing the menu command. If specified, character c is used as a separator between the paths. If omitted, a space character is used as the separator. If no file objects have been selected, the whole combination %*c is removed from the text. For example, if you have selected 2 files, “My File.txt” and “Another File.txt” in the folder “C:\My Folder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[%*,] is replaced with [“C:\My Folder\My File.txt”,”C:\My Folder\Another File.txt”]

!*c  (where c can be any character or omitted)

Substituted with the names (enclosed in quotes) of all file objects selected before choosing the menu command. If specified, character c is used as a separator between the names. If omitted, a space character is used as the separator. If no file objects have been selected, the whole combination !*c is removed from the text. For example, if you have selected 2 files, “My File.txt” and “Another File.txt” in the folder “C:\My Folder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!*,] is replaced with [“My File”,” Another File”]

!*!c  (where c can be any character or omitted)

Substituted with the names and extensions (enclosed in quotes) of all file objects selected before choosing the menu command. If specified, character c is used as a separator between the names. If omitted, a space character is used as the separator. If no file objects have been selected, the whole combination !*!c is removed from the text. For example, if you have selected 2 files, “My File.txt” and “Another File.txt” in the folder “C:\My Folder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!*!,] is replaced with [“My File.txt”,” Another File.txt”]

!:

Substituted with the drive letter followed by a semicolon of the drive the primary selected file object is located on. If there is no primary selected file object, the whole combination !: is removed from the text. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!:] is replaced with [D:]

!\

Substituted with the full directory name (including leading and trailing backslashes)  the primary selected file object is located in. If there is no primary selected file object, the whole combination !\ is removed from the text. The root directory is represented by a single backslash. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder\My Subfolder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!\] is replaced with [\My Folder\My Subfolder\]

!/

Substituted with the full path of the folder (without trailing backslash) the primary selected file object is located in. If there is no primary selected file object, the whole combination !/ is removed from the text. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder\My Subfolder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!/] is replaced with [D:\My Folder\My Subfolder]

!!

Substituted with a single character !

If none of the listed above file macros are recognized by StepUp Menu Handler in the text, an attempt to recognize and substitute the following combinations is made:

.!

Substituted with the extension (including the leading dot) of the primary selected file object. If there is no primary selected file object, or if the primary selected file object has no extension, the whole combination .! is removed from the text. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder\My Subfolder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[.!] is replaced with [.txt]

,!

Substituted with the extension (without the leading dot) of the primary selected file object is located on. If there is no primary selected file object, or if the primary selected file object has no extension, the whole combination .! is removed from the text. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder\My Subfolder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[,!] is replaced with [txt]

Finally, if none of the listed above file macros are recognized by StepUp Menu Handler in the text, an attempt to recognize and substitute the following combinations is made:

!

Substituted with the name (without extension) of the primary selected file object is located on. If there is no primary selected file object, the character ! is removed from the text. For example, if you have set focus to the file “My File.txt” located in folder “D:\My Folder\My Subfolder” before choosing a StepUp Menu command from the context menu, then

[!] is replaced with [My File]

Note 	File macros can be combined to produce desired results. For example, to specify the full DOS path of the focused file object, you can use any of the following combinations: %1 or !/!.! or !:!\!.!

Note 	When using file macros take into account their relative priority. For example, the character combination [.!:] is parsed as [.(!:)] and replaced with [.C:] (assuming C is the name of the disk the focused file object is located on), whereas the combination [.!-] is parsed as [(.!)-] (since !- is not a file macro) and replaced with [.ext-] , where ext is the extension of the focused file.

Note	When using a file macro to specify the complete path of a file object in the fields File and Start In of the Menu Item Properties Dialog Box, do not enclose it in quotation marks. Using macros in the Parameters field, however, almost always requires enclosing them in quotation marks (to account for long file names containing spaces). For example, to specify the full path of the primary selected file object enclosed in quotes, use the following combination: “!:!\!.!” (including quotes).