MenuChoice is a control panel device which enables hierarchical menus under the Apple menu. With it, you can open applications, control panel devices, and documents of all kinds quickly and easily using your Apple menu.
INSTALLING MenuChoice
Just drop the MenuChoice file in your System 7 control panels folder. (MenuChoice is not compatible with system 6.) You can immediately use the control panel device to set your preferences for how MenuChoice will behave, but hierarchical menus will not show up under your Apple Menu until you restart your computer.
USING MenuChoice
With MenuChoice installed, every folder in your "Apple Menu Items" folder will show up as a sub-menu under the Apple menu. You can easily launch applications and open documents anywhere in the folders you create. You can also use aliases to point to folders that already exist elsewhere on your hard disk.
MenuChoice has some additional features to make your Apple menu even more powerful.
Opening folders and mounting Appleshare volumes
You can open folders as well as applications and documents. Even though a folder shows up with a sub-menu beside it, you can release the mouse while it is above the folder's name and the folder will open.
If a volume is offline, a sub-menu will show beside it with a single disabled item "Volume Off-Line". Releasing the mouse above the name of an Appleshare volume will cause it to auto-mount. Hard disk volumes that are off-line cannot be mounted this way.
Recent
When you select an item from a sub-menu, it is added to a list of the 20 most recent items used. This list is always available at the top of the Apple menu, as a sub-menu called "Recent."
Deeper Menus
It is convenient to put an alias of your hard disk in the Apple Menu. With it you can access any item on your disk from the Apple Menu. As you can imagine, dealing with sub-menus that go as deep as your folders can be unwieldy. For this reason, and because the Macinosh operating system is limited to 5 simultaneous menus, MenuChoice has a feature called "Deeper Menus" which lets you access menus as deep as you care to go.
It works like this: Select the Apple Menu with the mouse and move through the menu structure as though you were going to select a folder somewhere deep in the hierarchy. Now hold down the SHIFT key and release the mouse over the name of the menu. Instead of opening the folder, MenuChoice will just remember it for you. Now, go back to the Apple Menu, this time holding down the SHIFT key when you first press the mouse. The Apple Menu will now contain an item called "Deeper." Beside "Deeper" a menu will appear and you can reach the entire subfolder hierarchy below the folder you selected.
Folder Sorting
The MenuChoice control panel lets you control the order which MenuChoice displays folders and items in submenus. You can choose to have folders "at top", "at bottom", or "intermixed". Segregating folders at the top or bottom makes it faster to navigate through many levels of menus. Try each option to determine what you like best. Please note that the top level menu is unchanged by this option.
Desktop
The "Desktop" feature displays a menu item called "Desktop" which can bring up a submenu containing all the items on the desktop, including all mounted volumes. This is also an easy way to access folders on a CD-Rom or floppy without having to create an alias in the Apple Menu Items folder.
Aliases
MenuChoice makes it easy to create aliases to add to your Apple Menu Items folder: Just hold down the option key when you release the mouse above a document or folder, and you will be prompted to save an alias for that item. Save the alias in your Apple Menu Items folder, or navigate to any folder where you would like to store the alias. You can even create aliases directly on the desktop.
Caveat
(read this if you experience problems)
Occasionally an alias may become corrupted and no longer display a menu from within MenuChoice. If you experience this difficulty, please try re-creating the alias.
GateKeeper can cause a variety of problems with MenuChoice. If you are unable to configure GateKeeper to stop issuing erroneous messages, I recommend using another virus utility such as Disinfectant.
Version 1.0 of the extension called "TrashAlias" conflicts with MenuChoice. You can move TrashAlias out of the extensions folder and into the system folder to cause TrashAlias to load after MenuChoice, which resolves the problem. Also, a later version of TrashAlias is said to resolve the conflict.
MenuChoice will only display up to 40 folders at the top level of the Apple Menu. The number of folders in lower levels is unlimited.
Setting the disk cache in the "Memory" control panel to a larger value can help speed up the time it takes MenuChoice to redisplay submenus in your Apple menu.
Since any item in the top level of the Apple menu is readily accessed, MenuChoice's Recent feature remembers only items chosen from sub-menus of the Apple menu. The Deeper Menus feature also works only with folders that are below the top level Apple menu.
Version History
Version 1.0 - initial release
Version 1.1 - fixes compatibility with Mac Plus and SE, deals with removable storage and Appleshare volumes better than previous version.
Version 1.2 - fixes compatibility with foreign Macintosh systems and the PowerBook 140. Also fixes a bug which occasionally corrupted the "Recent" file in the Apple Menu Items folder, which would cause MenuChoice to stop working. Also adds the "Desktop" feature described above.
Version 1.3 - fixes an incompatibility with 32-bit systems, and adds the "Folders at Top" feature described above.
Version 1.4 - fixes many caveats present in earlier versions, provides better compatability with various applications, adds the alias feature, and makes the Deeper menus function easier to use.
Version 1.5 - MenuChoice 1.4 slowed down the response of the menus. Version 1.5 remedies this problem.
Version 1.6 - fixes a bug which entirely prevented MenuChoice from working on some Macs, and caused certain folders not work work on other user's Macs.
Version 1.7 - August 30, 1993 - speeds up menu access yet again. Folders put on your desktop will now expand under the "Desktop" menu. An alias to the Apple Menu Items folder will no longer re-display the Apple Menu repeatedly within the hierarchy. The "Recent" menu is now permanent - items are remembered even after restarting your computer. The "Recent" menu has been expanded to 20 items. Fixes a bug which could cause the recent menu to become corrupt if the Freeware extension "JustClick" was used.
Version 1.8 - October 15, 1993 - fixed a bug which caused Finder to crash or misbehave in various ways when startup items -- especially sounds -- were included in the "Startup Items" folder. (MenuChoice now restores the current resource file after an item is opened.)
Version 1.9 - December 12, 1993 - the fix in version 1.8 was, well, less than helpful, and in in some cases 1.8 performed more poorly than 1.7. Sorry folks. This version should be a real improvement. In addition to a better fix for the conflict with Finder, this version fixes a memory leak which was slowly swallowing up memory, and a rather obscure bug that caused problems with balloon help.
Legal Stuff
I strive to make MenuChoice a solid and reliable product. I am interested in hearing about any problems you experience so that I may make improvements in future revisions.
I make no warranty of the performance of this utility, expressed or implied. In no event will I be held responsible for any damages or loss as a result of using MenuChoice. When this disclaimer does not apply, my liability will be limited to the amount paid for the product.
REGISTERING MenuChoice
MenuChoice is shareware and costs $15.00. Send a U.S. check or money order to the address below. Please use the "Payment…" button in the control panel to print out an order form. If you cannot print the registration form, be sure to indicate the product and version number you are registering, and specify your name and return address. Once you have registered, click the "Payment…" button and then select "I have paid" to disable the "Not Registered" message on the MenuChoice startup icon.
