adding my custom partial menu to the ribbon

[MKH-VB]

I have never really grasped the ribbon or cui. I come from old school, modifying the menu files in a text editor. Just dated my self!  Anyway....I would like to add my custom drop down menu to the ribbon. Not exactly sure how i do this. Do i make a new panel? Nothing fancy about this custom menu. Just drop down with a few flyouts, and some toolbars. See attached. Guess it's time to get up to speed on customization again. Thanks for any guidance.

[mathewkol]

There are tons of resources and AU classes out there to learn this if you look for them. Here is one.
http://www.augi.com/library/understanding-the-customize-user-interface-cui

[dgorsman]

Think about how you use the tools in the menu.  What order they are usually picked in, which are most commonly used or almost never used, which are exclusive to each other.  Then you can start laying things out (I find a pencil and scratch pad handy).  Put closely related tools on a single panel (e.g. you may have a number of layer tools, plus a shortcut for calling the layer palette in a single panel).  For tools which are not at all related or only needed under certain cirucmstances consider creating a separate tab, possibly in a separate CUIx file for additional management options.  Tools which are important and used a lot warrant a large button - easy to see, easy to hit with sloppy clicking.  Tools which aren't used that much can use small buttons, without text if you have a good icon.  Tools which are exclusive to each other can be put into dropdown lists.  Tools which are used once-in-a-blue-moon can be put "under the fold".  Again, sketch it out so you have a better idea of whats going where.

Don't forget that the CUIx system works like XREFs for commands.  Define the command, then the same command can be used in a menu, toolbar, and Ribbon.  If a command macro, display text, etc. changes you only need to change it once and it will be picked up everywhere its referenced.

[MKH-VB]

one of the problems I am having is file structure. I know there is an acad.cuix. My file is mike.cuix with my custom info in it.  If I edit acad.cuix, how does it affect mike.cuix?  I can do a menuload mike.cuix and it does the partial load the way i want.  Just getting confused with mention of custom.cuix, enterprise.cuix, acad.cuix....etc.

MKH

[dgorsman]

There's an excellent breakdown of good Main/Enterprise/Partial structure over at AUGI in the CUI board.  I don't have the link handy, and for some reason the AUGI forums aren't loading here for the past couple of days.

In short, you have you have a blank CUIx as the Main to contain your workspace.  The Enterprise is either a blank or somewhat customized CUIx with ACAD.CUIx and others loaded as partial; or ACAD.CUIx as Enterprise with others loaded as partial.  I'm "partial" ( 🙂 ) to the former.  Note that some of the vertical products will have their own CUIx which should be *not* be used in conjunction with the ACAD.CUIx - the latter is only for "Run as AutoCAD" support.

Main >> User custom.CUIx

Enterprise >> Application Enterprise.CUIx

(partial) >> ACAD.CUIx

(partial) >> Raster Design CUIx

(partial) >> Common tools CUIx

(partial) >> Third Party CUIx

...

...

[scot-65]

In addition to the others who provided hints...

Top level items (first three rows) in your custom ribbon panel will have icons or icons with text - otherwise the CUI editor spits out a nasty message that does not make any sense:

For text lines like inside the screen menu and menu bar (that has no icons), these have to be embedded in a "Primary Command" drop down or set as a fourth row or below.

Because of this drop down, you just introduced an additional click of the mouse to get to your command verses the menu bar, and two additional clicks had you employed simple toolbars or the screen menu. Did I mention you still have to click once on your desired ribbon tab?

The last sentence in this image is a doozy... A new hire fresh out of college?

In my opinion the ribbon is just a glorified toolbar that provides a single interface element that mandates additional steps to achieve the same results had one employed a toolbar, a menu bar, a screen menu, or the command line.

The command line window allows for more than one hand to interact with the editor. Efficiency at it is intended.

Yes, one will have to learn how to type without the sole use of their thumbs...

Now, when it comes time to update your menu, how many areas will you have to edit for all the newly items you are about to add?