Q143074: How to Highlight a Menu Option or Menu Item Programmatically

Article: Q143074
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbcode
Last Modified: 11-FEB-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b 
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SUMMARY
=======

Upon startup of an application, you may want to have a specific menu or menu
option highlighted by default so that the user need only press the ENTER key to
carry out the associated command. This article presents a simple way to do it.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This method, which depends on the KEYBOARD command, can be used with either
FoxPro for Windows or Visual FoxPro.

1. Create a program, name it MAINMENU, and put the following code in it:

     SET SYSMENU OFF
     DO testmenu.mpr
     READ EVENTS
     SET SYSMENU TO DEFAULT

2. Create another program, name it CALLMENU, and put the following code in it:

     Keyboard "{F10}"
     Keyboard "{Rightarrow}"
     Keyboard "{Enter}"
     Keyboard "{dnarrow}"
     Keyboard "{dnarrow}"
     Keyboard "{dnarrow}"

3. Create a new menu named testmenu, and give it the following structure and
  prompts:

  Prompt         Command
  -----------------------------------
  QUIT           CLEAR EVENTS
  FORMS          Submenu
    |
    +---Form 1   Wait Window "Form 1"
    +---Form 2   DO FORM FORM2

4. In Visual FoxPro, on the View menu, choose General Options, and select
  Cleanup. In FoxPro for Windows, on the Menu menu, choose General options, and
  select Cleanup.

5. In the Cleanup code, type:

  " DO CALLMENU " (without the quotation marks)

6. Save and generate the menu.

7. Create a new form, name it FORM2, and place a command button on it. Put the
  following code in the command button's Click event:

     THISFORM.RELEASE
     DO CALLMENU

8. Run the MAINMENU program.

This should cause the menu prompt 'Form 2' to be highlighted. Pressing the ENTER
runs the form, and clicking the command button closes the form and cycles the
menu back to the 'Form 2' prompt.

This method can be called an unlimited number of times without running into the
'Do nesting too deep' error message you may encounter if you use the ACTIVATE
MENU command. The other significant advantage is that the use of the KEYBOARD
command allows you to drill down to a specific menu option (in this case, Form
2). The disadvantage to this method is that there is a flicker as the keyboard
commands are executed.

For information about how to do this with FoxPro 2.x, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q110909 How to Highlight a Menu Bar and Popup Programmatically

Additional query words: VFoxWin bar

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Keywords          : kbcode 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300 kbVFP300b
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b

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