Action Bar Menus and Pull-Down Menus

A pull-down menu is a list of options that drop down from an action bar:

To add pull down menus to your program:

1. Add a procedure with a procedure body of type Action bar menu specified in the Procedure Overview

2. Using the Screen design dialog:

   1. Use the Map Editor to create maps to display the action bar and the pull-down menus. There should be one map for the action bar and one for each pull-down menu. Each pull-down menu should have as its map number action_bar_mapnr+option_nr where option_nr is the field number assigned for the option that opens the pull-down. Another field, numbered 100+option_nr, is needed in the action bar menu to specify the position for the pull-down.

      In both 4.5xx and 4.6xx the map editor has special features to simpify this process, but the details will depend on which release you are using:

      • In 4.5xx:

        1. Add a map to define the text and action bar options, proceeding more or less as for creating a pop-up menu, but arranging all the options horizontally on a single line.

        2. (Optional). If you would like a line below the action bar positition the cursor on the start of the line below the action abr options. From this position draw a box one row deep that runs the length of the action bar (usually this should be the full screen width). Then, still in box mode, press <Alt+L> to raise the line to the correct height.

        3. For each of the action bar fields, select Pull down from the field options. A map will appear to allow the definition of the options for the pull down menu. Edit the maps as described as for creating a pop-up menu, except that for pull-downs you should normally not leave a blank line between the options - the terminal manager will arrange for the options to be spaced correctly automatically.

      • In 4.6xx:

        For creating a new menu, rather than creating the maps directly you can use the special menu editor. This is designed for creating action bar menus. This is opened by default if you are using 4.620 (5) or later.

        If you open an existing action bar, the Map Editor may or may not open it as a menu, depending on how the map was created. If the map is opened as an ordinary map, and you would like to edit it with the menu editor then close the map, and use the open menu dialog to open the map as a menu.

        In this case you will probably need to check the "All Maps" button in the Open Menu dialog. Beware that this may not preserve all properties of your menu.
        
        

        If you want to create help messages for your menu options you will need to open the map as an ordinary map and invoke the help editor on the controls as required.

      You should not normally have more than 15 options in the action bar menu itself (numbered 1 through 15). Similarly each pull down should have no more than 15 options. The reason for this is that internally the "real" option number is 16*option_nr of pulldown + option_nr on pull down. You can try using more options if you like, but will probably encounter problems.

   2. An Action bar menu is usually displayed using the Top of Screen output method, and the Clear before subsidiaries option is not selected.

3. For each procedure that is selected using the pull down options, edit the Option number in the Link Edit dialog using the following format: action bar option_nr/pulldown option_nr. For example, to set up the 2nd option on the pull down for option 1 of the menu bar 1, in Link Edit you would specify the option number as 1/2.