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Gianluca

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18/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
A new beta is available.
22/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
@sl23.
Your idea to create an extra item for accessing the options form directly is great. You'll surely find it in the next beta or final version.
A question for you: in your opinion should the new options item be included in the base menu and in the advanced menu?

As Glenn says the compact menu is easy to recreate except for two little details.
1) The action modifiers are no longer integrated in the title, so, if interested, you need an extra item (an extra row) in your menu. In my opinion it is not an issue and if it were, you can now move the exit item to a second level so you will regain the lost room.
The second problem is that the title doesn't allow sub items as it does in the old compact menu, but this issue will be solved in the next beta/final version.

Maybe in future I'll create new built in configuration besides base and advanced. One of those could be the old compact menu but again it is not an issue since you are completely free to build whatever you want now.
23/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
Yes the password to options is useless because this scenario it's already managed by the read only option.
And again yes your argument is correct: the direct access to options is a useful shortcut for advanced users not basic ones.
The question now is: do I have to add the shortcut option item in the standard advanced menu configuration? Well for the same reason I don't think so because an advanced user knows where to find it and how to activate it.

The compact menu was a pain to maintain exactly because of the modifiers integratated in the title. The title from the compact menu and from the normal menu are infact different components and I had to implement, test, document all the new features twice. Besides the pinned feature was unavailable in the compact menu and impossible to implement.
Now we have a single title element that includes the ability to have drop down items (you'll find it in the next beta... yes I confirm that I am forced to release another beta maybe already tomorrow...). So the only lost feature is the integrated action modifier tool, the most buggy one.

The idea to disable single modifiers is viable. If you start SyMenu in elevated mode you'll see that the elevate modifier is already disabled, so extend this feature to others via options is possible. Low priority for this feature.

I won't implement another button to set the compact menu. You have the base menu and the advanced menu. If you like a menu similar to the compact one you press the advanced button and drag search, my computer, plugin and tools inside the title item.
It's not an hard operation.
For people like Glenn that manage a lot of SyMenu instances I'll implement an import and export feature which allows you to choose the options you want to export and the ones you want to import. In that way you can reproduce all or part of the settings of your master SyMenu. But I don't know when I can do that. For now you can manually operate at file level modifing the SyMenuConfig.zip file.
23/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
sl23 wrote:
I'm confused?! You say it's a good idea for advanced users then say not to do it as they know where to find it!

I'm speaking about the default advanced menu not a customized one. My question was: if you press the button advanced menu, do I have to include options item or not? Anyway you can add it by your own. Well I'm thinking to remove from the default advanced menu other items, that naturally remain available from the library on the right hand side. Don't ask what, I have to think about that, but if you have some suggestions let me know.

sl23 wrote:
If you accidentally click one of these buttons your config is lost.

It's not true. If you accidentally click one of the two button (advanced or base) you should accidentally click the OK or Apply button too. If you click Cancel instead your previous configuration is preserved.
Anyway you are right and I will implement it, but now I would like to focus on the current feature without adding some more.

@Glenn
I agree we should speak a lot about the import/export feature before starting to analyze it but for now I tell you that from the next beta you'll have the custom variables for the tooltip passed by the command line smile
23/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
A third beta is available.
23/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
No this is and will be impossible because the menu is always built with a custom structure. When you choose and save advanced or base structure you are simply choosing one particular custom structure, not a built in one. I don't know if now it is clearer.
24/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
Glenn wrote:
So, in setting up some command line parameters, I noticed that in the manual section titled "Command line" that the modifier "CRTL" is mentioned. I didn't test if it worked smile I just spelled it "CTRL" and that worked smile

Yes it was a typo. Now it is correct.

@Glenn
The mysterious tale of the -cv flag.
I'm sorry if you lost so much time to experiment but, although this feature is completely ready, I'm still experimenting on the syntax.
According to your tests I will restrict the freedom in creating custom variable name. The mess in the expanding result is caused because you can use whatever syntax you want and this is a problem in some cases.

So in the final version you'll have:
command line -> SyMenu -cvkey=customText -> tooltip template -> bla bla bla %key% bla bla bla -> expands in -> bla bla bla customText bla bla bla
In your template you'll be forced to enclose the key inside the % symbols like the native SyMenu variable to maintain consistency. In your command line the % symbols won't be required. If the key, the value or both have some spaces inside you must enclose them in double quotes.

That'all.

Glenn wrote:
Should I infer from this that SyMenu variables do not need enclosing % to be expanded? Is that intentional?

Absolutely not. The native SyMenu variables need the enclosing %. In the final version the custom variables need them too in the template while they don't need in the command line.


sl23 wrote:
To explain... If the menu is based on custom structures why not allow one custom structure to be saved to html file and be recalled when clicking button

Simply because even the base and advanced menu, when selected, are already saved in the xml configuration file.
If you choose the advanced menu, close SyMenu, and have a look at the configuration file, you'll find that there is no parameter like advancedMenuStructure="true" or similar and instead you will find the tags that describe the advanced menu exactly in the same way you'll find your custom menu.
Advanced and base menu don't exist at the configuration level. It only exists a certain configuration that could be equal to advanced or base or whatever you want.
The only place where the advanced and base configuration really exist is inside the buttons that create those configuration that could be considered as particular custom configurations.
The only way to accomplish what you are requiring is to store in a different tag the last known menu configuration that is different from the advanced and base ones... bizarre. Well it's not your idea to be bizarre but the only way I have to implement it.

I finished my words, I don't know how else to explain that smile smile


Ok guys, let's take a break. Tonight is Christmas so stay with your family and leave SyMenu into the drawer smile
Merry Christmas to you and thanks for helping me so much.
29/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
It is possible that the & symbol creates some problems because the .NET compiler use it as a shortcut symbol for a context menu.
If you want to use the ampersand symbol simply escape it doubling it (&&).
Example:
My item & yours - becoms - My item && yours
30/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
@VVV_Easy_Symenu
I need you to do a test.
In the computer where you find the problem, copy the executable file SyMenu.exe from the last beta package to your old folder where the working version is located. Well do a backup of your working executable file before...
Now execute SyMenu. SyMenu should load correctly, but when you open the Options form (configuration - advanced - options) you should have the hang problem again.
Is it correct?
31/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
Hi Drakkn.
I sent to you a mail with instructions related to your issue. Let me know.
31/12/2015
Topic:
The fully customizable menu: beta version

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
@VVV_Easy_Symenu
I've just send to you a message to your mail. Check it please.
10/01/2016
Topic:
Some SyMenu statistics.

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
You are completely right.
SyMenu suite lacks of every kind of feedback except for this forum.

What are the users' opinions on certain SPS programs?
What if a satisfied user want to suggest an SPS he just tested?
What is the SPS app that receive the greatest number of download during the last month?

I know...

From the next version, BTW it'll be 5.00 and it is quite cooked!!!, I will start to use a new media to have a more continuous flow for the SyMenu and SPS news. I hope that this could contribute to create a more rational way to communicate the SPS news and I hope that this helps to boast the SyMenu universe more and more.

Well I didn't know SUMo, but I'll add immediately to the SPS suite. It's a fantastic program!!!
edited by Gianluca on 10/01/2016
11/01/2016
Topic:
Some SyMenu statistics.

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
No, unluckly the v5 will have the same features you can already find on the last beta I released.

Basically the new features will be the new fully customizable menu structure, the custom variables injected via the command line, a customizable floating icon, the option to show the contextual menu on hovering the floating icon (no click needed), the deactivation of the readonly file flag based on certain machine names, a new element to directly access the form option without passing through the configuration form, a new look and feel for the option form, bigger scrolling buttons for contextual menu and tons of bug fix.

The scripting engine is too demanding to be added instantly.
19/01/2016
Topic:
a couple ideas for the future

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
Hi Glenn. You split your proposals in two because probably your target could be reached in either ways but they are two different requests:
- different blocks of user entries available on the menu structure
- possibility to disabling/hiding portions of user entries.
I would like to do some considerations about the feasibility and opportunity to implement these features.

The first option is hardly feasible. The only real way to do that would be integrating the menu structure with the user items structure (it was an idea of yours I guess). Every other way seems to me not correct. Moreover this implementation will need an incredible effort by my side, and I prefer to dedicate my time to other implementations. I suspect that eventually the real effect of this feature will be confusion. A normal user would be forced to manage his items and the native ones. If I am a normal user I'll ask to myself "why the hell I have to manage the native items since I have problems to manage my items yet".

The second option is nice and organic.
SyMenu already supports the hide item feature. If I extend this feature to the command line, it becomes available in a more extended and flexible way but remains out of sight of our normal users. But my approach to implement that feature would be different than yours.
My proposal: the SyItems don't acquire new properties to drive the visibility. This is an important condition because I don't want to create structure inside the entities for a rare used request. So let's think in a more economic way.
The SyItems are reachable from the command line by their names. If I have a folder called "User 123" I could pass to the command line a command like that -hi "User 123".
I can imagine a further option. If I have a folder called "User 1234" that has to be shown I can add this other flag -sw "User 1234". The -sw (show) flag is priority to the -hi (hide) flag.
What's about name collision? It's up to you. Don't use the same name for different elements :-)
In this scenario it could be even possible to use wildcards. I imagine something like that:
-hi "User*" -sh "User 1234"
Every element starting with the name User will be hided except for User 1234.
I'm not so sure that the command line hide feature should affect every item.
The native item won't be affected at all, you have the new menu structure to modify that. Naturally the Syfolders should be included but I'm not sure that the other SyItem should.

What's your opinion like?


Speaking about the Item copy it is already available: http://www.ugmfree.it/SyMenuManual.aspx#dragAndDropClone
Don't work for the folder elements.
19/01/2016
Topic:
& sometimes appears in menu text

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
You are right. I will try to solve that.
According to the current implementation of SyMenu the _ accelerator shouldn't appear at all but should work the same. If in some case they are shown, it is a bug.
I will analyze the problem to always make them appear that is the most correct behavior.
19/01/2016
Topic:
"." in a command parameter gets expanded

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
What if I don't resolve the . (dot) when it is escape in the same way the cmd requires?
So if you write ^. I will leave the dot unresolved removing the ^.
If you need to leave the ^ character to escape the . even in the final command you can escape the escape character in this way ^^.
So the escaping chain will be
SyMenu ^^. -> ^.
The final command ^. -> .
19/01/2016
Topic:
Some usefull Portable Apps

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
Thank you VVV_Easy_Symenu.
You are doing a fantastic job!!!
19/01/2016
Topic:
Multi-execution

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
SyMenu doesn't allow more than one instance from a single executable file because of the concurrency in write operation and because of it works with an in-memory image, so a write operation in one instance doesn't affect the other creating confusion and possible bug.
I know that you are working in a read only environment that doesn't involve any writing. Consider that this scenario wasn't expected at SyMenu birth so we are adapting the program slowly.
My proposal: I could implement a new command line -mi (multi instance) that avoids the popup to show and that make SyMenu starts another instance.
Well if you like the idea tell me immediately so I will be able to insert the new feature in the new version.
23/01/2016
Topic:
Multi-execution

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
The -mi command doesn't affect the SyMenu readonly status.
To avoid any risk my advise is to use the -mi argument only in a read only context, but the decision is up to you.
I think that the users that are able to use a command line argument know what they are doing.
23/01/2016
Topic:
"." in a command parameter gets expanded

Gianluca
Gianluca
Administrator
I think that an the escape character ^ could be considered only if used along with the dot char also because writing, for example, ^# is senseless as you stated.
So we can partially intend the ^ as an escape char. In the future we can extend its value as escaper if useful.

To summarize the replacement rules are:
.\ becomes D:\SyMenu\ProgramFiles\ (this is only an example of a possible resolution)
^.\ becomes .\
^^.\ becomes ^.\

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