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Thread: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

  1. #1
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    Default Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    Hello All...

    I am looking to create a custom pull-down menu that has some of our company standards such as;
    Standard Drawings
    Standard Specs
    Stamps Etc...

    I have some custom menus that were done before my time and have become pretty outdated and at the same time I am revising my Standard CAD Files Directory (moving, replacing, adding) The problem with the old files is that they are either irrelevant or need to move and as soon as I move a file it is done and gone (because the path has changed). So I have attempted to recreate these, unsuccessfully. I cannot find any literature that will descriptively show/explain how to do this.

    What I would like is some one to explain how to:
    Create a Pull-Down menu that contains company standard files.
    for instance... I want to be able to select "Standards" (pull-down menu name)
    and with in this would be a sub-menu "Cables" that once selected would bring up a
    dialog box showing all of our types of cable drawings
    Once I select the type of end fittings "Clevis" I would like it to have multiple size options "1 1/2" (I have all sizes as files) in another dialog box before it would prompt me for an insertion point.

    Like I said this has been done before, but it is too complicated to simply try to recreate this without your help!!!


    I will be creating "Pallets" for some less specific stuff.

    Thanx For Your Help

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by CSIMS View Post
    I have some custom menus that were done before my time and have become pretty outdated and at the same time I am revising my Standard CAD Files Directory (moving, replacing, adding) The problem with the old files is that they are either irrelevant or need to move and as soon as I move a file it is done and gone (because the path has changed). So I have attempted to recreate these, unsuccessfully. I cannot find any literature that will descriptively show/explain how to do this.
    It would be easiest to simply modify the old file change paths and replacing the irrelevant ones. Helps to add your Standard CAD Files Directory in the Support Path. Then none of those paths are needed. Only someone in your office would know what to put in the menu. Ones I have are completely different.

    I would recommend a company ribbon rather than a menu unless your users are all still old school.

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    We do still have a bunch of Old School Users, that is why I need to recreate this.

    I do not even know where to start with replacing the path, I consider myself a great designer and can typically figure these types of things out, but this one has me stumped!!!

    I need to know how to:
    Create a new pull down menu
    Create sub-menus
    Create the visual dialog box (with different parts)
    Create the size list

    Please See Attached

    Pulldown.pdf

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    That's an Image Tile Menu found in the Legacy section of the CUI. Created a few many years ago, but not since switching to CUI format. Why not use a Tool Palette?

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    Here is an example of casacading menu

    Code:
    ***POP15
    **CADLIB
     
    [->LISP2 C-D]      
           [->CARPARKS]
                 [No carparks]^C^C(load "how many carparks") carpark
                 [Carpark 0]^C^C(load "simple carpark") npark90
                 [Carpark 60]^C^C(load "simple carpark") npark60
                 [<-Carpark 90]^C^C(load "simple carpark") npark90
                 [Convert CCAD]^c^c(load "civilcad convert")
                 [Chain-Off]^C^C^p(LOAD "CHAIN-OFF")
                 [Drawxfall]^C^C(LOAD "Drawxfall")
                 [Driveway]^c^c(load "coggdrive") DRV
                 [<-Dynam Rad]^C^C(LOAD "Continuousfillet1.2") CF             
    [->LISP3 E-K]
                 [EditLsect]^C^C(LOAD "EditLsect")
                 [Editr]^C^C(LOAD "Editrl")
                 [EditXsect]^C^C(LOAD "EditXsect")
    Last edited by Opie; 2015-03-03 at 01:28 PM. Reason: edited code tag

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    What you need to decide before anyone can help you is whether you want sub-menus from Menus, a drop-down from a Ribbon Panel row, or an Image Tile Menu (aka Icon Menu) like the one in your attachment. You have described a combination of at least two of those. I'm not sure you comprehend the extent of what you're asking for.

    For someone with your apparent level of experience at customization this sounds like quite an undertaking. You should start with either a drop-down from a Ribbon Panel row or a sub-menu of an existing Menu with a custom CUI. Then once you have that figured out try your hand at an Image Tile Menu like the one in your attachment if you still want to do it.

    I did an ATP course back in the spring of 2003 on Menu Customization that included a section "E" on Image Tile Menus. Arranged differently now, but if you message me your email address I'll send it to you. It could help you get started. Plenty of help online as well.

    In the meantime I'd save a copy of the support folder for the old version. It has the code and icons files in it. Icons could be bitmaps or DLL files depending on how they were arranged. Much easier than starting from scratch.

    The Display Viewports Dialog box is a good example of an Image Tile Menu.

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    Tom,

    I do realize that this is a huge undertaking, but this is the way that it has been done for years and years at this company. The way the pull down menus are in the attachment is exactly the way they are currently. Starting with a pull down menu to an image to a pick-box. I feel that if i am taking on the CAD manager position I should understand all that has and is done with Customizing CAD and our standards. I would like to keep the current files/standards on the pull down menu and also create tool pallets for those and all of our other standardized items (to be dome later).

    Thank You For Your Help... below is my email. Anything that could help me in this process would be helpfull

    csims@fabritecllc.com

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    Default Re: Creating Custom Pull-Down Menu With Custom Blocks

    One point I should note: under the CUIx system, defined commands function like XREFs. You create a command ie. "Insert size ___ clevis" with associated macro/command call, icon, and description. That command can then be referenced in multiple places in the UI - toolbars, menus, Ribbon panels, etc. If a change needs to be made to a command definition then you only need to do it once, and all references will update accordingly. There is one caveat to this: you can't change macro/command calls across multiple command definitions.

    First order of business is to understand how your system operates. Looks like it has all the functions defined already, although there's a lot of extraneous (load ...) calls which could fail. Personally I don't like putting code, search paths, or other details inside the commands. It makes too much work in case there are global changes. Imagine if you have to change (load "Somefilename") to (load "SomeOtherFilename") across hundreds of command definitions. If something is going to be used *everywhere* then drop a single (load ...) along with error handling(!) into an associated MNL or up front with the ACADDOC.LSP. Look for ways to consolidate the system so that changes only need to be made in one place, not several.

    Once you've got a handle on how things operate and made any tweaks to clean it up, start entering the commands. At this point you might want to consider breaking it up into separate CUIx files - hundreds of commands in a single CUIx file can be a PITA to manage.

    With all the commands defined, then you can start creating the UI. Identify what types you want (toolbars, menus, Ribbon) and start building the structure of those. Don't ignore the Ribbon - it's not going away so it's a good idea to get users used to using it. With the structure complete drag in the commands, do some fine tuning, and you are most of the way there.

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