DOCUMENT:Q113812  09-FEB-2000  [foxpro]
TITLE   :HOWTO: Create a Menu with a Variable Pad
PRODUCT :Microsoft FoxPro
PROD/VER:MS-DOS:2.0,2.5,2.5a,2.5b,2.6; WINDOWS:2.5,2.5a,2.5b,2.6,3.0,5.0,6.0
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:kbcode kbBuilder kbvfp300 kbvfp500 kbvfp600

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The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 5.0, 6.0 
 - Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6 
 - Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article demonstrates how to make a menu choice vary with the contents of a
database field by using the Menu Builder and very little code.

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

Use one of the following examples, depending on your version of FoxPro.

FoxPro 2.x Example
------------------

The following steps show how to create a menu that contains a pad whose name
equals the CITY field of the current record in SALESMAN.DBF, one of the sample
databases provided with FoxPro.

1. In the Command window, issue the following commands to set the default
   working directory to the TUTORIAL subdirectory and open the SALESMAN.DBF
   database:

         SET DEFAULT TO C:\<FoxPro directory>\TUTORIAL
         USE SALESMAN

2. In the Command window, type the following command to display the database's
   structure:

         DISPLAY STRUCTURE

   Note that the database contains a character field called CITY.

3. In the Command window, type the following command to create a menu design
   called CHGPAD:

         CREATE MENU CHGPAD

4. In the Prompt box, type the following text:

   " \<"+alltrim(city)+"" (without the quotation marks)

   Notes
   -----

    - Lowercase is not required above, but it will make searching for this text
      later in the generated code easier.

    - "\<" tells FoxPro to highlight the first letter of this menu pad and
      use it as a hot key (this will be the first letter of the city's name).
      ALLTRIM(CITY) removes leading and trailing spaces from the contents of the
      CITY field.

    - The quotation marks are used in anticipation of the menu code that will be
      generated by the Menu Builder (see the DEFINE PAD statement in step 8).

5. Choose Options, then Pad Name, and enter CityPad for the pad name. Choose OK
   to close the Pad Name dialog box. Choose OK again to close the Options dialog
   box.

6. To generate the menu-code file CHGPAD.MPR, choose Generate from the Program
   menu. Choose Yes when asked if you want to save the menu design CHGPAD.MNX,
   and then choose Generate in the subsequent dialog box.

7. Press ESC to close the menu-design window.

8. In the Command window, view the generated menu code by typing:

         MODIFY COMMAND CHGPAD.MPR

   Look for the following DEFINE PAD statement in the code:

         DEFINE PAD CityPad OF _MSYSMENU PROMPT "\<"+alltrim(city)+"" ;
         COLOR SCHEME 3

   Note that the item entered in the Prompt box during menu design
   (\<"+alltrim(city)+") was inserted in the menu code. The two quotation
   marks you typed in were needed to close off the two quotation marks
   automatically inserted by the Menu Builder. This results in the concatenation
   of CITY as a field, not as the word "CITY".

9. Select the above line of code, copy it to the Clipboard by pressing CTRL+C,
   and press the ESC key to return to the Command window.

10. In the Command window, type "MODIFY COMMAND CHGPAD" (without the quotation
   marks), and then type the following program lines (you can paste the DEFINE
   PAD line below from the Clipboard by pressing CTRL+V):

          SET DEFAULT TO C:\<FoxPro directory>\TUTORIAL
          USE SALESMAN
          GO TOP              && Go to 1st record
          DO CHGPAD.MPR       && Display CHGPAD menu with 1st record's city
          WAIT WINDOW "The menu pad shows the first record's city...press ;
             the SPACEBAR"

          SKIP                && Go to 2nd record; redefine pad for its city
          DEFINE PAD CityPad OF _MSYSMENU PROMPT "\<"+alltrim(city)+"" ;
          COLOR SCHEME 3
          WAIT WINDOW "The menu pad shows the next record's city...press ;
             the SPACEBAR"

         SET SYSMENU TO DEFAULT  && Restore system menu

11. Press CTRL+W to exit and save this program as CHGPAD.PRG.

12. In the Command window, type the following command to execute the program:

          DO CHGPAD

You can apply the above technique to a screen by placing the aforementioned
DEFINE PAD statement in the screen's READ-level SHOW clause; this way, whenever
SHOW GETS is used to refresh a screen's GET fields (for example, when displaying
another record), the menu pad will be updated to reflect the new record's city.

Visual FoxPro Example
---------------------

1. In the Command window, issue the following commands to set the default
   working directory to the TUTORIAL subdirectory and open the EMPLOYEE.DBF
   database:

         SET DEFAULT TO C:\VFP\SAMPLES\DATA
         USE EMPLOYEE

2. In the Command window, type the following command to display the database's
   structure:

         DISPLAY STRUCTURE

   Note that the database contains a character field called CITY.

3. In the Command window, type the following command to create a menu design
   called CHGPAD:

         CREATE MENU CHGPAD

4. In the Prompt box, type the following text:

   " \<"+alltrim(city)+"" (without the quotation marks)

   Notes
   -----

    - Lowercase is not required above, but it will make searching for this text
      later in the generated code easier.

    - "\<" tells FoxPro to highlight the first letter of this menu pad and
      use it as a hot key (this will be the first letter of the city's name).
      ALLTRIM(CITY) removes leading and trailing spaces from the contents of the
      CITY field.

    - The quotation marks are used in anticipation of the menu code that will be
      generated by the Menu Builder (see the DEFINE PAD statement in step 8).

5. Choose Options, then Pad Name, and enter CityPad for the pad name. Choose OK
   to close the Pad Name dialog box. Choose OK again to close the Options dialog
   box.

6. To generate the menu-code file CHGPAD.MPR, choose Generate from the Menu
   menu. Choose Yes when asked if you want to save the menu design CHGPAD.MNX,
   and then choose Generate in the subsequent dialog box.

7. Press ESC to close the menu-design window.

8. In the Command window, view the generated menu code by typing:

         MODIFY COMMAND CHGPAD.MPR

   Look for the following DEFINE PAD statement in the code:

         DEFINE PAD CityPad OF _MSYSMENU PROMPT "\<"+alltrim(city)+"" ;
         COLOR SCHEME 3

   Note that the item entered in the Prompt box during menu design
   (\<"+alltrim(city)+") was inserted in the menu code. The two quotation
   marks you typed in were needed to close off the two quotation marks
   automatically inserted by the Menu Builder. This results in the concatenation
   of CITY as a field, not as the word "CITY".

9. Select the above line of code, copy it to the Clipboard by pressing CTRL+C,
   and press the ESC key to return to the Command window.

10. In the Command window, type "MODIFY COMMAND CHGPAD" (without the quotation
   marks), and then type the following program lines (you can paste the DEFINE
   PAD line below from the Clipboard by pressing CTRL+V):

          SET DEFAULT TO C:\VFP\SAMPLES\DATA
          USE EMPLOYEE
          GO TOP              && Go to 1st record
          DO CHGPAD.MPR       && Display CHGPAD menu with 1st record's city
          WAIT WINDOW "The menu pad shows the first record's city...press ;
             the SPACEBAR"

          SKIP                && Go to 2nd record; redefine pad for its city
          DEFINE PAD CityPad OF _MSYSMENU PROMPT "\<"+alltrim(city)+"" ;
          COLOR SCHEME 3
          WAIT WINDOW "The menu pad shows the next record's city...press ;
             the SPACEBAR"

         SET SYSMENU TO DEFAULT  && Restore system menu

11. Press CTRL+W to exit and save this program as CHGPAD.PRG.

12. In the Command window, type the following command to execute the program:

          DO CHGPAD

You can apply the above technique to a form by placing the aforementioned DEFINE
PAD statement in the form's refresh property; this way, whenever you move to the
next record in the table, the menu pad will be updated to reflect the new
record's city.

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbcode kbBuilder kbvfp300 kbvfp500 kbvfp600 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbFoxproSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbFoxPro200DOS kbFoxPro250DOS kbFoxPro250aDOS kbFoxPro250bDOS kbFoxPro260DOS kbFoxPro260 kbFoxPro250 kbFoxPro250a kbFoxPro250b kbVFP300 kbVFP500 kbVFP600
Version           : MS-DOS:2.0,2.5,2.5a,2.5b,2.6; WINDOWS:2.5,2.5a,2.5b,2.6,3.0,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbhowto

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