topic Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar in AutoCAD Forum

display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

g-eaux — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 09:17:57 GMT

hi everyone,

I’ve some .mnu popup menus I’can’t replace.

the MNS file contains commands (ID_CMD [CMD] cmd) and helps (*** HELPSTRINGS) for each ID_ these help strings should display in the status bar, down to the left, but with the 2015 and higher , no way to display them, yet official Autocad 2015 help is always talking about this helpstring, it would have not been deleted.

Any idea? Thanks in advance,

Gérald

For better clarity, 2 samples of my file. MNU:

MNU file, POP section

***MENUGROUP=MAN_POP_MENULISP

***POP1
**LISP
[LISP]
                         [->ACCESS]
ID_CONNEXIONACCESS               [CONNEXIONACCESS]CONNEXIONACCESS
ID_CONNEXIONCLOSE                [CONNEXIONCLOSE]CONNEXIONCLOSE
ID_RENSEIGNE_ACCESS_XYZ          [RENSEIGNE_ACCESS_XYZ]RENSEIGNE_ACCESS_XYZ
ID_SELECT_NOEUD_ANOMALIES_DEPUIS [SELECT_NOEUD_ANOMALIES_DEPUIS_ACCESS]SELECT_NOEUD_ANOMALIES_DEPUIS_ACCESS
                         [<-]
                         [->ADE]

and the help section :

***HELPSTRINGS
ID_CONNEXIONACCESS               [Connexion à une base de données choisie par l'utilisateur]
ID_CONNEXIONCLOSE                [Déconnexion de la base de données ]

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

Alfred.NESWADBA — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 10:06:03 GMT

Hi,

>> these help strings should display in the status bar, down to the left

Wasn't that long long ago? 😉

Start command _OPTIONS, tab Display and make sure "Show Tool Tips" is active, if so you get a popup directly at the position of the icon, with your help-text, as long as your mouse stands still 😉

- alfred -

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

g-eaux — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 10:44:24 GMT

hello,

thanks for your reply,

but your solution work fine with toolbars menu, not with popup menu:

if you have an old autocad 2014, highlighting an item of a popup menu, you'll see the helpstring displaying in the left of the status bar

maybe there is variable for the display of tooltips for popup menu ?

Gérald

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

Alfred.NESWADBA — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 10:57:18 GMT

Hi,

>> [...] not with popup menu

Ahh, now I got it.

And sorry, I don't know if these help strings can be displayed anywhere.

I guess no, but at least it's just I don't know a way of making them visible.

Sorry, - alfred -

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

pendean — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:08:48 GMT

The old style pop-ups are in the 'legacy' section of CUI command pop-ups: it's probably Autodesk's way of trying to get you to move on from MNU files.

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

g-eaux — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:52:09 GMT

Hi pendean,

No, unfortunately the problem is not mnu or cui, but popmenu/ toolbars menus.

i've tried to display helpstrings or complement help file using the _cui interface, there is no result

my mnu files are generated by a lisp project browser, that perform documentation and menus

i could create a cui file else to a mnu, by far cui file are xml based.

My problem is that i can't replace my old popup menus with toolbars menu or ribbon, because they have many entries, no icons, and must have a short description to understand what they do.

I should replace the command name by my description, but sometimes the description is too long, so it is not the best way to solve my problem

My custom popup menu is like Notepad++ plug-in menu :

What should replace a pop-up menu for this kind of plug-in ?

Nothing that i know.

so the problem is very stupid for me: Why Autodesk dislike popup menus ?

Autocad is not an office suite, but a professional software:

maybe Autodesk should use the Qgis interface for plug-ins:

It is modern, and the label can be up to 255 carracters :

regards, still hoping,

Gérald

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

scot-65 — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 23:37:36 GMT

FWIW - When I switched from 2014 to 2016 what you
are describing [ID_helpstrings] went away and I too was
not able to find a way to display this extended help.
Blame it on the upgraded UI with the jumpy tab bar.

There is a line inside the CUI --> Properties pane that is called
"Extended Help File" that you can use however at this time
this feature is not developed enough to be able for us
developers/end users to migrate our work to other workstations
easily. To see it in action, hover your mouse over a toolbar
button / ribbon button, pause, and the tooltip will expand.
Tooltips do not appear when hovering inside the Menubar.

Here's a thought - How does one hover over a control in order
to display it's tooltip on a touchscreen device?

I do not own any touchscreen devices, therefore I do not know
this answer.

???

Re: display popup menu helpstrings in the status bar

g-eaux — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 08:17:52 GMT

hello scot,

thanks for your reply, i now won't waste my time searching for a solution.

Stupid that Autodesk opposite ribbon and popup, they are complementary.

I use mostly ribbon for verticals products like map, mep or civil, because it's workflow compliant.

but some commands (out of workflow) are missing, thats why i put visibles popups.

Gérald