Use the insert_object command to insert macro source code for a menu into the current buffer. Edit the resource properties and then run the macro to apply the resource changes. Ignore the message No main entry point if it is displayed. Changing a menu resource does not change any menu bars. Menu bars represent menu resources that have been loaded. A menu definition has the following format:

        
    _menu menu_name {
    submenu menu_item, help_command, help_message, categories {
    menu_item, command, categories, help_command, help_message
    }
    submenu
    }endsubmenu
    }
      
      

The table below contains the menu items and their definitions:

Example of a menu definition:

_menu mymenu {
    submenu "&File", "Help file menu", "Displays File drop-down menu", "ncw" {
       "&New", "new", "ncw" , "help new", "Creates a new file to edit";
       "&Open\tCtrl+O", "gui_open", "help gui_open", "Open a file";
    }
    submenu "&Edit", "Help edit menu", "Displays Edit drop-down menu","ncw" {
     "Cu&t", "cut", "sel|nrdonly", "help cut", "Deletes the selection and copies it
to the clipboard";
    }
}

Predefined enabling or disabling attributes can be specified for any command. Specify these attributes in the name_info of a command definition. Auto-enabling attributes affects the enable/disable state for a command placed in a menu or in a toolbar. The following command is disabled when there is no editor control on which to operate:

#include slick.sh
_command void top_of_buffer() 
       name_info(',' VSARG2_READ_ONLY| VSARG2_REQUIRES_EDITORCTL)
{

}

If the auto-enable attributes do not provide the features that you want, you can define the enable and disable callback for the command. The name of the callback function you define is based on the name of the command as shown in the following example:

#include "slick.sh"
static boolean gSomeOtherState;
/*
    This function gets called if your command is used in a menu or toolbar. 
    You must return a combination of the MF_ flags ORed together.
 
    BEWARE: If an _OnUpdate callback causes a Slick-C run-time error, you 
    may not see the error. In addition, the timer used for toolbars,
    Context Tagging(R), AutoSave, and some other features may be 
    automatically terminated. Exit and restart the editor to restart
    this timer. Use the "say" function to debug your _OnUpdate
    callback.
*/
int _OnUpdate_mycommand(CMDUI &cmdui,int target_wid,_str command)
{  
    //say('h1');
    // Lets assume this command requires the target to be an editor control
    // with a selection. 
    // IF the target is not an editor control:
    if ( !target_wid || !target_wid._isEditorCtl()) {
       //say('disabled at h2');
       return(MF_GRAYED);
    }
    //say('h3');
    // IF the editor control does not have a selection:
 
    if (!target_wid.select_active2()) {
       //say('disabled at h4');      
       return(MF_GRAYED);
    }
    //say('h5');
    if (gSomeOtherState) {
       //say('disabled at h6');
       return(MF_GRAYED);
    }
    //say('enabled at h7')
    return(MF_ENABLED);
}
_command void mycommand() name_info(','VSARG2_REQUIRES_EDITORCTL)
{
    // Some code here...
}
// This command affects the enable/disable of mycommand.
_command void mycommand2(_str argument="0")
{
    gSomeOtherState=(argument)?1:0;
 
    // Indicate that the enable state of the toolbar buttons must be updated.
    // The _tbSetRefreshBy function is very fast. Toolbars will be updated
    // after the macro terminates and the user stops typing fast.
    _tbSetRefreshBy(VSTBREFRESHBY_USER);
}

The following sample code shows how to add a menu on a form as a menu bar:

#include slick.sh
// Create a form called form1 and set the border style to anything BUT 
// BDS_DIALOG BOX. Windows does not allow forms with a dialog box style
// border to have menu bars.
defeventtab form1;
form1.on_load()
{
    // Find index of MDI menu resource.
    index=find_index(def_mdi_menu,oi2type(OI_MENU));
    // Load this menu resource.
    menu_handle=p_active_form._menu_load(index);
    // _set_menu will fail if the form has a dialog box style border.
    // Put a menu bar on this form.
    _menu_set(menu_handle);
    // You DO NOT need to call _menu_destroy. This menu is destroyed when
    // the form window is deleted.
}
form1.on_init_menu()
{
    // Gray out all menu items that are not allowed when there are no child windows.
    _menu_set_state(p_menu_handle,!ncw,MF_GRAYED,C);
}

If the show or mou_show_menu function meets your needs, use one of them. The following sample code shows how to display a menu as a pop-up:

#include slick.sh
defmain()
{
    // Low-level code to display menu bar as pop-up.
    // Could just use show or mou_show_menu function.
    index=find_index(_mdi_menu,oi2type(OI_MENU))
    if (!index) {
       message(Can't find _mdi_menu);
    }
    menu_handle=_menu_load(index,P);
    // Display this menu in the menu of the screen.
    x=_screen_width()/2;y=_screen_height()/2;
    flags=VPM_CENTERALIGN|VPM_LEFTBUTTON;
    _menu_show(menu_handle,flags,x,y);
    _menu_destroy(menu_handle);
}