Copyright: Gregory C. Peters.


Contents


Quick Start

Overview

ProMenu is a joining of ProMenu® -- a rapid-access menuing system that displays menus directly underneath the mouse cursor, and ProCursor™ -- a gesture-based command system that executes menu commands without menus.

Your Benefit is:

Faster Menus + Faster Commands = Improved Productivity

To Display a ProMenu...

...simply press the right mouse button (actually the begin menu button) while over a Windows application.  The resulting promenu is a copy of the application's menu, but displayed under the mouse, rather than at the top of the application's window.  This lets you rapidly display and select a menu command without having to shift your attention to another part of the screen.

Actually, five different types of promenus are available, depending on where you click the mouse (see below).

For example, clicking the begin menu button outside of any Windows application will display the Desktop promenu, which lets you (among other things) launch icons, switch between programs, and configure the ProMenu application.  Clicking on a window's caption or title displays the Caption promenu.  This promenu provides several commands that operate on the window itself, like minimize, maximize, close, etc.  Similarly, clicking on a window's border displays the Border promenu which allows faster and more powerful window sizing.

Clicking within the application displays either the Application promenu, a copy of the application's actual menu that uses ProMenu Technology, or a custom application promenu that you have designed (see below).

For more detailed information on promenus and their uses, please refer to the ProMenu section.

Custom Promenus

Custom application promenus are promenus whose contents you specify by selecting the "ProCursor..." command in the "Options" section of the Desktop promenu.  This command displays the ProCursor Commands dialog box that lets you design custom promenus for any Windows application that has menu commands.

This means you may group your most often used commands for any application into a promenu that pops up directly under your cursor -- giving you unparalleled menu convenience, speed, and power.

To turn custom promenus on, simply select the "Show custom menu first" option in the Mouse Options dialog box.  With custom promenus on then, clicking within an application displays your custom promenu, rather than the full application promenu described above.

If you want to execute a menu command that is not within your custom menu, all you need to do is press the rotate menu button while your custom promenu is still displayed.  Pressing the rotate menu button erases your custom promenu and immediately displays the full application promenu.

For a full description of custom application promenus, please see the Custom ProMenu section.

Tapping into ProCursor

After using ProMenu for awhile, you will be ready for ProCursor.  With ProCursor on, simply moving the mouse slightly and clicking a button executes a menu command -- without menus.  This is faster than going through Windows menus, faster than using the keyboard, faster even than promenus.

While ProCursor's speed increases are significant, its real utility comes from its configurability.  You may specify up to 32 of your most frequently used commands for each application.  These commands may be unique to each application and/or common to multiple applications.  This means, for example, the same simple move and click sequence can execute the same command in all of your applications.

Please see the ProCursor section for full details.


ProMenu

Overview

ProMenu is a rapid-access menuing system that displays menus directly underneath the mouse cursor.  This makes it easier and faster to work with most applications since menus are now at your "fingertips", rather than at some less convenient location on the screen.

Context-sensitive Promenus

ProMenu displays 5 different types of promenus, depending on where you click the mouse button and whether or not custom promenus are enabled.

ProMenu Displayed	Required Mouse Action
Application ProMenu	Click in an application window (with custom promenus turned off)
Custom ProMenu	Click in an application window (with custom promenus turned on)
Desktop ProMenu	Click over the desktop
Border ProMenu	Click on a sizable window's border
Caption ProMenu	Click on a window's caption
Advanced Features

Promenus have several advanced features that make promenus faster, more convenient, and more powerful than traditional menus.  These features include the following:

Feature	Description
Menu Scaling	Allows indirect selection of subitems
Menu Rotation	Allows sequential display of multiple promenus
Menu Zooming	Moves mouse from parent item to scaled subitem
Event Pass Through	Lets ProMenu and other applications share mouse buttons
Menu Configuration	Allows considerable customization of promenus' Look and Feel


Menu Scaling

Overview

Menu scaling allows you to rapidly select a subitem without first moving into the submenu that contains that subitem.

Explanation

Whenever the mouse is within a parent item that has a submenu ("Options" at left), the position of the mouse within the parent item is scaled to its corresponding position within the submenu.  For example, since the mouse is in the lowest section of the "Options" item at left, the last subitem ("Save Settings...") is highlighted.  Clicking the mouse in its current position, then, will execute the highlighted "Save Settings..." subitem.

Limitations

Menu scaling can "break down" with submenus that have more than about 13 items per column.  In other words, as you move the mouse through the parent item, some of the subitems may never get highlighted.  These items (or any other items) may be selected by moving the mouse into the submenu itself.

Configuring

Menu scaling is on by default.  It may be turned off via the Mouse Options dialog box.


Menu Zooming

Overview

Menu zooming moves the mouse from a parent item directly to a subitem when you click the menu zoom button.

Explanation

If menu scaling is turned on and the mouse is currently in a parent item (i.e. the "Options" item at left), clicking the menu zoom button will immediately move the mouse to the highlighted subitem (i.e. "Save Settings on Exit").  If menu scaling is turned off and the mouse is currently in a parent item, clicking the menu zoom button will immediately move the mouse to the first subitem (in this case, the "Auto Arrange" subitem).


Menu Rotation

Overview

Menu rotation allows you to rapidly access any open application's promenu, even though that application may currently be inactive or even iconized.

When allowed

A promenu may be rotated whenever a promenu cursor turns into a rotate cursor (see left).  This occurs when a promenu is displayed and no menu items are currently highlighted.  Each rotation will erase the current promenu and display the next application's promenu.

Procedure

1.  Display the promenu by pressing the begin menu button.

2.  Move the cursor (if necessary) to a region where menu rotation is allowed (see above).

3.  Click the menu rotate button.

Menu Rotation Order

Promenus are rotated in the order shown at left.  For example, if the caption promenu is currently displayed, clicking the menu rotate button will erase the caption promenu and immediately display that application's promenu.  Clicking the rotate button again will display the next application's promenu.  If you click the rotate button enough times, the desktop promenu will be displayed after you have seen all application promenus.  Clicking the rotate button with the desktop promenu displayed will rotate back to the original application's promenu.

Comments

1.  Selecting a menu command from a rotated menu will first make the corresponding window the active window.  Then the selected command will be executed.

2.  In order to distinguish which promenu belongs to which window, each promenu has a title which corresponds to the file name of the application's window.


Event Pass Through

Overview

Event pass-through allows ProMenu and other applications to share the mouse buttons.

Explanation

With event pass-through turned off, ProMenu intercepts the begin menu button and displays the application promenu  The application never realizes the button was pressed.

With event pass-through turned on, ProMenu intercepts the begin menu button and displays the application's promenu as before.  However, if you then press the menu button a second time immediately after releasing the first press, that second click will be passed-through to the application.  (You may also simply double-click the menu button to pass the second click through to the application.)

Event pass-through is useful in applications that use more than one mouse button.  For example, in Microsoft Excel, pressing the right mouse button over a cell brings up a menu that applies to cells.  If you have set ProMenu's begin menu button to the right button and event pass-through is turned off, then you will never see Excel's cell menu.  However, with event pass-through turned on, ProMenu and Excel may both use the right mouse button:  a single click displays the promenu, while a double click shows Excel's cell menu.

Hints

Configuring the event pass-through time period

The time period during which a second click may be passed-through to the underlying application is initially the same as Windows' "Double Click Speed".  The event pass through time period may be changed via the Mouse Options dialog box.

Event pass-through for double clicks

The easiest way to pass a double-click through to an application (as opposed to just passing a single-click) is to press the begin menu button and pause briefly  Then, release the menu button and immediately double-click.


ProMenu Configuration

A promenu's Look and Feel is highly configurable and may be changed via the following dialog boxes:

Dialog Box	Description
Menus	Options for how promenus Look
Mouse	Options for how promenus Feel
Icons	Options for specifying the appearance and contents of the Icons submenu


ProCursor

Overview

ProCursor, an integral part of ProMenu, lets you execute menu commands simply by moving the mouse and clicking a button.

Mouse Motion + Button Click = Menu Command

ProCursor supports up to 32 commands per application.  These commands may be unique to each application, or they may be commands that are common to multiple applications, or they may be a combination of both.

To Start Using ProCursor

Display the ProCursor Commands dialog box by selecting the "ProCursor..." command in the "Options" section of the Desktop promenu.  Then, check the "cursor commands on" check box.  Finally, select which menu commands you want to access via ProCursor (or just use the default ones) and click the OK button.  Now when you move and click inside a window, ProCursor will execute the corresponding command.

See Also

See the following topics for more detailed information on ProCursor:

Topic	Description
Using ProCursor	Describes how commands are determined
Command Sets	Explains commands and groups of commands
ProCursor Configuration	Allows customization of ProCursor command specification, detection and execution


Using ProCursor

Overview

In order to execute a ProCursor command, you must move the mouse at least a certain distance within a certain time, then click a mouse button.  The minimum distance you may move the mouse is called the threshold distance.  The maximum amount of time you have to click a button after moving the mouse is called the time-out. Both the threshold distance and time-out are configurable via the ProCursor Commands dialog box.

Explanation

When you click a mouse button, ProCursor compares the current position of the mouse to its position a short time ago.  If the distance between those positions is greater than the threshold distance, then ProCursor accepts that motion-click sequence as a procursor command.

	Procedure 1.  Move the mouse at least the threshold distance, within the time-out period. 2.  Click a mouse button. The ProCursor command is then executed.

After a command has been detected, ProCursor determines which direction you were moving the mouse according to the chart below.  (The "North", "South", "East", and "West" zones are smaller since it is easier to move in those directions than in the diagonal directions.)

After the direction has been determined, ProCursor looks to see if you have specified a command for that direction... with that mouse button... in the application you were over when you clicked.  If so, the corresponding command is executed.

See Also

For a description of the various commands and command groups, please refer to the ProCursor Commands section.  For details on configuring ProCursor's commands and responsiveness, please see the ProCursor Dialog description.


ProCursor Command Sets

Overview

ProCursor supports up to 32 commands per application.  Each mouse button may implement up to 8 directional commands, called command sets.  Each mouse button may also access the alternate command set (described below).  The combination of 3 command sets plus the alternate command set forms an application's command group.

Mouse Button	Commands	Name
left	8	app:left	command set
middle	8	app:middle	command set
right	8	app:right	command set
any	8	app:alternate	command set
	32	application	command group

These 32 commands may be Standard Windows Commands, Standard ProCursor Commands, or Application-Specific Commands.

Note:  If you are using a 2-button mouse, you will not be able to access the middle command set and your total ProCursor commands will be limited to 24.

Alternate Command Set

In addition to application-specific command sets, ProCursor also provides 1 alternate command set per command group.  This set provides an extra 8 commands that can be used to supplement the mouse button sets.  The commands in the alternate set are executed by the standard ProCursor alternate command set command (see below).

Default Command Group

In addition to application-specific command groups, ProCursor also supports a default command group.  The commands in this group are used when a procursor command has been detected but no application-specific command exists.

For example, if an application has no application command group, then all procursor commands for that application will come from the default command group.  However, if an application does have an application command group, then procursor commands are taken from the application's command group.

Note:  An application command group may access commands in the default command group by using the default command (described in the Standard ProCursor commands section below).

Standard Windows Commands

Standard Windows commands are supported by most Windows applications.  These commands are good choices for placement in the default command sets.  The standard Windows commands are:

Utility Commands	Scrolling Commands	Paging Commands
exit Windows	scroll up	page up
screen saver	scroll down	page down
task list	scroll right	page right
	scroll left	page left
File Commands	Edit Commands	Window Commands
new	undo	close window
open	cut	minimize
close	copy	maximize
save	paste	restore
save as	delete	next
exit	find	previous
	replace
Standard ProCursor Commands

These commands increase ProCursor's power and flexibility.

Command	Explanation
default	Execute the corresponding command in the default command set.  For example, if you move upwards in the Notepad application and click the right mouse button, ProCursor will execute the Notepad:right:north command.  If this command is "default" (or if there is no Notepad command group), then the default:right:north command will be executed. Hence, if the North command for the default:right command set is "scroll up", for example, and the North command for the Notepad:right command set is "default", then you can scroll up in Notepad simply by moving the mouse upwards and clicking the right mouse button.
no command	In some applications, you may want to turn off the default behavior of a ProCursor command.  The "no command" command does this.  In the Notepad example above, setting the Notepad:right:north command to "no command" would prevent Notepad from automatically scrolling when you move upwards and click the right mouse button. Normally, when you execute a ProCursor command, the underlying application never finds out that a mouse button was clicked.  With "no command", however, the button click is passed on to the application.
last	Executing the "last" ProCursor command will execute the last command you selected via the Application promenu. If ProCursor's confirm selection option is on, the ProCursor promenu is displayed before the command gets executed.  Then, when you highlight the "last" command item, its text will change to the actual command to be executed.
2nd last command	Executing the "2nd last" ProCursor command will execute the 2nd last command you selected via the Application promenu.  If ProCursor's confirm selection option is on, the ProCursor promenu is displayed before the command gets executed.  Then if you highlight the "2nd last" command item, its text will change to the actual command to be executed.
alternate set	The "alternate set" command is a means of adding an additional 8 ProCursor commands to an application.  When the "alternate set" command is executed, a custom promenu containing the alternate commands is displayed.  Then you may highlight and directly execute any of the displayed commands.
command set menu	The "command set menu" command simply displays a custom promenu that contains the current command set choices.  You may directly execute any choice by highlighting and selecting that choice.  The "command set menu" command is useful when the confirm selection option is off and you are not sure what the current commands are.
Application-Specific Commands

In addition to the standard commands, ProCursor also supports nearly all menu commands in nearly all applications.

See Also:

Please refer to the ProCursor Dialog in order to specify procursor commands.


ProMenu Mouse Buttons

Overview

ProMenu employs the concept of logical mouse buttons.  Logical buttons specify what happens when a button is pressed, as opposed to which button was pressed.  The following logical mouse buttons are used:

Logical Button	Action
begin menu	displays a promenu
end menu	erases a promenu and executes command if one was selected
rotate/zoom menu	rotates to next promenu, or zooms to a subitem

You determine which physical mouse buttons correspond to ProMenu's logical mouse buttons via the Mouse Options dialog box.  The supported combinations are as follows:

Button	Action	begin menu	end menu	rotate/zoom
left	press	X	X	X
left	release		X
middle	press	X	X	X
middle	release		X
right	press	X	X	X
right	release		X

For example, you may display promenus (begin menu) by pressing the left, middle, or right mouse button.  Then, you may select a menu command (end menu) by releasing the button you just pressed, or by clicking the same or any other button again.  Note that the rotate/zoom button should be different from the end menu button.

2-Button Mice

Some typical configurations for 2-button mice are:

	begin menu	end menu	rotate/zoom
1.	press right button	press right button	press left button
2.	press right button	release right button	press left button
3.	press right button	press left button	press right button

The third option is interesting because it lets the right mouse button always show a promenu -- either by displaying the original promenu or by rotating to the next promenu.  Then, the left button is used to actually execute the command (similar to using the left button to click on a toolbar, for example).

3-Button Mice

Typical configurations for 3-button mice often employ the middle mouse button, since this button is rarely used by existing Windows applications.  For example:

	begin menu	end menu	rotate/zoom
1.	press middle button	press middle button	press right button
2.	press middle button	release middle button	press right button
3.	press middle button	press left button	press middle button


Menu Options

The Menu Options dialog box configures how promenus Look.  Click on the fields of interest for more details.


Menu Options - Menu Border

This option lets you select varying levels of 3D for the menu border.  Choices are:

3D level	Description
lowered (1)	border is lowered into the display by 1 pixel
lowered (2)	border is lowered into the display by 2 pixels
lowered (4)	border is lowered into the display by 4 pixels
lowered (6)	border is lowered into the display by 6 pixels
lowered (8)	border is lowered into the display by 8 pixels
none	no menu border
raised (1)	border is raised up from the display by 1 pixel
raised (2)	border is raised up from the display by 2 pixels
raised (4)	border is raised up from the display by 4 pixels
raised (6)	border is raised up from the display by 6 pixels
raised (8)	border is raised up from the display by 8 pixels


Menu Options - Menu Frame

This option draws a single-pixel frame around the menu border.


Menu Options - Item Border

This option lets you select varying levels of 3D for the item borders.  Choices are:

3D level	Description
lowered (1)	borders are lowered into the display by 1 pixel
lowered (2)	borders are lowered into the display by 2 pixels
lowered (4)	borders are lowered into the display by 4 pixels
lowered (6)	borders are lowered into the display by 6 pixels
lowered (8)	borders are lowered into the display by 8 pixels
none	no item borders
raised (1)	borders are raised up from the display by 1 pixel
raised (2)	borders are raised up from the display by 2 pixels
raised (4)	borders are raised up from the display by 4 pixels
raised (6)	borders are raised up from the display by 6 pixels
raised (8)	borders are raised up from the display by 8 pixels


Menu Options - Item Frame

This option draws a single-pixel frame around the item borders.


Menu Options - Check Mark

This option lets you choose the check mark style used in promenus.  Choices are:

Check Style

bullet

check box

check mark

push box


Menu Options - Highlight Style

This option lets you select an item highlighting style.  Choices are:

Highlight Style	Description
frame	draws a frame around the current item
invert	inverts the colors of the current item


Menu Options - Text Style

This option lets you select a text style.  Choices are:

Text Style

normal text

shadow text


Menu Options - Font

Clicking this button lets you select which font to use, its size, and any special characteristics (like italics).


Menu Options - Color Element

All colors used in the promenus are configurable.  To change a color, first select the element to change, then click on the "Color..." button.  Color elements are:

Element	Description
background	Color used to fill in the item and menu backgrounds.
border - light	Color used to give menu and item borders the 3d effect.  For "raised" borders, the "light" color is the top border color.  For "lowered" borders, the "light" color is the bottom border color.
border - dark	Color used to give menu and item borders the 3d effect.  For "raised" borders, the "dark" color is the bottom border color.  For "lowered" borders, the "dark" color is the top border color.
frame	Color used to draw frames around the menu and item borders.
normal text	Color used to draw normal text.
shadow text - top	Color used to draw the "top" portion of shadow text.
shadow text - bottom	Color used to draw the "shadow" portion of shadow text.


Menu Options - Color

Displays the color dialog box that lets you select a color to use for the promenu element currently listed in the Element list.


Menu Options - Max Application Menu Letters

Specifies the maximum number of letters that will be displayed in application promenus.  This lets you keep the size of the promenus manageable even when application items are 40 or 50 letters long.


Menu Options - Show Separators

This option lets you show or not show the horizontal lines that often separate groups of menu items.


Menu Options - Show Grayed Items

To reduce the size and clutter of menus, promenus do not normally show items that are currently grayed.  This option lets you show or not show such items.


Menu Options - Show Keyboard Shortcuts

Promenus may show keyboard shortcuts for menu items by checking this box.


Menu Options - Menus On

Application promenus (and border and caption promenus) can be turned off by checking this box.  Even with this option turned off, the Desktop promenu and Procursor commands will still work.


Menu Options - Max Icons/Programs Letters

Specifies the maximum number of letters that will be displayed in the All Icons and Programs promenus.  This lets you keep the size of the promenus manageable even when their associated text gets quite large


Menu Options - Exploding ProMenus

Promenus (and submenus) will be displayed with a quick explosion if this option is turned on.


Menu Options - Transparent ProMenus

Turning this option on will show promenus with a transparent background.  This can be useful if you want to see underlying areas of the screen while promenus are displayed.


Menu Options - Test

Clicking the "Test..." button displays a promenu with the currently selected menu options.  Click the left button again to erase this promenu.


Menu Options - Help

Clicking the "Help..." button invokes the On-Line help system to display help for the Menus Options dialog box.


Menu Options - OK

Saves the current selections and closes the dialog box.


Menu Options - Cancel

Closes the dialog box without saving the current selections.


Icons Options

The Icon Options dialog box configures the size and contents of the Icons menu.  Click on the fields of interest for more details.


Icon Options - Rows

Specifies the number of rows of icons in the icons menu.  Rows may be between 1 and 5.


Icon Options - Columns

Specifies the number of columns of icons in the icons menu.  Columns may be between 1 and 5.


Icon Options - Add Icon

Adds an icon to the icons menu.  To add an icon, first click the left mouse button over the "Add Icon..." button.  This displays the All Icons promenu.  Then, move the mouse over the application to be added and click the left mouse button once again.  If you decide not to add an application after the "All Icons" menu is displayed, click the left mouse button any where outside of the "All Icons".


Icon Options - Remove Icon

Removes an icon from the icons menu move an icon, first click the left mouse button over the "Remove Icon..." button.  This displays the current Icons promenu.  Then, move the mouse over the icon to be removed and click the left mouse button once again.  If you decide not to remove an icon after the "Icons" promenu is displayed, click the left mouse button any where outside of the "Icons" promenu.


Icon Options - Test Menu

Displays the current Icons promenu.  To display the "Icons" promenu, click the left mouse button over the "Test Menu..." button.  When finished, click the left mouse button once more to erase the "Icons" promenu.


Icon Options - Help

Clicking the "Help..." button invokes the On-Line help system to display help for the Icon Options Dialog.


Icon Options - OK

Saves the current selections and closes the dialog box.


Icon Options - Cancel

Closes the dialog box without saving the current selections.


Mouse Options

The Mouse Options dialog box configures mouse options that are specific to Promenu, but not to other applications.  Click on the fields of interest for more details.


Mouse Options - Begin Menu

Promenus may be displayed by pressing the left, middle, or right mouse button.  Click the appropriate section in the begin menu box to select which mouse button will display promenus.

An arrow pointing down represents pressing the corresponding mouse button.  Click the left mouse button once on a blank section to display the down arrow.

See Also:  ProMenu Mouse Buttons


Mouse Options - End Menu

Promenus may be erased either by releasing or pressing the specified mouse button.  Click the appropriate section in the end menu box to select which mouse button will erase promenus.  Note that the begin menu and end menu buttons need not be the same.  Promenus may also be erased by pressing the Esc key.

An arrow pointing down represents pressing the corresponding mouse button.  An arrow pointing up represents releasing the corresponding mouse button.  Click the left mouse button once on a blank section to display the down arrow.  Click the left mouse button on a down arrow to change it into an up arrow.

See Also:  ProMenu Mouse Buttons


Mouse Options - Rotate / Zoom

Menu rotation and menu zooming use the same mouse button.  Click the appropriate section in the rotate / zoom box to select which mouse button triggers menu rotation and zooming.

An arrow pointing down represents pressing the corresponding mouse button.  Click the left mouse button once on a blank section to display the down arrow.

See Also:  ProMenu Mouse Buttons


Mouse Options - Cursor

Promenus use context-sensitive cursors to display what type of item is currently selected and what types of operations are currently available.  The cursor type combobox lets you select which set of cursors to use while promenus are displayed.  This choice also determines which cursor to display over the desktop window.


Mouse Options - Cursor Test

Moving the mouse across the Test Area region will display the 3 cursors in the currently selected cursor set that is used while promenus are displayed.


Mouse Options - Event Pass Through

Sets the event pass through time-out (in milliseconds).  This must be between 10 and 4000 milliseconds.  This value is typically set somewhere between 100 and 500 milliseconds.


Mouse Options - Tracking Speed

How fast the mouse moves while promenus are displayed may be different from how fast the mouse moves while promenus are not displayed. This scroll bar configure the mouse speed for when promenus are displayed.


Mouse Options - Test Tracking Speed

While inside this Test Area, the mouse will move at the currently selected promenu speed, rather than at the speed selected for other applications.


Mouse Options - Menu Scaling

Checking this box turns promenu scaling on.


Mouse Options - Restore Cursor Position

Normally, after erasing a promenu, the mouse cursor stays in its current position.  Checking this box, however, will return the mouse cursor to wherever it was before the promenu was displayed.


Mouse Options - Show Custom Menu First

Normally, clicking the begin menu button in an application window will display the application promenu.  If this box is checked, however, clicking the begin menu button in an application window will first display that application's custom promenu.  The full application promenu can still be displayed by then pressing the rotate menu button.


Mouse Options - Help

Invokes the ProMenu On-Line Help system to display help for the Mouse Options dialog box.


Mouse Options - OK

Saves the current selections and closes the dialog box.


Mouse Options - Cancel

Closes the dialog box without saving the current selections.


ProCursor Options

The ProCursor Options dialog box configures the ProCursor options.  Click on the fields of interest for more details.


ProCursor Commands - Direction Commands

The 8 ProCursor command buttons represent the current command set as specified in "Name" below.  To change an individual command, click the left mouse button over the appropriate command.  A promenu will appear that contains a list of commands.  Select one by highlighting the desired command and clicking the left mouse button again.  Note that application-specific commands may be selected only if that application is already loaded.  For a list of available commands, see "Commands" below.


ProCursor Options - Command Set Name

This button allows you to select the current command set.  Click the left mouse button over the button to the left of "Name".  A promenu will appear that contains all commands sets in the current list.  Select the desired command set by highlighting it and clicking the left button once more.


ProCursor Options - Previous Command Group

This button changes the current command group to the previous group in the list.  For example, if the current group is PBRUSH:left, the previous group could become NOTEPAD:left.


ProCursor Options - Previous Command Set

This button changes the current command set to the previous set in the list.  For example, if the current set is PBRUSH:right, the previous set would be either PBRUSH:middle (for 3 button mice) or PBRUSH:left (for 2 button mice).


ProCursor Options - Next Command Set

This button changes the current command set to the next set in the list.  For example, if the current set is PBRUSH:left, the next set would be either PBRUSH:middle (for 3 button mice) or PBRUSH:right (for 2 button mice).


ProCursor Options - Next Command Group

This button changes the current command group to the next group in the list.  For example, if the current group is NOTEPAD:left, the next group could become PBRUSH:left.


ProCursor Options - Load Application

This button will load (and minimize) the application corresponding to the current command set.  This is useful if you want select application-specific commands via the North, South, etc. buttons.


ProCursor Options - Add Command Group

This button adds a command group to the list of command groups.  Click the left mouse button and the All Icons promenu will appear.  Select the desired command set to add and click the left mouse button again.


ProCursor Options - Remove Command Group

This button removes a command group from the list of command groups.  Click the left mouse button over "Remove" and a promenu containing all command groups will appear.  Select the command group to remove and click the left mouse button again.


ProCursor Options - Test Custom ProMenu

This button displays the current command set as it will appear in the application itself.  Click the left mouse button once to display the custom promenu.  Click the left mouse button again to erase the promenu.


ProCursor Options - Timeout

This sets the maximum time period (in milliseconds) to activate a ProCursor command.

See also:  Using ProCursor


ProCursor Options - Threshold Distance

This sets the minimum threshold distance (in pixels) that you must move the mouse to activate a ProCursor command.

See also:  Using ProCursor


ProCursor Options - ProCursor Commands On

ProCursor commands may be turned on or off by checking this box appropriately.  ProCursor commands may also be selectively turned on for 1, 2, or all 3 mouse buttons.


ProCursor Options - ProCursor Commands on Left Mouse Button

If the "Cursor Commands On" box is turned on, ProCursor commands activated by the left mouse button may be either turned on or off by checking this box.


ProCursor Options - ProCursor Commands on Middle Mouse Button

If the "Cursor Commands On" box is turned on, ProCursor commands activated by the middle mouse button may be either turned on or off by checking this box.


ProCursor Options - ProCursor Commands on Right Mouse Button

If the "Cursor Commands On" box is turned on, ProCursor commands activated by the right mouse button may be either turned on or off by checking this box.


ProCursor Options - Confirm Selection

ProCursor commands may be executed immediately on the click of a button or they may first be confirmed via a custom promenu that displays the current command set.  Check this box to confirm ProCursor commands before executing them.


ProCursor Options - Confirm Scrolling / Paging

Normally, scrolling and paging ProCursor commands are not confirmed, even if you have selected the "Confirm Selection" option.  If you do want to confirm scrolling and paging commands, then select the "Confirm scrolling / paging" check box.


ProCursor Options - Status Window

The status window is a small, 1 row window that displays what Procursor direction was detected and what command corresponds to that direction.  This is particularly useful if the "Confirm selection" option is not being used.


ProCursor Options - Help

Invokes the ProMenu On-Line Help system to display help for the ProCursor Commands dialog box.


ProCursor Options - OK

Saves the current selections and closes the dialog box.


ProCursor Options - Cancel

Closes the dialog box without saving the current selections.


About Dialog

The About dialog box just shows contact information.  Press the OK button to close this dialog.  To move the dialog box, press the left mouse button anywhere within the box and drag it to its new location.


About - OK

Closes the dialog box.


Desktop ProMenu

The Desktop promenu is displayed whenever you press the begin menu button over the desktop window.  Click on the items of interest for more details.


Desktop ProMenu - System Submenu

Highlighting this item displays the system submenu.


Desktop ProMenu - Title

This is the Desktop promenu's title.  ProMenus are titled so they can be easily distinguished during menu rotation.


Desktop ProMenu - Options Submenu

Highlighting this item displays the options submenu.


Desktop ProMenu - Help

Invokes the on-line help system.


Desktop ProMenu - About

Displays ProMenu contact information.


Desktop ProMenu - Icons

Highlighting this item displays the icons submenu.


Desktop ProMenu - All Icons

Highlighting this item displays the all icons submenu.


Desktop ProMenu - Programs

Highlighting this item displays the programs submenu.


System Submenu - Run

Displays a dialog box to select and run an application.


System Submenu - Exit

Exits the ProMenu application.


System Submenu - Switch To

Displays a dialog box to switch to another application.


Options Submenu - Mouse

Displays the Mouse Options dialog.


Options Submenu - Icons

Displays the Icons Options dialog.


Options Submenu - Menus

Displays the Menu Options dialog.


Options Submenu - ProCursor

Displays the ProCursor Options dialog.


Options Submenu - Update

Updates the Icons and Programs submenus.  If you use Program Manager to change your icon groups or applications and want ProMenu to reflect those changes, select the "Update" option in this submenu.


Icons Submenu

Selecting one of these icons launches that icon.  These icons and the number of icons displayed may be configured via the Icons dialog.


All Icons Submenu

Launches any Program Manager icon.  If you are running a shell that is not fully compatible with Program Manager, this submenu will only display the "Browse" item.  Selecting the "Browse" item displays a dialog that lets you run any application you specify.


Programs Submenu

This submenu contains a list of running applications.  Select an application via this submenu to bring that application to the top.


Border ProMenu

The Border promenu is displayed whenever you click the begin menu button over a window border that is sizable.  The action taken depends on which border you clicked on.

In all cases, the "size" option allows you to size that border to whatever size you want, just like when you click on a sizable border when ProMenu is not running.  The other two options shrink or expand the specified border appropriately.  For example, clicking on the top border and selecting the "max" option will expand the window, moving the top border from its current position to the top of the screen.  Selecting the "min" option, on the other hand, will shrink the window by moving the top border as close as possible to the bottom border.


Caption ProMenu

The Caption promenu is displayed whenever you click the begin menu button on a window caption (title).  The Caption promenu contains:

Title	the filename of the application
Lightning bolt	contains the Desktop submenu
Minimize	minimizes the window
Maximize	maximizes the window
Switch To	displays a dialog that allows you to switch to another application
Screen Saver	invokes your screen saver if you use one
Restore	restores the window to its last position
Close	closes the window
Move	moves the window
Size	sizes the window


Application ProMenu

The Application promenu is displayed whenever you press the begin menu button over any Windows application.  Several sample application promenus are shown below.

The application promenu contains all of the application's menu items, but displayed and arranged to be more easily accessible.  The title of the application promenu is the applications actual file name.  The lightning bolt in the upper right corner contains the Desktop promenu.


Custom ProMenu

The Custom promenu is displayed when the "show custom menu first" option is selected in the Mouse Options dialog box.  The Custom promenu is also used when ProCursor's "confirm selection" option is on.  In either case, the actual contents of the Custom promenu depend on the application itself, which mouse button was pressed, and what commands were previously specified via the ProCursor Commands dialog box.

This menu is useful since it allows you to rapidly select those commands you use most often.  Note that whenever this menu is displayed, you may rotate to the current Application promenu simply by pressing the menu rotate button.


Copyright

(C) Copyright 1991-1994, Gregory C. Peters.  All rights reserved.

ProMenu and ProCursor are trademarks of Gregory C. Peters.


Shareware
Shareware Policy

ProMenu is provided as shareware, giving you a chance to try it before you buy it.

Shareware works just like taking a test drive in a car, and just like taking a test drive, you need to buy (register) this software if you keep it and are using or planning to use it.

When you register, you get:

1.  The current version.

2.  A printed manual.

3.  Notification of upgrades.

To register, see Products and Services.

Thank you.


Products
Products and Services

For sales, consulting, or custom programming, please contact:

Greg Peters

8675 Ballantrae Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

(719) 282 - 0605

Products

Name	Version	Price	Shipping and Handling
ProMenu	2.1	$25	$5
ProMenu Library	1.0	$50	$5
Services

Custom user interface design and/or implementation

Custom ProMenu design and/or implementation

Custom Windows programming

ProMenu Site Licenses

Users	Price Per User
1-4	$25
5-10	$20
11-20	$18
21-50	$15
51-100	$13
101+	$10

ProMenu Library Site Licenses

Users	Price Per User
1-4	$50
5-10	$40
11-50	$35
51+	$30


ProMenu Library

ProMenu Library, a complete stand-alone menu library, provides a rich set of configurable and extendible features -- many of which are not available elsewhere.  ProMenu Library has considerably advanced the state-of-the-art in responsive, graphical menuing systems and is a fundamental component of ProMenu.

Benefits

Technical Specs

Contact


ProMenu Library Benefits

ProMenu Library is a complete, stand-alone menu library that provides a rich set of configurable and extendible features -- many of which are not available elsewhere.  ProMenu Library can replace or supplement the menu functions in the Windows Software Development Kit.

End User Benefits

Convenient menu access

Users no longer need to shift their attention between what they are working on and what they want to do.  ProMenu Library's floating menus, which can be text, bitmaps, real-time graphics, or anything else, pop up where the user is working -- not at some less convenient place on the screen.

Fast menu access

Floating menus is merely one step in speeding up menu access.  ProMenu Library's menu scaling lets the user select a submenu item without having to move the mouse into that submenu.  This puts most menu commands just a few pixels away from whatever the user is doing.

ProMenu Library's default selection carries rapid access one step further.  With default selection, the default menu command is immediately highlighted, thereby reducing menu selection to a simple mouse click and making common sequences fast and simple.  For example, after a "cut" or "copy", the default command, selectable by one button click, can become "paste".

ProMenu Library's display optimization speeds up menu access even more by canceling screen drawing that is no longer needed.  This makes it nearly impossible for the mouse to "get ahead" of the displayed menu.  By combining default selection with display optimization, a rapid button click can select the default command without even displaying the menu at all.

More transparent interface

Floating menus help minimize the screen space required by the user interface.  This lets the user focus on what he is doing -- not on how he does it.

More intuitive command selection

ProMenu Library is ideal for applications that feature direct manipulation interfaces.  Rather than first selecting an object, then moving the mouse somewhere to select an operation, then moving back to the object to perform that operation, ProMenu Library can combine these 3 steps into one.

By further combining direct manipulation with context-sensitive menus, users immediately know what can and can not be done at any particular time.

Increased productivity for both new and experienced users

Floating, context-sensitive menus shorten a new user's learning curve by only presenting the subset of commands that apply to what the user is currently doing.  This removes the newcomer's task of  frequently perusing a menu to determine what commands are appropriate and where they are located.

ProMenu Library can also increase an experienced user's productivity.  An experienced user won't even have to look at the context-sensitive menus.  He can use "muscle memory" to rapidly select commands -- without interrupting what he is doing.

Developer Benefits

ProMenu Library was designed to be developer-friendly, to let a minimal programming interface put the best menuing library available for a personal computer directly into the hands of developers without constraining them with preconceived ideas about what menus should or should not do.  Specific developer benefits include:

Rich set of standard features	Interactive Demo program
Easily configurable	Source code examples
Easily extendible	Memory-efficient
Minimal programming interface	Function support library


Promenu Library Technical Specifications

General

C language, dynamic link library

Comes with interactive demo

Function Interface:	50 functions (Developers need only use 3 functions for standard promenus.  The other 47 functions simplify developer extensions.)
Message Interface:	22 messages (All messages relate to developer extensions.  They are not needed for standard promenus.)
Requires a mouse and Windows 3.1 or higher

Real-time Control Specs

Menu scaling:	allows selection of subitems from within parent item
Menu rotation:	multiple menus from same location, same button click
Default selection:	can automatically highlight the default item
Multiple selection:	can select (or check mark) more than 1 item while menu is displayed
Mutual exclusion:	up to 7 exclude groups per menu or submenu, items need not be adjacent
Display optimization:	intelligent screen refreshes, event look ahead
Real-time messages:	22 callback messages to configure or extend ProMenu library
Cursors:	cursors change to give item-specific feedback
	logical types:	standard, checkmark, rotate
	physical groups:	arrow, arrow2, bolt, small, owner draw
Event mapping:	any physical event may be mapped to any logical event
	logical events:	beginMenu, endMenu, beginSelect, endSelect, beginUtility, endUtility
	physical events:	button down and up for all 3 mouse buttons
Selection Modes:	may select or check items in real-time, without redrawing entire menu
	click select	clicking the select button toggles the state of the item
	drag select	pressing and holding the select button selects adjacent items
Menu Specs

borders:	frame, inset, outset, framed inset, framed outset, none, owner (anything)
margins:	0-15 pixels
colors:	any color supported by Windows
submenu depth:	not limited
alignment:
	top Level menus with respect to cursor:	25 styles
	subMenus with respect to parent item:	1275 styles
Item Specs

borders:	frame, inset, outset, framed inset, framed outset, none, owner (anything)
margins:	0-15 pixels
colors:	any color supported by Windows
item data:	text, bitmap, stock bitmap, separator, hot-spot, owner (anything)
check marks:	checkmark , radio button, checkBox, pushBox, bullet, none, owner (anything)
keys:	text, bitmap, none, owner (anything)
subMenu indicator:	diamond, none, owner (anything)
item highlighting:	invert all, invert data, frame all, frame data, owner (anything)
item graying:	any item
item disabling:	any item
alignment
	check mark within check mark field:	25 styles
	item data within data field:	25 styles
	key within key field:	25 styles
	subMenu indicator within field:	25 styles