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LICENSE AGREEMENT Menumaker is copyrighted but a limited license is granted under the following conditions: You MAY: 1. Use Menumaker as much as you like. 2. distribute and copy Menumaker freely, as long as the associated files are kept together with the main program. 4. send IntelliCADD any amount of money for all of there hard work on this phenomenal software. (see system information on the Menumaker utility menu) You may NOT: 1. distribute Menumaker in MODIFIED form. That includes executable, help, documentation and all other files associated with Menumaker. 2. charge any fee for Menumaker itself. 3. remove, change or alter in any way the copyright notices. By using Menumaker and it associated software you are accepting and agreeing with the two terms below. 1. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DENIED. 2. Liability. You hereby agree that, regardless of the form of claim, the liability of IntelliCADD for any damages or loss by you shall not exceed the original license fee paid. INTELLICADD SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Menumaker is not BEGGERware but: If you find this program useful, and would like a complete working copy, a manual, and program binder. Please send $30.00 to the above address. If you would like to send us less than $30.00 we will gladly accept any contribution for our hard work, but we will not be able to send you back any of the above. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * IntelliCADD 256 Witherspoon way Suite H El Cajon CA. 92020 (619) 460-6030 BBS (619) 460-1568 Trademarks Autocad is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc. Norton Commander is a trademark of Norton Utilities. Sidekick is a trademark of Borland Engineering. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) IntelliCADD, 1987, 1988, 1989. All rights reserved. Menumaker Reference Manual Table of Contents Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO MENUMAKER 1.1 What is Menumaker 1.2 How to use this Manual and Software 1.3 Discussion on making Custom Menus Chapter 2 STARTING MENUMAKER 2.1 General 2.2 System Requirements 2.3 Installing Menumaker 2.4 Existing Menus Chapter 3 Getting a Fast Start (Tutorial) 3.1 So you want to get started quick 3.2 Submenu Directory Editor 3.3 Submenu Statement 3.4 Command Entry 3.5 Command Description 3.6 Prompt Entry 3.7 Custom Entry 3.8 Writing Your New Menu Chapter 4 CREATING MENUS 4.1 General 4.2 Help Menus 4.3 The Main Menu of Menumaker 4.3a Editing Auxiliary Buttons 4.3b Editing Mouse Buttons 4.3c Editing Icon-Boxes (Rel.9) 4.3d Editing Pull Down Menus (Rel.9) 4.3e Editing Screen Submenus 4.3f Editing Tablet Menus 4.3g Utilities 4.3h Quit Menumaker Chapter 5 PROMPT ENTRY 5.1 General 5.2 Prompt Entry 5.3 Prompt Entry Editing Notes Chapter 6 CUSTOM ENTRY 6.1 General 6.2 Custom Entry 6.3 Custom Entry Editing Notes Appendix A IF DISASTER OCCURS Appendix B ARCHIVING FILES Appendix C TEMPLATE MAKER 1.1 What is Menumaker. ___________________________________________________________ The Menumaker software allows you to easily create and edit your own Autocad menus customized to your individual needs. Once installed, Menumaker guides you through the various steps in the creation of your menus. Along the way, pop-up Help windows are available to assist you with the required commands and all of the Autocad commands you will be using. In addition, Menumaker supports the customization of the pull-down windows in Release. 9+, and the configuration of the buttons on your input device. Menumaker also allows for the inclusion of all of your favorite Lisp and other macro program commands. Menumaker allows you to read in any existing menu which is in an .MNU format for editing purposes. Upon completion, Menumaker will produce the new .MNU file ready for use with your Autocad drawing. 1.2 How to use this manual and software ___________________________________________________________ This manual has been written to act as a reference guide for use with the Menumaker software package. We must assume that the user has a little experience using Autocad and DOS commands. An individual chapter in this book is devoted to each of the three major Menumaker processes for the customization of your menus. Chapters 4 through 6 each correspond to one of these applications. Menumaker makes extensive use of pop-up Help windows throughout the customization process. The help offered in these areas will provide general assistance with Menumaker commands while this manual will provide the detailed instruction along with specific examples. In addition, Menumaker supplies Help windows for all of the Autocad commands. The windows you will see are the same as if you were in an Autocad drawing and requested help for a specific command. At the bottom of each Autocad Help window, Menumaker will refer you to the specific chapter in the Autocad reference manual for additional details. This manual does not contain help on the specific Autocad commands. 1.3 Discussion on making custom menus. ___________________________________________________________ Either by modifying an existing menu or creating your own, Menumaker offers both the beginner and the expert alike the required tools to complete the process easily. Included with Menumaker is a sample menu (EXAMPLE.MNU), for the purposes of providing you with both a place to start and a detailed example of a completed menu. It is suggested that you use this menu together with the tutorial to practice with, prior to working with one of your existing menus. When you begin Menumaker for the first time, the "EXAMPLE" menu will automatically be loaded ready for editing. Now that you have an existing menu to experiment with, you can make small changes in order to see the results both in Menumaker and within an Autocad drawing. Menumaker allows tremendous flexibility in the creation of your menus. Because you are able to add, delete and change any number of times, it is suggested that you build a menu gradually rather than a complicated one all at once. The key to a good customized menu is repeated testing of the finished product. Menumaker allows you to program a change between menus as many times as you want. This is important. Even though you may have a very large menu, several smaller menus will allow you much faster access time in both Menumaker during editing and Autocad while you are drawing. CHAPTER 2 Getting Started 2.1 General ____________________________________________________________ We suggest that you take a few minutes to read this chapter in order to completely familiarize yourself with the installation procedure. During the installation process Menumaker creates its own sub-directory, checks for your Autocad files, creates batch files and transfers to your hard disk. 2.2 System Requirements ___________________________________________________________ In general the system requirements are the same as Autocad. You should have the following minimum system configuration: IBM PC, PC/XT or AT or compatible At least 512K of free memory 1 Double sided 360K floppy disk drive 1 hard disk drive with at least 1.5 MB of free space Compatible Printer (optional) DOS 2.0 or higher Menumaker requires that your CONFIG.SYS file in your "Root" Directory have the following minimum requirements in order to function properly: BUFFERS=20 FILES=20 If your CONFIG.SYS does not have these minimum values, consult your DOS manual or use any asci editor to change them. Please note: The running of resident memory programs (ie. Norton Commander, Sidekick, etc.) may have some minor effects on Menumaker. Menumaker will create a separate sub-directory of your choice as part of the installation process for its files. It will also automatically transfer your completed menus to the sub-directory you have designated where you will work with your drawings in Autocad. From time to time there will be changes to this manual and updates to the software. Please type the "README.DOC" file for this additional information. 2.3 Installing Menumaker ___________________________________________________________ The Menumaker installation process is automatic the first time that you run Menumaker. You may want to put Menumaker in it's own sub-directory (ie "MENUMAKR"). To start Menumaker, type the following: C:\MENUMAKR> MENUMAKR <RETURN> During the installation process you will be asked the name of the Sub-directory you would like to place Menumaker in and the location of your Autocad program. Finally, you will be asked which printer port you have connected. Every time you begin a new editing session, Menumaker will check to make sure that all files required are present and in good condition. This will help prevent the frustrations of a "crash" during the session should the necessary files be missing. Should files be missing, Menumaker will tell you which ones the are. You can re-run the install portion or Menumaker by using a "/R" at the DOS prompt. Like this: C:\MENUMAKR> MENUMAKR /R <RETURN> 2.4 Existing Menus _____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also allows for the modification of existing menus you are currently using with your Autocad drawings. PLEASE NOTE: they must be in the uncompiled format designated as an .MNU file, not an .MNX file. Those menus you wish to modify should be moved to the Menumaker subdirectory using the COPY command from DOS. After editing a menu, Menumaker will automatically transfer your new menu to your Autocad subdirectory. When this is done the old .MNU file (if there is one) will be renamed as a .BAK file for archival purposes. Details for this process are provided in Chapter 4.3e. Chapter 3 Getting A Fast Start 3.1 So you want to get started quick..... ____________________________________________________________ At this point we know you are anxious to get started with the customization of your own menus. So we will take a few moments and walk you through a short tutorial in order to give a small idea of the power awaiting you. All we ask in return is that you take the time to read the rest of this manual as there are a lot of very powerful editing tools to numerous to mention here. In this quick tutorial we will take a look at a part of a the menu you received with your original Autocad software, make a few changes, then use it in a drawing. In order not to confuse the menus, the part of the Autocad menu we will use has been renamed to SAMPLE.MNU. During the installation procedure it was transferred to your Menumaker directory ready to use. The first step is to start your computer, move to whatever drive and subdirectory Menumaker was installed on and enter: C:\MENUMAKR> MENUMAKER <RETURN> Please note that Menumaker will display only the function keys available with each editor at the bottom of the screen. As you move between editors, this list of available function keys will change with each type of editing screen. Type an "R" to Read-in an existing menu. Menumaker will ask you to enter the name of the menu to read in. Type the word "SAMPLE" and press <RETURN>. The menu "SAMPLE" is now translated into a format to be used in Menumaker and you have been returned to the Utility Menu. Please note that this process must be done to all existing menus which are designated with the .MNU extension. Press <X> OR <escape> to return to the Main Menu. Please note: Although you have translated "SAMPLE.MNU" into a Menumaker format, it is still not the current Menu being edited. The current menu being edited is noted in the upper left corner as being "EXAMPLE". To change this, press <C> while on the main menu, type "SAMPLE" as the name of the new current menu and press <RETURN>. The menu "SAMPLE" is now the current menu being edited and is so noted in the upper left corner of the screen. In order to edit the individual Submenus that make up the Menu "SAMPLE" we need to move to the Submenu Directory Editor. To do this, press <E> on the Main Menu. 3.2 Submenu Directory Editor ____________________________________________________________ You should now have the Submenu Directory Editor on your screen as shown above. PLEASE NOTE!!! This screen shows a list of the titles of all of the Submenus (listed at the right) that make up the Menu "Example" (as noted in the upper left corner of the screen.) It is important that you realize that a Submenu represents what you will see on your drawing screen at any one time, and that all of these different Submenus (screens) make up the menu you are currently working with. Also note that the first submenu at the top of the list is called the Master Submenu (in this case MASTER). It is the submenu that first appears on your screen when you start a drawing in Autocad. Also, for purposes of this demonstration, less than 5% of the Autocad menu is being used in the file "SAMPLE.MNU". You may read in the entire menu later if you like. You can move the cursor through the list of submenus (screen displays) to the one you want to edit. The up, down, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home and End keys will move you through this list. You may also type the first letter of the Submenu desired and Menumaker will take you to the first Submenu starting with that letter. Our purpose for editing this menu is to add a new Submenu called "Practice" right after the Master Submenu "MASTER" and place the commands to draw parking islands, insert handicap symbols in the parking spaces and make a combination of these two commands. To accomplish this, we first need to create the new Submenu "Practice" and place it after the Master Submenu "S". Make sure the marker is at the Master Submenu "MASTER", (Menumaker places the new Submenu after the "marked" Submenu) and press [F5]. Menumaker will ask you to enter the new Submenu Name. Type the new submenu name "PRACTICE" and press <RETURN>. Menumaker will create the blank Submenu "practice" and place it after the Master Submenu MASTER. Next we want to go into the Master Submenu "MASTER" and insert a command which will take you to this new Submenu called "Practice". With the marker at the "MASTER" press [F2]. Your screen now displays the Master Submenu "MASTER". You should recognize the left-hand column as what you see when you start an Autocad drawing. In the right-hand column you will see a brief description of the commands entered. Since you have Read-in an existing menu, the command description for each line simply says that there is an existing command that was already there. In order to create a menu command to go to our new submenu "Practice", we must first create a space for it between "Plot" and "Utility". To do so, first press the <Insert> key to turn on the Insert toggle at the top of the screen. Then move the <Cursor> to "Utility" and press <RETURN> (The up and down arrow keys will move you on this list). Menumaker has inserted a space (or Return) in front of "Utility" moving everything down the page, while making room for your new command. The cursor remains at the new space ready for your new entry. Entering a Submenu item is a two step process. The first being to type the statement you want to appear on the drawing screen. The second is the actual editing of a command, which can be done one of three ways; Command Entry, Prompt Entry or Custom Entry. We will explore each; one at a time. 3.3 Submenu Statement ____________________________________________________________ With the cursor at its present location on line 14 between "Plot" and "Utility", type in the Statement you would like to appear on your drawing screen. In this case type "PRACTICE". Notice that you are limited by Autocad to no more than 8 characters in the Statement. You may type any combination of characters and Autocad will display them on your drawing screen. 3.4 Command Entry ____________________________________________________________ In order to create the command, we must first choose a form of editing to insert the command. In this case we will use Command Entry to create the command to change the menu on the screen to our new Submenu "PRACTICE". To do so, while the cursor is still on line 14 with the statement "Practice", press [F10]. Notice that a list of Menumaker and Autocad commands has appeared at the right side of your screen. You may move the cursor through the list using the Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home and End keys. If you know what command you are going to use, you may also type the first letter of the command which will move you directly to that portion of the list. For now we are going to the first item on the list; - SUBMENU-. This is the command used most often because you need it to change the Submenu displayed on your drawing screen from one to another. With the marker at -SUBMENU- press [F2]. Each of the commands chosen from the Command Entry list will display a Command Window with a list of options available to you. They do not include all of the possibilities, but do incorporate enough to cover most situations. More extensive possibilities exist in Prompt Entry and Custom Entry. You can move the option window up or down with the arrow keys to choose the one you want. Since we are working with a "screen" Submenu, place the marker in front of "SCREEN" and press <RETURN>. If you required additional assistance with this or any other specific command, a Help Window is always available for the command you are working with while the Command Window is on the screen by pressing [F1]. Menumaker will now ask you for the new Submenu name you want this command to display on the screen. IMPORTANT: This must be exactly the same name (without the numeric value at the end of it) of one of the submenus listed on the Submenu Directory Editor. Type in "PRACTICE" and press <RETURN>. Menumaker will store the correct command sequence and return you to the Submenu Editor with the description included. A more detailed explanation of Command Entry, including all of the options available, is given in Chapter 4.3b. 3.5 Command Description ____________________________________________________________ Next we would now like to move to our new Submenu "PRACTICE" and create a new menu item that will draw a parking island. To do so, we must first save the changes made to this Submenu by pressing [F2]. Menumaker has now saved your changes for the Submenu "S" and moved back to the Submenu Directory Editor. If we had not wanted to save all of our changes we would have pressed <ESCAPE> to abort the editing session. To move to your new Submenu "Practice", move the marker down the list to "Practice" and press [F2]. This will move you to the Editor for our new Submenu "Practice". Notice that since we have just created it, there are no commands listed. Our first step in working on this new Submenu might be to write a statement which will tell us while in a drawing what this Submenu is without including a command. To do this simply type "PRACTICE" on line 1. We could just leave it like this and it would appear on our drawing screen, but we want to place a description on it so we know what it is for future editing. To do so, we will edit the command description. With the cursor still on line 1, press [F4]. Inside the Command Description Editor you may type whatever comments you would like to be displayed. This will only appear in Menumaker and does not affect the menu when it is used in a drawing. For instance, type in "INFORMATION STATEMENT" and press <RETURN>. Notice that your description has been placed next to line 1. This becomes a convenient tool for keeping notes as your menus become longer and more complicated. If you were to press [F8] you would see that no Autocad command string exists. You can always put one in later should you need it. 3.6 Prompt Entry ____________________________________________________________ Next we would like like to create a menu item that will create our parking island by drawing two different lines connected by an arc between them. Knowing that we will be using several Autocad commands together as a single menu item, we choose to create this menu item with Prompt Entry. Please notice that we are unable to press the "pick" button on our input device (ie. mouse), so we have substituted the <INSERT> key. Therefore, every time we want Menumaker to have your menu stop and wait for input from your device, we will press the <INSERT> key. If we would have wanted our menu to pause for input from the keyboard instead, we would press the <DELETE> key. We will try this combination later. The first step is to move to a line we want to use, (say line 5) and type in the statement we want to appear on the drawing screen. In this case we are going to use the new menu item to draw parking islands. So we type "P ISLAND" on line 5. Then in order to use Prompt Entry, we press [F9]. Menumaker will now emulate Autocad. And as you type, will combine all of your commands and responses into one command string for line 5. Just as you would in a drawing, respond to the prompts as follows: Command: LINE (Press the <RETURN> key) From point: <Pick> (Press the <INSERT> key) To point: <Pick> (Press the <INSERT> key) To Point: (Press the <RETURN> key) Command: ARC (Press the <RETURN> key) Center/<Start point>: (Press the <RETURN> key) End point: <Pick> (Press the <INSERT> key) Command: LINE (Press the <RETURN> key) From point: (Press the <RETURN> key) To point: <Pick> (Press the <INSERT> key) To point: (Press the <RETURN> key) Command: Another editing tool Menumaker displays, is the length of the command string. Notice the length of this string is 27 characters and is designated in the upper left corner of the Prompt Entry window. As you enter commands and their responses, Menumaker will continue to update that length as you go. Remember, each line on the Submenu is limited to a total length of 150 characters. You have now finished our command string which will draw a line, continue with an arc and finish with another line to be used in drawing our parking island. Next we will save this string on our Submenu by simply pressing [F2]. Then Menumaker will place the comment "* Prompt Entry *" as the description of our line so that we will know by what means we created this command. Before you move on, let's look at what you have created. To do so, we leave the cursor on line 5 and press [F8]. Menumaker has displayed the Custom Entry format, but we just want to review our command. Since we do not want to make any changes at this time, press <ESCAPE> to abort the Custom Entry. Next, we will add another command using Prompt Entry to make a layer called "HANDICAP", set the color to blue, set the linetype to continuous and make "HANDICAP" the current layer. It will also insert a block called "HCSYMBOL" at a scale to be determined in our drawing from the keyboard and a rotation to be designated by your input device. (Be sure to create a block called "HCSYMBOL" in your drawing directory in order to allow this command to work). The first step is to move to a line you want to use (say line 6) and type "HCSYMBOL" for the statement you want to appear on the drawing screen. Then press [F9] for Prompt Entry. Now that you are in Prompt Entry, imagine that you are in an Autocad drawing. Now type in the following commands to create your string: Command: LAYER <RETURN> Make/Set/New/On/Off/Color/Ltype/Freeze/Thaw: MAKE <RETURN> New current layer<default>: HANDICAP <RETURN> Make/Set/New/On/Off/Color/Ltype/Freeze/Thaw: C <RETURN> Color: BLUE <RETURN> Layer name(s) for color (color): HANDICAP <RETURN> Make/Set/New/On/Off/Color/Ltype/Freeze/Thaw: L <RETURN> Linetype ( or ? )<default>: CONTINUOUS <RETURN> Layer name(s) for Linetype <default>: <RETURN> Make/Set/New/On/Off/Color/Ltype/Freeze/Thaw: <RETURN> Command: INSERT <RETURN> Block name (or ?): HCSYMBOL <RETURN> Insertion point: <pick> <INSERT> X scale factor <1> / Corner / XYZ: <keyboard> <DEL> Y scale factor (default = X): <RETURN> Rotation angle <0>: <pick> <INSERT> Command: Please note that Autocad supports several different ways of responding to any given statement. Menumaker will also support these variations even though we can not describe them all here. After you have completed the above sequence press [F2] to save them and return to the Submenu Editor. 3.7 Custom Entry ____________________________________________________________ We would now like to explore more of the editing tools available to us. As you become more comfortable with the creation of your own menus, you will probably want to explore the format of the actual command string as Autocad will execute it in a drawing. Custom Entry displays this command string used in an Autocad menu item and allows you to modify it. To demonstrate this we can use our present example. Our goal in the creation of our next menu item is to create one that will insert the same handicapped symbol on a drawing. But this time we want to put it on a layer called "SYMBOL" instead of "HANDICAP". Now, since we already created most of the command in the line above, we should re-use what we can in order to save time. To do this, we need to copy line 6 to line 7 and change the statement and then modify the command string. The first step is to move the cursor to the line we want to copy and press [F5] to mark this line as a block for editing purposes. The second step is to move the cursor to the line we want to place the new item on (say on line 7) and type in a statement (say "ALT SYMB"). We can now either move or copy the "marked" block to the new location (line 7). In this case we only want to copy it so press [F6] and Menumaker will place a copy of line 6 on line 7. Next retype the statement for line 7, changing it from "HCSYMBOL" to "ALT SYMB". Finally we could redo the command using Prompt Entry, but for purposes of this demonstration let's change it using Custom Entry. To do so press [F8] with the cursor on line 7. The Custom Entry window will appear showing the command string as it was inputted on line 6. We may now move the cursor to the word "HANDICAP" and retype the word "SYMBOL" over the top of it. (the <DELETE> key will erase the extra letters. Once you are satisfied with your changes, press <RETURN> to save it and return to the Submenu Editor. Please note the letters "CE" now appear at the end of the Description to denote that this line was edited using Custom Entry. Please note that our demonstration of Custom Entry is limited for purposes of this tutorial. You are able to modify any command as much as you want and see what the results will be in your drawings. But be careful. Every character has its purpose in the command string. We would suggest that you make several different items and observe what happens and then modify one item at a time. Remember, the options are limitless. Before we finish, we need to add a command to one of the existing lines. We want each of the lines to tell the screen menu to return to the Master submenu after it has completed its command. To do this we move the cursor back up to the line we want to add it to and press [F10] to get to Command Entry. Menumaker will tell us that there is a command already existing and ask if we want to append to or replace it. Since we want to add to it press "A" and we will go on to the Command Editor. The sequence for changing a submenu is the same as before. Once there the sequence is the same as before. With the cursor at -SUBMENU- press [F2] and then <return> with the marker adjacent to Screen because we are dealing with a screen menu. When asked for a Submenu to go to we can either type in "S" or simply press <RETURN> since it was the previous menu. Notice that the Command Description now has two pluses (++) after * Prompt Entry *. This tells us that we have added to it. You may add to a line as many times as you like, being only limited to a total of 150 characters. The only way you can delete from inside a command string is through Custom Entry. Take the time and add the command description to return to the Master Submenu "S" to the other lines. Now that we are finished we must save our Submenu and return to the Submenu Directory by pressing [F2]. 3.8 Writing Your New Menu ____________________________________________________________ Now that we have a modified menu, it's time to try it in a drawing. To do so we need to get out of the Submenu Directory Editor and return to the Main Menu by pressing <ESCAPE>. Then we need to move to the Utilities directory to write out our menu in an Autocad format. To do this press "U". Please note the name of the Menu that you are currently working with at the top left corner of the screen (in this case SAMPLE). When you write out a menu, it is the one that is designated that will be written out. If you had wanted to write out a different one, you would have entered a "C" on the main and changed the name of the current menu being edited. Press "W" and Menumaker will ask what name you want to write out your current menu under. Type in a name you would like to use. We would suggest that you use a different name (ie. test) while you are testing a menu as your new menu replaces the menu in your Autocad directory. That way you would be able to recover your original, should changes be made to your new menu that you don't want. As the menu is written out it will scroll up the screen and when finished will return you to the Utility menu. Now that you have written out your new menu, press "X" or <ESCAPE> to return to the Main Menu. From here you may continue with other editing or press "Q" to leave Menumaker. Once outside Menumaker you can move to your Autocad directory where your new menu is already been placed, ready to use. At this point you may want to edit a drawing to test your menu. Once inside a drawing type "MENU" and then the name of you new menu. This concludes the quick tutorial. We have not covered the programming of pull-down windows or buttons as the command editing is the same as with the Submenus. A detailed explanation for these areas is contained in the next three chapters. Chapter 4 Creating Menus ___________________________________________________________ 4.1 General ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker provides both the beginner and the expert the necessary tools to customize their own personalized menus. This chapter provides the backbone around which Menumaker provides the most assistance in the creation of your menus. The creation of each command is prompted with the extensive use of windows displaying all of the possibilities available as you progress. 4.2 Help Windows ____________________________________________________________ Throughout Menumaker on-screen help is only one button away. Just press the [F1] key and help with the screen you are on will appear. In addition, when you are working with a specific Autocad command simply press the [F1] key and a help window for that Autocad command will appear. At the bottom of each help window, reference is made to the chapter in the Autocad Reference Manual where more detailed assistance is available. 4.3 The Main Menu ____________________________________________________________ You may enter Menumaker either from within its own subdirectory by typing "MENUMAKR" or from your root directory by typing "MM" and pressing <RETURN>. The paths to both Menumaker and for your edited menus going to your Autocad directory were established during the Installation. Menumaker will display this is as the main menu and will always return to it prior to exiting to DOS. At the upper left of the screen is information concerning your version of Menumaker and your Serial Number. Below this is the name of the current menu you are working with. On-Screen Help is available for this or any window or command by pressing [F1]. 4.3a Edit Auxiliary Buttons ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker allows for the customization of the buttons on your auxiliary button device. Currently Menumaker supports up to 16 buttons which is the same as Autocad. In order to edit your buttons, enter an "A" at the main menu. Each line above corresponds with the button on your auxiliary device. Although up to 16 buttons are programmable, please note the number of buttons on your auxiliary device in order not to exceed the number you have. If you accidentally edit more buttons than you have on your auxiliary device, it will make no difference other than you will not be able to use those extra commands. Entering a Command ____________________________________________________________ Editing a command for an auxiliary button follows much the same format as a command on the Submenu. Notice that there is no place to make a statement because there is no screen to show you what the commands are. In order to edit an auxiliary button move the marker up or down on the list to the number you want to work with and press <RETURN>. Please notice that if a command was already present Menumaker will not ask if you want to append or replace it. Because of the complexity of the commands associated with buttons, Menumaker will always replace the command if it already exists. Therefore, the list of commands available will immediately appear at the right of the screen. You may now tie a specific command to your auxiliary button. To do so, move the marker to the appropriate command and use either Custom, Prompt or Command Entry to create your new item. Once you have completed the editing of your buttons press [F2] to save your changes and return to the Main Menu. Special Editing Tools ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also provides two function keys as additional tools that can be used during the editing of your menus. A description of these are: [F4] Command Description Menumaker allows you to edit the description of the button you have indicated with the marker. This DOES NOT change the command associated with the button. To do so, move the marker adjacent to the button number and press [F4]. If Menumaker had already placed a description there, it would appear and you will be able to edit it. Type whatever notes are helpful and when finished press <RETURN>. These notes will appear but not effect the command. [F8] Custom Entry Because there may be unique situations in your individual menu requirements, Menumaker allows you edit the actual entry for an individual button. To do this, move the marker adjacent to the button number to be edited and press [F8]. The Custom Entry Window will appear showing the existing command string ready for your editing. Custom Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 6. [F10] Command Entry Command Entry guides you through the possible commands in the same way it does in the Submenu Editor. In order to enable the Command Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F10]. Command Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. 4.3b Edit Mouse Buttons ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also allows for the customization of the buttons on your input device (mouse). Currently Menumaker supports up to 10 buttons which is the same as Autocad. In order to edit your buttons, enter a "B" at the main menu. Each line above corresponds with the button on your input device. Although up to 10 buttons are programmable, please note the number of buttons on your input device in order not to exceed the number you have. If you accidentally edit more buttons than you have on your input device, it will make no difference other than you will not be able to use those extra commands. Entering a Command ____________________________________________________________ Editing a command for an input device button follows much the same format as a command on the Submenu. Notice that there is no place to make a statement because there is no screen to show you what the commands are. In order to edit an input device button move the marker up or down on the list to the number you want to work with and press <RETURN>. Please notice that if a command was already present Menumaker will not ask if you want to append or replace it. Because of the complexity of the commands associated with buttons, Menumaker will always replace the command if it already exists. Therefore, the list of commands available will immediately appear at the right of the screen. You may now tie a specific command to your input device button. To do so, move the marker to the appropriate command and use either Custom, Prompt or Command Entry to create your new item. Once you have completed the editing of your buttons press [F2] to save your changes and return to the Main Menu. Special Editing Tools ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also provides two function keys as additional tools that can be used during the editing of your menus. A description of these are: [F4] Command Description Menumaker allows you to edit the description of the button you have indicated with the marker. This DOES NOT change the command associated with the button. To do so, move the marker adjacent to the button number and press [F4]. If Menumaker had already placed a description there, it would appear and you will be able to edit it. Type whatever notes are helpful and when finished press <RETURN>. These notes will appear but not effect the command. [F8] Custom Entry Because there may be unique situations in your individual menu requirements, Menumaker allows you edit the actual entry for an individual button. To do this, move the marker adjacent to the button number to be edited and press [F8]. The Custom Entry Window will appear showing the existing command string ready for your editing. Custom Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 6. [F10] Command Entry Command Entry guides you through the possible commands in the same way it does in the Submenu Editor. In order to enable the Command Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F10]. Command Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. 4.3c Editing Icon Boxes (Rel.9+) ____________________________________________________________ In order to begin editing the Icons on your current menu type an "I" at the main menu and you will move to the Icon- Box Editor. Shown above is the Icon-Box Editor. On the left side of the screen is a list of the various commands available for the manipulation of your Icons. At the right is a directory of all of the Icon Screens that are used with your current menu and are listed in the order they appear in the final format of a menu. IMPORTANT: In order to better understand how a set of Icons is created and displayed, think of each Icon Screen as a different set of Icons displayed together in your drawings. The list on the right is a directory of the names of these Icon Screen displays. Please note that it does not matter what order they are listed as Autocad moves to whatever Icon screen you have requested. Move the cursor through the directory of Icon Screens to the one you want to edit. The up, down, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home and End keys will move you through this directory. You may also type the first letter of the Icon Screen desired and Menumaker will take you to the first Icon Screen starting with that letter. After placing the marker next to the Icon Screen you wish to edit press [F2] or <RETURN> and Menumaker will move to that Icon Screen. Other commands to be used in the Icon-Box Editor are: [F2] Go to the Icon When you have placed the marker adjacent to the Icon Screen you wish to edit, press [F2] to move to that Icon Screen for that submenu. [F3] Delete an Icon Screen Move the marker on the directory to the Icon Screen you wish to delete. Then press [F3]. Menumaker will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the Icon Screen you have marked. Enter a Y or N to complete the deletion. [F4] Rename an existing Icon Screen Move the marker on the directory to the Icon Screen you wish to rename. Then press [F4]. Menumaker will ask you for the new name you would like to call this Icon Screen. Then it will check to see if the Icon Screen already exists, and if not will then rename it. If the name already exists, Menumaker will tell you so and not permit a duplication. [F5] Create a new Icon Screen Press [F5] to create a new Icon Screen. Menumaker will then ask you for the name of your new Icon Screen. Enter in any 10 digit text without including spaces. [F6] Copy an Icon Screen Move the marker on the directory to the Icon Screen you wish to copy to another name. Then press [F6]. Menumaker will ask you for the new name you would like to be created using the contents of the other. Then it will check to see if the new Icon Screen already exists, and if not will then complete the process. If the name already exists Menumaker will tell you so and not permit a duplication. The newly created Icon Screen will appear below the marker when it is copied. On-Screen Help is available by pressing [F1]. Please note that when an Icon screen is chosen the screen that appears is divided into 4,9 or 16 boxes which represent the arrangement of Icons as they would appear when using them in an Autocad drawing. At the top of the boxes is an area reserved for the title that will appear when used. At the bottom left is an area where the description of your command used in conjunction with the Icon is displayed. Along the bottom of the screen are the various function keys used to edit your Icons as detailed below. Function Keys ____________________________________________________________ Specific function keys have been programmed to assist in the editing of Icon-Boxes as shown below: [F2] Done Throughout Menumaker the [F2] key will save what you are currently doing and return to the previous menu. [F3] Delete Move the cursor to the Icon-Box you wish to delete and press "F4". Menumaker will delete the box immediately without asking if you are sure. [F4] Edit Description Menumaker allows for the editing of the description command without modifying the command string. This may be used to make notes only visible to you as the programmer. In order to do this, move the cursor to the appropriate box and press [F4]. Then type in your comments and press <RETURN>. [F5] Change # At any time you may change the number of Icon boxes you see on your screen to correspond to the number of Icons you are using. Simply press [F5] and the screen will toggle between 4, 9 or 16 boxes. Note that if you have a slide and command in a box that is not shown because you have toggled to a lesser number, that information is not lost. Simply toggle again and the screen will eventually return to 16 boxes. [F6] Slide This function key allows you to designate the slide that will appear when used in a drawing. Simply move the Marker to the Icon-Box you wish to edit and press [F6]. The slide window will appear requesting the name of the slide you wish to use. There are examples of how Autocad requires the slide to be designated. If you place a space as the first character, the following text that you enter will appear instead of a slide. Once you have designated a slide you will move on to Custom, Prompt or Command Entry to place a command string with the slide. [F7] Title The title is the area above the Icons as they appear in an Autocad drawing. In order to create or edit the title press [F7] and enter whatever text you want to appear above the Icon Screen. Note that depending upon the resolution of your monitor not all of the characters may appear when used in a drawing. If this should happen, simply shorten the title. [F8] Custom Entry Custom Entry will allow you to add a command to the Icon Box. In order to enable the Custom Entry function of Menumaker, move the marker to the box you wish to edit using this method and press [F8]. Custom Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 5. [F9] Prompt Entry Prompt Entry will allow you to add one or more commands to the Icon Box. In order to enable the Prompt Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the box you wish to edit using this method and press [F9]. Prompt Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. [F10] Command Entry Command Entry will allow you to add commands to the Icon Box. In order to enable the Command Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the box you wish to edit using this method and press [F10]. Command Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. The creation of slides and the use of slide libraries are discussed in detail in your Autocad manual. 4.3d Editing Pull-Down Submenus ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also supports the editing of the Pull-Down windows in Autocad Release 9. For the purposes of this chapter much of the process of editing a Pull-Down menu is exactly the same as the editing for a SubMenu. For this reason, only the differences will be discussed. Pull-Down Window Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ Before adding Pull-Down windows to your menu, you must make sure that you are using Release 9. Also you must make sure your video card supports this feature. You may edit the Pull-Down windows without creating a problem in your menu, but the windows would not appear on your screen. When you read an existing menu into Menumaker that has Pull- Down, Menumaker will list them in the directory. If there are no Pull-Down menus, Menumaker will allocate 10 submenus and place them in the directory automatically. Autocad allows each title of a Pull-Down menu to be up to 14 characters long, but since most displays provide a maximum of 80 characters for the menu bar, Menumaker averages the title length to 8 characters assuming that all 10 menus will be used. Should you read in a menu with titles longer than 8 characters, Menumaker will drop the additional characters. Should this happen, simply modify the titles to fit. Under each Pull-Down window up to 20 lines are supported at this time in Menumaker. You should be using the same number of lines as allowed in the Submenu on the right side of your drawing. Editing Pull-Down Windows ____________________________________________________________ In order to begin the editing process type in a "P" at the main menu. Notice that the screen is basically the same as the Submenu Editor. All of the commands perform the same as those for the Submenus. To edit a Pull-Down Submenu move the marker down the list using the up, down, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home or End keys and press [F2] or <RETURN>. Menumaker designates its Pull-Down Windows as *POP1, *POP2, etc. and retains this designation throughout the menus. Menumaker also maintains this designation with each "POP" title standing for an individual column across the top of your screen. After you have finished editing these Pull-Down Menus with Submenu Editor, Autocad will ignore those Submenus (*POP7, *POP8, etc.) that do not have any commands underneath them. Autocad will take those that do and spread them from left to right across the top of your drawing screen. Therefore, there is no reason to delete these extra Pull-Down Submenus. Should one be accidentally deleted and you would like to add another column simply add another "*POP" title (*POP5, etc.) that has not already been used. Editing The Pull-Down Submenu ____________________________________________________________ After you have placed the marker adjacent to the Pull-Down menu you wish to edit press [F2] or <RETURN>. If there had been existing menu items from a menu that you had read into Menumaker, they would have been placed in the appropriate places within this Submenu. If there were none the menu would appear as above. Editing of the individual lines is done exactly as the Submenus are done for the main menu. The only exception is that the first command on each of the Pull-Down windows is reserved. Menumaker has placed a reminder at the location for you (* * * * * Reserved * * * * *). Whatever you place on line 1 of a "POP" menu (*POP1, *POP2, etc.) will be what Autocad displays across the top of the drawing over that particular column. Please note that if a command is placed in addition to a title, Autocad will ignore it at this time. Function Keys ____________________________________________________________ The function keys used in the Pull-Down windows are exactly the same as those used in Command Entry and will not be repeated here. Refer to Chapter 4.3e for additional information. 4.3e Editing the Screen Menu ____________________________________________________________ In order to begin editing your current menu type a "S" at the main menu and you will move to the Submenu Directory Editor. Shown above is the Submenu Directory Editor. On the left side of the screen is a list of the various commands available for the manipulation of the your submenus. At the right is a directory of all of the submenus that make up your current menu and are listed in the order they appear in the final format of a menu. IMPORTANT: In order to better understand how a menu is created and displayed, think of each Submenu as a different screen display used in your drawings. The list on the right is a directory of the names of these screen displays. Please note that it does not matter what order they are listed as Autocad moves to whatever screen menu you have requested. The only item to remember is that the Submenu name at the top of the directory is the one that will appear on your screen when you first start a drawing in Autocad. Move the cursor through the directory of submenus (screen displays) to the one you want to edit. The up, down, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home and End keys will move you through this directory. You may also type the first letter of the Submenu desired and Menumaker will take you to the first Submenu starting with that letter. After placing the marker next to the submenu you wish to edit press [F2] or <RETURN> and Menumaker will move to the Submenu Editor for that screen display. Other commands to be used in the Submenu Directory Editor are: [F2] Go to the Submenu When you have placed the marker adjacent to the Submenu you wish to edit, press [F2] to move to the Submenu Editor for that submenu. [F3] Delete a Submenu. Move the marker on the directory to the submenu you wish to delete. Then press [F3]. Menumaker will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the Submenu you have marked. Enter a Y or N to complete the deletion. [F4] Rename an existing Submenu. Move the marker on the directory to the Submenu you wish to rename. Then press [F4]. Menumaker will ask you for the new name you would like to call this Submenu. Then it will check to see if the submenu already exists, and if not will then rename it. If the name already exists, Menumaker will tell you so and not permit a duplication. NOTE: Be careful when renaming submenus since throughout your other submenus you may have had a menu item that would change the submenu to the old name and now would not work. You must go through these and change the name to the new one. [F5] Create a new submenu Press [F5] to create a new submenu. Menumaker will then ask you for the name of your new submenu. Enter in any 10 digit text without including spaces. If you add one space after the title followed by a number, Menumaker will start that submenu that number of lines down form the top of the screen. NOTE: Be careful, as this may cause items on your menu to fall below the number of lines supported by your video card. [F6] Copy a Submenu. Move the marker on the directory to the Submenu you wish to copy to another name. Then press [F6]. Menumaker will ask you for the new name you would like to be created using the contents of the other. Then it will check to see if the new Submenu already exists, and if not will then complete the process. If the name already exists Menumaker will tell you so and not permit a duplication. The newly created submenu will appear below the marker when it is copied. On-Screen Help is available by pressing [F1]. Submenu Command Editing ____________________________________________________________ After requesting a specific Submenu, Menumaker will replace the window with the Submenu Editor. The name of the main menu and the Submenu you are working with will be shown at the right side the screen for reference. Two columns make up the layout for your submenu. On the left are lines 1 through 20 representing what you will see on the right side of your drawing screen. The right column provides a brief description of your command. Please note that Menumaker Ver. 3.02 offers a maximum of 20 lines for each Submenu. Higher resolution video cards allow more than 20 lines but at this time you are unable to edit them on the Menumaker screen. A trick that can be used to show more than 20 lines is to display two or more screen menus at a time. The first might start at line 1 and the second at line 21. You must remember that to do this the submenu names must be followed by a number that you want them to start on. Also when using them, you need to call them up at the same time. This can be complicated, but offers a solution to editing more than 20 lines. Be careful! This is for experienced Menumakers only. You may want to place descriptions in your menus to show the user such things as titles, company names, etc. To do so, simply type whatever description you would like to appear as shown below. In addition a command statement can be written as shown on line 4 on the example above. Please note that this statement can be in any form familiar to the user as the actual Autocad command will be added later. Function Keys ____________________________________________________________ Specific function keys have been programmed to assist in the editing of Submenus as shown below: [F2] Done Throughout Menumaker the [F2] key will save what you are currently doing and return to the previous menu. [F3] Delete Move the cursor to the line on the Submenu you wish to delete and press "F4". Menumaker will delete the line immediately without asking if you are sure. With the Insert on, Menumaker will remove the line and replace it with a blank. With Insert off, the line will be deleted and everything moved up a line. [F4] Edit Description Menumaker allows for the editing of the description command without creating a command string. This may be used to make notes only visible to you as the programmer. In order to do this, move the cursor to the appropriate line and press [F4]. Then type in your comments and press <RETURN>. [F5] Marker for Editing Purposes Move the cursor to the line on the Submenu you wish to highlight for either copying or moving. Press [F5] and a marker will appear to the left of the line number. [F6] Copy Place the cursor at the location on the Submenu where you would like the new command copied to. Another line must have been "marked" using the [F5] as discussed above. Now press [F6] and Menumaker will copy the existing line together with all commands to the new location. You may then modify the new location. Be careful. If there is something at the location you are copying to, it will be erased. [F7] Move Place the cursor at the location on the Submenu where you would like the new command moved to. Another line must have been "marked" using the [F5] as discussed above. Now press [F7] and Menumaker will move the existing line together with all commands to the new location. You may then modify the new location. Be careful. If there is something at the location you are moving to, it will be erase. [F8] Custom Entry In order to enable the Custom Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F8]. Custom Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 5. [F9] Prompt Entry In order to enable the Prompt Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F9]. Prompt Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. [F10] Command Entry In order to enable the Command Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F10]. Command Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. In either of these two cases, after entering the statement press [F10] and Menumaker will return a list of all available Menumaker and Autocad commands on the right side of the screen. You may now tie a specific command to your statement. To do so, move the marker to the appropriate command. The Up, Down, Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home and End keys will move you quickly through this list. In addition, if you know the command you are going to use, simply type the first letter of the command at any spot on the list of commands and Menumaker will move to that area of the list. When the marker is at your command press [F2] or <RETURN> and the windows associated with that command will appear. Menumaker will show you all of the Autocad commands available through ADE+3 for the version of Autocad you indicated in the Installation of Menumaker. But if you do not have the corresponding version of Autocad the commands will not work. This will not cause problems with the menu in other areas that are not supported with your version of Autocad. Command Windows ____________________________________________________________ After placing the marker adjacent to a command and pressing either [F2] or <RETURN>, a Command window associated with that specific command will appear. Each command will display a window showing the options available to you for using the particular command. Some commands that offer no options will tell you what the command will do and when you press any key to continue will write the command string. Other commands offer no options but require a single input. Menumaker will ask for this value and once you have typed it in, the command string will be completed. At any time a specific command window is being displayed on the screen, help with that Menumaker or Autocad command is available by pressing [F1]. In the case of an Autocad command the Help Window will look just like the window you see while editing a drawing in Autocad. The Help Window will also refer you to the appropriate chapter in the Autocad Reference Manual. When options are available, Menumaker will provide a list of the options with a window for each showing a brief description as shown in the example. Shift between options using the Up and Down arrow keys. Notice that as you do, the description at the right changes to the new option. Move the box to the option you wish to use and press <RETURN>. Menumaker may ask for any additional input required to complete the command string as shown below. In some cases an additional set of window prompts will appear. Answer all of the questions filling in the required data. Repetitive Commands ____________________________________________________________ Many times in a drawing it is useful to repeat a command more than once in order to eliminate going back to the menu to choose the command again. Menumaker allows you to program this into your menus for most commands as follows: After you have answered the appropriate questions within the command window, Menumaker will ask you if you would like to repeat the command in your command string. Enter a Y or N and press RETURN. The command string is then created and placed with your statement. Please note. Because of the complex nature of Autocad commands, not all of then can be repeated in your command string. Menumaker will give you the option to repeat where ever possible. Command Descriptions ____________________________________________________________ Once the command string has been created a brief description appears to the right of your statement. In addition, several other items will appear that have significance as discussed in the following list. R An "R" appearing at the start of your string indicates that this command will repeat itself when used AND/OR is restricted to no further appending because of the complex nature of the command. Please Note: Once a command string has an "R" in front of the description, you should not append to it because the end result may not work. In some cases appending may work, but you should experiment with this carefully. ++ Several pluses (++) after the string indicates the string has been appended to. CE A "CE" after the string indicates that it was either entered or edited with the "Custom Entry" option discussed later. *Prompt Entry* A "Prompt Entry" instead of the string indicates that it was created using the "Prompt Entry" option discussed later. Several of these options may be included in your description as you continue to edit your commands. Existing Command An "Existing Command" instead of the string indicates that it was read in from an existing menu and has not yet been modified. Menumaker also lets you add on to an existing command. To do so, move the cursor to the line you wish to append and press [F8], [F9] or [F10]. Menumaker may ask if you want to Append or Replace it. Enter an "A" or "R" and Menumaker will continue with the list of commands from which you will choose from. When appending, Menumaker will automatically combine it with your current string. You may append to a string as many times as you like. You are only limited to a total of 150 characters in the ultimate command string. If you do not want to replace or append the command, simply press <ESCAPE>. Experiment with this carefully,as some combinations may not work. Menumaker Editing Notes ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also provides many additional editing tools that can be used during the creation of your menus. A brief description of these follows: [F4] Single Command (only while in Command Entry) Menumaker also allows for a single command entry without requesting additional input. This is normally done when you only want the command inserted once without any further input from your menu. To do so, place the cursor on the line you wish to edit and type in the statement you wish to appear on the screen and press <RETURN>. Then move your marker through the list of commands to the one you want and press [F4]. This will place the command in the menu and when used in a drawing will simply execute the command and then wait for additional input. [F8] Custom Entry as a command viewer Many times it is desirable to view your finished command string for format, spelling, etc. Whatever the reason, place the cursor on the line you have chosen and press [F8]. This normally would allow you to custom edit the string but for your purposes now it is simply a means of viewing your final product. After viewing simply press <ESCAPE> and Menumaker will return without making any changes. Actual Custom Editing is discussed in Chapter 6. Cursor Movement In addition to the arrow keys mentioned previously, Menumaker also supports other editor keys. <CONTROL> E Up Arrow <CONTROL> X Down Arrow <CONTROL> R Page Up <CONTROL> C Page Down <CONTROL> A Home <CONTROL> F End 4.3f Editing Tablet Menus ___________________________________________________________ Menumaker also allows for the customization of tablet menus for use in your Autocad drawings. This portion of the program is referred to as Tabletmaker but is a part of the total Menumaker software. You are able to layout tablet menus from the keyboard, specify command strings to be associated with each point on the tablet and finally create an Autocad drawing of your template automatically. In order to begin press "T" at the main Menumaker Menu. If no tablet has been defined with your current menu, directions for the calibration of your new tablet menu will appear. In order to define the area to be used as a tablet you should have it with you in order to take the required measurements. Please note that Autocad does not require these dimensions. They are used to create an Autocad drawing of your template when you are finished. However, it is a good practice to dimension all of your tablet menus. When entering the dimensions of your tablet please note that the requested dimensions are for the area to be used as a tablet, not necessarily the total digitizing area. If you are starting a new template it is a good idea to place a piece of paper on your tablet and draw in the areas you wish to use so that good measurements can be made. Once you have entered the horizontal and vertical dimensions, you must decide how many different tablet menus you want on this template. Autocad allows up to four areas. You may designate fewer than four and add more later without losing menu items. The only requirement would be to redefine the individual areas. After the answering these questions, Tabletmaker will display a layout of the template with the Tablet Menu areas. Note that in addition to the Tablet Menu areas there is also an area reserved as a screen area designated with an "S". If you had already been working with a template layout, Tabletmaker will display the current configuration. Also, if you have read-in an existing menu which already contains a tablet, Tabletmaker will require you to define the areas. Once the areas are defined, the existing commands will be available for modification. Defining Templates ____________________________________________________________ The template drawing appearing on your screen allows you to create a graphic representation of what your final template will look like. Function keys displayed on the bottom of the screen have been programmed to assist you in your layout as follows: [Esc] Abort allows you to leave this editing session with or without saving your changes. Tabletmaker will ask you if you want to save your changes or not. [F1] On screen help is available at any time for both Tabletmaker and Autocad commands. [F2] Done. When ever you are finished press [F2] and Tabletmaker will save all of your current editing session and return you to the previous menu. [F3] Edit. Once you have defined your tablet areas, move to the area you wish to edit commands in and press [F3]. This will display a grid of that specific area and allow you to move through it editing commands utilizing Custom, Prompt or Command Entry. This area is explained in detail later. [F4] Define. Once you have manipulated the areas on the screen to a position you desire, press [F4]. Note the questions asked by Tabletmaker in the upper left- hand corner. If you plan to have Tabletmaker create your template as an Autocad drawing, you must enter all measurements in inches as accurately as possible (use fractions of an inch in decimal form). If this is not required, simply press [Esc] for each dimension. Lastly the number of columns and rows is required for ALL tablet menus. When utilizing an existing menu, it is critical that you designate the exact number for each on your existing template. [F5] Next. By pressing [F5] you will move between the tablet and screen areas. [F6] Redo. This command allows you to redefine the tablet and screen areas associated with your template. Please note that if you Redo the template, you are required to redefine all of the areas (start over). The commands associated with each area are not lost. You would use this command to add an additional menu if you did not already have four areas. [F8] Middle. This command places the arrows within your current area in the middle of each of the four sides. With the arrows in this position, when you press the arrow keys on your keyboard, the entire block is moved around the screen. [F9] Upper Left. This command places 2 arrows within your current area at the upper left hand corner. With the arrows in this position, when you press the arrow keys on your keyboard, the upper or left side of the area is either stretched or shrunk. [F10] Lower Right. This command places 2 arrows within your current area at the lower right hand corner. With the arrows in this position, when you press the arrow keys on your keyboard, the lower or right side of the area is either stretched or shrunk. Template Notes ____________________________________________________________ When laying out your areas on the screen you should not have the screens overlap although the border lines for different ones can be on top of each other. Defining Tablet Commands ___________________________________________________________ Once you have laid out the graphic representation of your template and defined the grids for each, move the arrows to the tablet you wish to edit commands in by pressing [F5]. When the area is indicated press [F3] to edit the grid within that area. The Tablet area (1-4) is designated at the top right-hand corner for your reference. At the bottom left-hand corner is a brief description of the command associated with the box that your marker is in. Next to the description is the location of the marker designated as rows x columns. Your screen will display a maximum grid area of 17 columns by 9 rows at one time. If there are more grids to the right or below, you will notice the lines extend slightly beyond the last grid. To see the additional grids, simply use the arrow keys on your keyboard to scroll to the additional grids. Move your marker around the grid editing the individual boxes with the function keys described below. Function Keys ____________________________________________________________ Specific function keys have been programmed to assist in the editing of Tablet Menus as shown below: [F2] Done Throughout Menumaker the [F2] key will save what you are currently doing and return to the previous menu. [F3] Delete Move the marker to the box on the grid you wish to delete and press "F4". Menumaker will delete the box immediately without asking if you are sure. [F4] Edit Description Menumaker allows for the editing of the description command without creating a command string. This may be used to make notes only visible to you as the programmer. In order to do this, move the marker to the appropriate box and press [F4]. Then type in your comments and press <RETURN>. [F5] Marker for Editing Purposes Move the marker to the box on the grid you wish to highlight for either copying or moving. Press [F5] and an asterisk will appear on both sides of the marker. [F6] Copy Place the marker at the location on the grid where you would like the new command copied to. Another box must have been "marked" using the [F5] as discussed above. Now press [F6] and Menumaker will copy the existing box together with all commands to the new box. You may then modify the new location. Be careful. If there is something at the location you are copying to, it will be erased. [F7] Move Place the marker at the box on the grid where you would like the new command moved to. Another box must have been "marked" using the [F5] as discussed above. Now press [F7] and Menumaker will move the existing box together with all commands to the new location. You may then modify the new box. Be careful. If there is something at the box you are moving to, it will be erase. [F8] Custom Entry In order to enable the Custom Entry function of Menumaker, move the marker to the box you wish to edit using this method and press [F8]. Custom Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 5. [F9] Prompt Entry In order to enable the Prompt Entry function of Menumaker, move the marker to the box you wish to edit using this method and press [F9]. Prompt Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. [F10] Command Entry In order to enable the Command Entry function of Menumaker, move the cursor to the line you wish to edit using this method and press [F10]. Command Entry is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. 4.3g Utilities ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker provides several utilities as additional tools in the editing process. To access the Utility Menu press "U" on the Main Menu. Each of the Utilities perform a specific function and are listed below: [C] Change the current menu _____________________________________________________ Menumaker allows you to move between menus during the editing process. Please note. The menus inside Menumaker are not in a .MNU format. They must be converted to a .MMU format before editing. This is done in the Utilities directory and discussed in detail in Chapter 4.3e. In order to change the current menu you are working with in Menumaker. Type in the name of the new menu you would like to work with. If the menu is existing, Menumaker will load it and designate your new menu as being current in the upper left corner of the screen. If the menu does not exist in a Menumaker format, you will be told so and asked if you would like to start a new menu by that name. You may press <RETURN> to create the new menu or <ESCAPE> to abort back to the Main Menu. If you tell Menumaker to start a new menu, it will create a blank menu with only a Master Subdirectory ready for you to edit. On-Screen help is available by pressing [F1]. [R] Read in Existing Menu Menumaker allows you to read in an existing menu provided it is in a .MNU format for editing purposes. In order to Read a menu into Menumaker , it must be in the Menumaker DOS subdirectory. When the menu is present , type an "R" at the Utility Menu and Menumaker will ask you for the name of the menu you would like to read in. Type in the name leaving off the .MNU extension and press <RETURN>. If the file does not exist, Menumaker will say so and return you to the Utility Menu. If the menu does exist, Menumaker will transfer it into a format with the same name and a .MMU extension ready for editing. After you have read in an existing menu you must still make it the "current" menu by typing a "C" at the Main menu and designating this new menu as the one you want to edit. [W] Write a New Menu Once you have finished editing your new menu this utility will return it to a .MNU format and place it in your Autocad directory ready for use. To do this, be sure the menu you want to write out is the "current" menu as shown at the top of your screen, then type a "W" at the Utility Menu. Menumaker will ask for the name of the menu you would like to create using the current menu. Type in a name and press <RETURN>. Menumaker also shows the path to the location where you use Autocad which was designated in the installation program. If you move Autocad to another subdirectory, simply re-install Menumaker providing the new subdirectory. When Menumaker moves the new menu to your Autocad directory and a menu already exists with the same name, you will be asked if you want to overwrite the existing menu. Answer "Y" or "N". If Yes then a back-up file (.BAK) for the existing menu will be created. Each time you write a menu the old .BAK file will be replaced by a newer one. A good practice for editing an existing menu would be to name it differently when writing it out (ie. TEST), so that you can run all of your experiments with that menu before saving it to its permanent name. That way you would always have the original menu unchanged. [T] Create a Template File Tabletmaker allows you to produce an Autocad drawing file of your template grid for editing in Autocad. To do so, press [T] and Tabletmaker will ask what name you would like to give to the new drawing file. After typing the name, press <RETURN> and the drawing file will be created and transferred to your Autocad directory. Please note. The drawing file will only be as good as the information you supplied during the configuration of your template. Also, only the grid is shown. You may add whatever you wish to each box before it is plotted out. [P] Print Menu on Printer Menumaker also allows you to produce a hard copy of your menu. The print out is broken into three columns. The menu is printed in the order the submenus appear within Menumaker. The first column represents the titles of the various parts of the menu designated by asterisks (*). Under each submenu title are the various statements as they appear on your Autocad drawing screen. The second column contains up to 30 characters of the actual command string as Autocad uses it. If the string is longer than 30 spaces, Menumaker drops off the rest of the string. The third column is the brief description that appears in Menumaker when you are editing the submenu. This print out represents another means of reviewing your menu and using it as a tool in designing others. Please note. If your computer is not 100% IBM compatible, an error may occur when you send a menu to the printer and the printer is not turned on. [S] System Information Menumaker provides a brief overview of the information associated with your version of the program. To review this information type an "S" on the Utility Menu. In addition to your version and serial number at the top of the page, your name, address and phone number are included as a means of personalizing your software. Should you change your address you may return the distribution disks along with $3.00 for postage and handling to IntelliCADD at the address shown, and a new diskette will be returned with your new information. [D] Display Colors Menumaker makes extensive use of colors throughout the program. This utility simply allows you to adjust your monitor for color balance. To do so type a "D" at the Utility Menu and the color bar will appear. On a monochrome monitor you will see various shades and should adjust your monitor to show as many as possible. [X] Exit Back to Main Menu This command moves you from the Utility Menu back to the Main Menu once you have finished and changes saved. 4.3f Quit Menumaker ____________________________________________________________ Once you have completed your editing process this command ends Menumaker and returns you to DOS. Simply type a "Q" at the Main Menu and Menumaker will close all of your files and return the DOS prompt. Chapter 5 Prompt Entry 5.1 General ____________________________________________________________ Here the lies the real power of Menumaker. In prompt Entry, Menumaker displays exactly what you would see at the bottom of your Autocad drawing. You simply type in a command exactly as you would inside a drawing. As you type, Menumaker responds with the same responses and prompts you would in your drawing. You may type several commands, together including the responses, to form a single string, being only limited to 150 total characters. After you have completed the command string, one button [F2] saves all that you have entered as a single command in your new menu. You may also Append to or Replace an existing command using this method. 5.2 Prompt Entry ____________________________________________________________ In order to edit an item on your submenu using Prompt Entry you must first display the Submenu you wish to edit on the screen. From the Main Menu press "E" to edit the menu you are currently working with. Then select the particular Submenu you wish to display and press [F2]. The Submenu will be displayed. To use Prompt Entry move the cursor to the line you wish to edit. If there is no Statement of what "You'll See", type in what you would like to appear on your drawing screen, then press [F9]. If there is a command already existing, Menumaker will ask if you would like to (A)ppend or (R)eplace it. Enter an "A" or "R" depending on what you would like to do. Menumaker will then display the Prompt Entry. Notice that the bottom of the screen looks exactly like the bottom of a screen when you are editing a drawing in Autocad. Anything you type in at this point will generate a response as if you were typing in Autocad. As you type, Menumaker is saving everything in your command string exactly. For instance, if you make a mistake and type a ^C (Control C) to stop, Menumaker will react exactly the same way as Autocad and clear your previous input. Notice that the length of the command string shown goes back to 4 because you have typed ^C and told Menumaker that you want to cancel the command and start over. 5.3 Prompt Entry Editing Notes ____________________________________________________________ Because of the complexity of some of the Autocad commands and the unique characteristics in each of your drawings, there are several editing notes that must be clarified: Length: Menumaker will display the current length of the command string you are creating. This number will begin with at least 4 (^C^C automatically starts every new command string) when you begin your Prompt Entry. If you are appending an existing command, the value will represent the length of the existing one that you will be adding to. Every time you press <RETURN> this value will be updated. This will help you as you go because your total string length can not exceed 150 characters. You will note that if you append an existing line that has a repeating command (indicated with an "R" at the beginning of the description) the Length will be 150 plus or minus. You must change the command to remove the repetition using Custom Entry [F8] or by simply deleting it and starting over with Prompt Entry. <default> Throughout Prompt Entry, Menumaker will return lines including the term <default> in response to your commands. In a drawing Autocad would return a default value for those values which you are requesting to be changed (ie. Layer, Ltype, Color, Style, etc.). Because Menumaker does not not these it will return the word <default> instead. As you are creating your menu using Prompt Entry, you can either press <RETURN> to use the default settings in your drawings or type an the new value. <SPACE BAR> and <RETURN> Menumaker allows you to utilize the <SPACE BAR> and <RETURN> exactly as you would in Autocad. For instance, when you use the space bar between commands in Autocad, the previous command is executed again. <Insert> During your Prompt Entry you will be asked to input answers to the various questions associated with each command. If you were in Autocad your response would be from either your keyboard or a "pick" from your input device (your mouse). In Menumaker you may provide the same response to a "pick" by press the <Insert> key. Notice that when you press the <Insert> key Menumaker places a <pick> statement after the question asked. This shows that your menu, when executing, will stop and wait for a "pick" from your mouse before proceeding. <Del> In addition to "pick" entries from your mouse, you may want to specify your keyboard as the input device to answer the prompt from Autocad. When asked during your Prompt Entry to input answers to the various questions and you want to designate a keyboard entry, simply press the <Del> key. Notice that when you press the <Delete> key Menumaker places a <keyboard> statement after the question asked. This shows that your menu, when executing, will stop and wait for a keyboard entry before proceeding. <^C> <CONTROL C> Menumaker allows you to use <CONTROL> C exactly as you would in an Autocad drawing. Any time you are in the Prompt Entry and type a ^C, Menumaker will cancel whatever you have been doing and return a command prompt. However, if you have completed one or more commands and are back at the command prompt and type ^C, Menumaker interprets this as your wanting to start over. Your complete string would be canceled and return a command prompt. Notice the length will grow as you execute each line but when you press ^C it returns to 4. <?> A question mark reacts the same in Menumaker as it does in Autocad. When you you type a ?, Menumaker will come back with same response as Autocad. You may type <RETURN> for a list of the commands for which help is available or type the command for specific help. Remember when you are requesting help, Menumaker is saving all of these responses and will combine them in your string unless you type a ^C. <'> Transparent Commands Transparent commands are denoted with a apostrophe (') in front of the command which tells Autocad that this command is not to interrupt the current command but to execute this command once and then continue. Because these transparent commands cannot be predicted as to their outcome, Menumaker is unable to support them in Prompt Entry. Normally they are used by themselves in a command. To create these commands, use the Command Entry, [F10]. If a transparent command is entered on the command line (ie. 'ZOOM or 'PAN), Menumaker will respond with the statement, "Transparent commands can only be entered under Command Entry". As a result, no command is saved to your menu. <ARRAY>, <MINSERT> and <PURGE> Because of the complexity of these three commands, Menumaker can only support these commands through the first response. For example: the purge command will ask you what items you want to purge and since you won't know what has or has not been purged, you are unable to provide a response at this time. Menumaker will accept the initial command and response, but then will be return a statement "Prompt Entry can only support this command to this point". Your command will be saved to that point and a command prompt will appear. Should your application be specific enough to complete the command string, you may enter the additional information through Custom entry. PLEASE NOTE: The number of combinations that exist with Autocad commands as they apply to your drawings is virtual limitless. Because of this, we are unable to test them all. There may be combinations that create unwanted results. Should this situation arise, the normal cure is to develop the string in Prompt Entry including the "bug" and then experiment with it by adding to or deleting from it in Custom Entry. Chapter 6 Custom Entry 6.1 General ____________________________________________________________ Menumaker also provides for the user who wishes to do more with their menus. At any time you are working with a command string created through either Command or Prompt Entry, you may view what Menumaker has created for the individual menu string. Then you may actually edit this string to obtain any additional effects you desire. Once you have completed the editing using this method, Menumaker will save your changes in your menu. 6.2 Custom Entry ____________________________________________________________ In order to edit an item on your submenu using Custom Entry you must first display the Submenu you wish to edit on the screen. From the Main Menu press "E" to edit the menu you are currently working with. Then select the particular Submenu you wish to display and press [F2]. The Submenu will be displayed. To use Custom Entry move the cursor to the line you wish to edit. If there is no Statement of what "You'll See", type in what you would like to appear on your drawing screen, then press [F8]. If there was a command already existing, Menumaker will ask if you would like to (A)ppend or (R)eplace it. Enter an "A" or "R" depending on what you would like to do. Menumaker will then display the Custom Entry format. Menumaker has shown the command string in its executable format. You may now modify it to fit whatever your special situation is. Normal word processing "control keys" and arrow keys can be used for cursor movement. The <INSERT> and <DELETE> keys allow you to insert or remove characters without retyping the string. Once you have completed your modifications, press [F2] to save your modifications and return to your Submenu. Your modified command is now part of your menu. 6.3 Custom Entry Editing Notes ____________________________________________________________ Custom Entry allows you to edit every possibility you can think of. You are only limited to 150 total characters. Because of the ability to completely change a command string with a single character, care should be used. Take the time to look at the commands as Menumaker creates them, and then experiment with small changes and see what happens when they are used in a drawing. Appendix A IF DISASTER OCCURS ____________________________________________________________ Listed below are a list of possible error messages that you may encounter while running Menumaker. Hopefully these codes should help you find the problem and solve it with out much difficulty. Not enough memory or Fatal error: 8 or Fatal error: 43 The most common reason for this message is a memory resident program is currently in use (ie. Norton Commander, Sidekick, system managers etc.). Solution: Remove memory resident program and try again. Fatal error: Not enough disk space or Fatal error: 26 or Fatal error: 24 Menumaker is telling you that there is not enough room on your hard disk to run the program. Menumaker requires at least .5 mb (500000 bytes) for the program help files and a couple of your menus for editing. Menumaker may require even more disk space if you are working with or reading in a very large menu. Solution: Remove any unused software from your hard disk and try again. Fatal error: <file name> not found ! Menumaker is telling you a file that is vital to Menumaker is missing. Solution: Reinstall Menumaker from your distribution diskettes and try again. Fatal error: Can't have files called Menumakr Menumaker reserves the name "Menumakr" for its own use and will not allow it for a menu name. Solution: Rename menu to a deferent name and try again. Fatal error: 10 Menumaker went looking for a vital file that was not found. Solution: Reinstall Menumaker from the master disks or reread in your .MNU file to try and recover any missing files. Fatal error: 17 You may have specified in the installation a disk drive that is not present in your system. Solution: Reinstall Menumaker specifying correct drives. Fatal error: 17 or Fatal error: 22 or Fatal error: 23 or Fatal error: 43 Check your CONFIG.SYS. The BUFFERS should be 20 or more and the FILES should be 20 or more. Solution: Increase FILES and/or BUFFERS and try again. Fatal error: 31 Menumaker is telling you a file vital to the program has deteriorated in some way. Solution: Reinstall Menumaker off master disks, and try again or reread in the working menu file. If none of the above help the problem or your error code is not shown above, try and get the error to occur more than once. If the error is not really hindering your work but only happens once or rarely, please fill out the "BUG" report in the back of this manual and send it to IntelliCADD. If the error is persistent and interrupting your work you may contact IntelliCADD directly and we will do our best to solve your problem. Appendix B ARCHIVING FILES _________________________________________________________________ We recommend highly that if you a going to edit you menus to any extent that you back up you files menus on a regular bases. If in the event your hard disk should fail and it was the only place you had your menu you may lose a lot of hard work. When backing up files you should keep in mind one thing, When we where creating Menumaker we wanted it to be FAST so for the benefit of speed we had to translate an MNU file into a large format to increase the speed at which Menumaker it can access parts of the menu. Example the Autocad menu translates to about 650000k even know the actual menu file if about 32000k. To back up your menus you can do it two ways: 1. Requires a large amount of floppy space. Copy all the files associated with your menu to floppy disks. We recommend that if you save all the files you copy them onto a high density disk so that your entire translated menu will all be in one place. The files you will copy are as follows: <name>.BTN - Button and Auxiliary commands <name>.MMU - Screen commands <name>.POP - Pull Down window commands <name>.ICN - Icon commands and Slide names <name>.TAB - Tablet menu commands <name>.DEF - Template dimensions 2. Requires a small amount of floppy space. Write the menu out ([W] on the Utilities menu) into MNU form and save only the MNU file. If you have to restore the file from archive you can Read it back into Menumaker format and your off again. The only setback to this way is all of the command descriptions will be shown as * Existing Command * when you read the menu back in to Menumaker. You might also want to save the template dimensions also so you will not have to re-enter all of the template dimensions and the number of rows and columns. <name>.MNU - Menu file in Autocad format <name>.DEF - Template dimensions Note: <name> is the same as the current menu. Appendix C TEMPLATE MAKER _________________________________________________________________ Template Maker (TEMPLMKR.LSP) is a Autolisp utility that was put it your Autocad directory during the installation of Menumaker. With this utility you can automatically create an Autocad drawing of your template with your own custom commands to be placed over you tablet. To use template maker first you must enter the dimensions and the number of rows and columns of your template. This can be done in the [T] Tablet portion of Menumaker. By starting a new menu with no defined template areas or by pressing the [F6] key while working on the tablet area. The dimensions for the layout of the tablet while working in Menumaker are in the file <name>.DEF. Note the file ACAD.DEF was placed in the Menumaker directory this file is the dimensions for the standard Autocad template you may copy this file to another name if you like to make your current menu have the standard layout for the Autocad template. BUG REPORT -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Date________________ Name____________________________________________________ Company_________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________ City____________________ State_______ Zip_____________ Country_________________ Phone ( )________________ Menumaker Version_________ Serial number________________ Computer brand name________________ Model_______________ Memory_______________ Expanded memory__________________ DOS Version_____________ Clock speed________________Mhz Hard disk size_______________ Autocad Version__________ Graphics adapter_________________ Monitor______________ Problem Description __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ End of Menumaker DOC