"MenuWatch" Custom Control, version 1.1 Readme.txt File ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ============ The "MenuWatch" custom control allows you to easily add a full-featured menu help status bar to your application. By placing this custom control directly on your main form, you can display help "snippets" in a help status bar at the bottom of the window as the user highlights menu items. This custom control is very easy to use. The events it generates in response to Windows' menu events are intuitive. Very little effort is required to integrate with your app. Shareware. Not crippled. This control supports MDI windows, The MDI "WindowList" property, and it does not interfere with the normal activation of menu-related context- sensitive help (test this by highlighting a menu option in the demo apps. and pressing F1). At least one other custom control which allows you to add a menu help status bar disables the regular context-sensitive help in the process. UPDATES IN THIS VERSION ======================= Prior to this release, the "MenuWatch" control was not sending the proper "Select" event when the keyboard was used to select a top-level menu option. For example, if the user pressed ALT+F for the "File" menu, and "New" was the first option under "File", "MenuWatch" sent a Select event corresponding to the "File" menu option, instead of the "File|New" menu option, as it should have. This error did not occur when the user performed the same operation with the mouse instead of the keyboard. This defect has been corrected in this release. THE DEMO PROGRAMS ================= Note: The demo programs require the THREED.VBX control. If you don't have this control, you can use a static text control instead. Demo 1 is an example of a simple program (one which uses no MDI windows, etc.) which requires a minimum of code to use the "MenuWatch" control. In order to reduce the coding required, the menu help snippets themselves are stored in the "Tag" property of the menu control. The "Tag" property of each menu item is assigned a value at design time in the properties window. Demo 2 is the same as Demo 1 except that the menu help snippets are stored in an array which is populated at run-time. Demo 3 is an MDI application which uses the "WindowList" property. The menu is *not* altered when an MDI child is opened, since the MDI child window does not have a menu of its own. Select the File|New option to test the MDI windows. Demo 4 is the same as Demo 3 except that the main menu is altered when an MDI child is opened, since the MDI child window has its own menu. UNREGISTERED VERSION ==================== This is an unregistered copy of the "MenuWatch" custom control. This ZIP file contains the following: mnuwatch.vbx The "MenuWatch" custom control mnuwatch.hlp "MenuWatch" help mwdemo.bas VB module used by demo apps 3 and 4 mwdemo1.frm Main form for demo app 1 mwdemo2.frm Main form for demo app 2 mwdemo3.frm Main form for demo app 3 mwdemo4.frm Main form for demo app 4 mwmdi1.frm MDI child form for demo app 3 mwmdi2.frm MDI child form for demo app 4 mwdemo1.mak VB project file for demo app 1 mwdemo2.mak VB project file for demo app 2 mwdemo3.mak VB project file for demo app 3 mwdemo4.mak VB project file for demo app 4 readme.txt This file This unregistered copy of "MenuWatch" is for trial use only, you may not commercially distribute the MNUWATCH.VBX file, distribute it on CD-ROM, distribute it to government agencies or their contractors, etc. The ZIP file may, however, be distributed in its entirety for trial purposes. You must purchase a registered copy of "MenuWatch" in order to distribute it with your applications. REGISTRATION ============ You may register this software via: (1) The mail ($20, $15 for international orders), or (2) The mail and/or CompuServe e-mail (send $15 and your acct. number and a registered copy will be e-mailed to your acct.), or (3) The SWREG Forum, Registration ID 2747; $15 will be billed to your CompuServe account The source code is available for an additional $50. Author information: Steve Lathrop 19101 Willow Spring Drive Germantown, MD 20874 CompuServe ID: 70540,370 Note that the registration fee has been increased by $5 since version 1.0 to cover my connect time charges for supporting and updating this control. Those who registered version 1.0 are entitled to a $10 rebate when registering version 1.1. However, you must submit a rebate request separately via CompuServe e-mail to my ID given above. REGISTERED VERSION ================== The initial dialog box with registration information does not appear in the registered version. Once you register this software, the registered version will be sent to you via CompuServe e-mail. Support will be provided via CompuServe e-mail sent to the author's mail box (70540,370).