HOWTO: Creating a Menu with a Variable Pad

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0, 5.0
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, and 2.6
• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, and 2.6

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)+"

   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

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)+"

   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