More Menu Bar

[Roboblue]

I am just now starting to get to the Menu Bar scripting. I have read some of the other threads, but still haven't quite got it.
With the Menu Bar enabled for the project, we can see a Menu properties box that we can set menu root and sub properties. This is then carried over into all the project pages.
I forgot where I read it, but I THINK at Runtime, the settings are pulled from the script and a table is created. Then the menu bar is created from table. Is this close enough?
Now, it may have been suggested already, but I read everything from the menu bar search I did and didn't see it.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a small utility similiar to the Button Maker Tool (maybe called Menu Bar Tool ;)) that you could create numerous Menu Bar configurations that could be named and saved?
Then, call the configuration from Project OR Page events.
The configurations could be saved to a Menu Gallery, or to a User defined location. I always keep a Resource folder in each of my Project folders for references.
Now, for the programmers around here, maybe scripting it yourself is preferable, but as much as I struggle with each project, I would appreciate a quicker way of doing it. Plus, AMS is touted as not requiring programming skill to create (not sure I'm on that page), and a plugin/utility to make the Menu Bar (a very GOOD feature) easier for everyone wouldn't hurt.
And for guys like WORM and Intriqued, I would pay for such a plugin/utility.

[Corey]

FWIW you can make menu bar templates with the existing system. There's only a few possible "unique" configurations so you'd probably only need 2-3 templates as starting points for menu based projects. :yes

[Roboblue]

I understand what you are saying.
But, what you feel is simple at your level of understanding is still confusing to me.
I have to build a core menu configuration with x amount of script. Then another x amount of script for the changes I need for each page (I need a slightly different menu for each page) and insert the script in the proper events, then learn how to save the configuration out to a template format, then learn how to reuse the template.
I would MUCH rather open a Menu Bar GUI, with a few clicks of mouse and keyboard, build a Project core menu in the utility, save it, then make changes to the core as needed, save it. Then just a line or two of action code in the Project/Page event to call it. 30 minutes for the whole project.
Maybe I'm being too lazy here, but I have just started looking at the Menu Bar and I can tell you, at my skill level and the needed learning curve, I can see 10-20 hrs to get this set up for the first project (hopefully it'll go quicker for next project). And I LIKE to think I have a bit more knowledge of programming than the average user of AMS.
I don't care if I NEVER have learn to totally script the Menu Bar. I would buy a tool that would do it for me in a few minutes.
I'm still trying to learn how to do a page jump from the refrigerator object :lol

[Corey]

Fair enough. In the meantime if you need help setting up something specific in a menu I'll be happy to help anytime. :yes

[Roboblue]

I created a dynamic menu bar for an 17 page project last night. I started at ~7pm and finally finished at ~10am this morning. And I worked on it non stop except to make coffee and go to the loo. I figured 12-20 hrs, and it was around 15 hrs.
I went with the LUA script method. After building the first script, I just changed it for each of the other pages.
Making a flow chart for the menu properties took a couple of hours as the page navigation in this project is fairly complex and I wanted it to be seamlesss as possible.
Debugging added another ~4 hrs as almost each page had to be tested when ever one was changed (be sure to use Application.RunScriptFile for multiple page menus, not Application.LoadScript as it will only work for one page).
So, the learning curve and actual scripting took about 9hrs. Now, I did start from total scratch as far as menu bar knowledge and I now have a good template to start from, so I could probably do the same again in about 2hrs.
I am happy that I finished the project (at least the menu bar part) and learned a good bit about running scripts. The look and smoothness of navigation screams class in this project. Which is good as it's main targets are Medical Professionals.
But, I would STILL pay $24.95 USD for a plugin if it was done right :p

[Roboblue]

Oh, and another little tip.
If you are using script files for the menu bar AND are renaming the resource folder at build time, be sure to do a find/replace on the script files to set the path to the new Autoplay folder after you build.
I just keep a seperate set that have been edited in a folder and just replace the corresponding files before or after the build.
A little extra work, but worth the flexibility of the script file.