Extended Menus for TC 11.03 - Updated February 21st 2024

[petermad]

2oko

Thanks - will do.

[oko]

I would like to suggest:
1/
These items in "Commands" menu have nothing in common with "commands category":
MENUITEM SEPARATOR
MENUITEM "Center &Panel Divider", 909
MENUITEM "Panel Divider &100% Towards Destination", 910
MENUITEM "Vertical Button Bar On/Off", 2944
MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
These are about "show preferences", they should be somewhere in "Preferences-Layout/Display/Show" menu, not in "Commands" menu.

2/
MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
Vertical Aligment should be renamed to Vertical Arrangement (like it is in tc menu). The setting arranges the panels.

3/
MENUITEM "Ignore &Files on List", 2922
should be renamed like this:
MENUITEM "Ignore &Files and Folders from Ignore List", 2922
or
MENUITEM "Apply Ignore List", 2922
or
MENUITEM "Enable Ignore List", 2922
or
MENUITEM "Ignore List on/off", 2922
because it is not clear what list is meant (file list, ignore list, ...). It sounds like ignore (hide) all files on file list.

4/
There is no information about uninstall extended menu. Please add.

5/
If user installs addons, the files are scattered in tc program dir and subdirs. If it is possible it would be nice to be installed in one dir, like the Language bar is installed in Extra dir. Purpose is to not mix with tc original program files and to simple uninstall.

6/
You could add to installed files a button bar file with one button to load Extended menu (or two buttons to load Ext.Menu I and Ext.Menu II). After installing Extended menu plugin the user could drag this button bar file to his default bar. Thus if user loads other language from extended menu then he would have simple way to load back Extended menu (he would not have to go through Configuration-Language-Extended menu). It is analog like you have in Language bar plugin where after installing the user is navigated to drag language.bar file on his user bar.

[petermad]

2oko
Thanks for your suggestions.

I have chosen to place these:
MENUITEM "Center &Panel Divider", 909
MENUITEM "Panel Divider &100% Towards Destination", 910
MENUITEM "Vertical Button Bar On/Off", 2944
MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
in the Commands submenu because they are not settings I usually set permanently, but rather functions that I use when needed.

MENUITEM "Vertical Button Bar On/Off", 2944
is also accessible from the Preferences -> Display submenu

MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
is also accessible in the Left, Right or View submenu, and in the Preferences -> Display submenu


MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
That is a fluke from my side, I think I accidentally wrote Alignment instead of Arrangement many years ago - and haven't ever noticed it since - I will change that.


I agree with the ignore list ambiguity - I think I will go with:
MENUITEM "Ignore &Files and Folders from Ignore List", 2922

[oko]

in the Commands submenu because they are not settings I usually set permanently, but rather functions that I use when needed.

Regardless "permanent/temporary" the settings change displaying of something so they belongs to "Display theme" what is proved by the fact there are duplicates in Display or Layout menus. Every user use the settings differently. If user often turns button bar (horizontal) on/off, why this setting is not in "Commands" according to your point of view? Many settings from layout/display we could find with this analogy. I think the items mentioned in my suggestion get in the way in "Command" and should be only in layout/display category.

There are huge amount of items in extended menu so a duplicates would be eliminated. It is not necessary to have them in both places and user gets used to run actions from display category instead of command category.

In my opinion (but I do not force anyway) the "display theme" could be the standalone popup of main menu where all display/show/layout items would be directly available (and advance would be the visibility of their state). The items which take me to settings places (settings window, ini/lng/mnu files) would be the second standalone (Settings or Configurations). Something like this (very quick and raw version to preview principle):

Code: Select all

POPUP "Display"
    MENUITEM "&Button Bar", 2901
    MENUITEM "Button Bar &2 (Vertical)", 2944
    MENUITEM "&Drive Buttons", 2902
    MENUITEM "    T&wo Sets of Drive Buttons", 2903
    MENUITEM "    Flat Drive Button &Icons", 2904
    MENUITEM "Drive Co&mbobox", 2906
    MENUITEM "F&older Tabs", 2916
    MENUITEM "&Current Directory", 2907
    MENUITEM "    Br&eadcrumb Bar", 2926
    MENUITEM "    &History and Hotlist Buttons", 2919
    MENUITEM "&Tabstop Header", 2908
    MENUITEM "&Status Bar", 2909
    MENUITEM "Command &Line", 2910
    MENUITEM "&Function Key Buttons", 2911
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Flat &User Interface", 2905
    MENUITEM "Windows &XP theme background", 2923
  MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Show &Hidden Files", 3013
    MENUITEM "Show &System Files", 3014
    MENUITEM "Show Hidden a&nd System Files", 2011
    MENUITEM "Show Hidden Files (&FTP)", 553
    MENUITEM "Show &Long Filenames", 2010
    MENUITEM "Show Old &8.3 Filenames", 2013
    MENUITEM "Always Sort Directories by N&ame", 2012
    MENUITEM "Show &Overlay Icons", 2917
    MENUITEM "Show &Tool Tips for Files", 2959
    MENUITEM "Show &Colors by File Type", 2957
    MENUITEM "&Dark Mode", 2950
  MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Auto S&witch Mode", 2947
    MENUITEM "Center &Panel Divider", 909
    MENUITEM "Panel Divider &100% Towards Destination", 910
    MENUITEM "Vertical Ali&gnment", 305
  MENUITEM SEPARATOR
  MENUITEM "C&onfiguration...", 490
END_POPUP

POPUP "Configuration"
  MENUITEM "C&onfiguration...", 490
  POPUP "&Button Bars"
    MENUITEM "Change &Button Bar...", 498
    MENUITEM "Change Button Bar 2 (&Vertical)...", 583
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "&Load Button Bar Under Cursor", em_ext_loadbar
    MENUITEM "Load Button Bar &2 (Vertical) Under Cursor", em_ext_loadbar2
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "&Remove Button Bar (Temporarily)", em_ext_bar4
    MENUITEM "Remove B&utton Bar 2 (Temporarily)", em_ext_bar5
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Language/&Menu Button Bar", em_ext_langbar
    MENUITEM "&Internal Commands Button Bar", em_ext_bar3
    MENUITEM "&Windows 8.1 Button Bar", em_ext_bar1
    MENUITEM "Co&ntrol Panel Button Bar", em_ext_bar2
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "&Default Button Bar (default.bar)", em_ext_bar0
    MENUITEM "D&efault Button Bar 2 (vertical.bar)", em_ext_bar6
    MENUITEM "De&fault Button Bar (as Configured)", em_ext_bar0a
    MENUITEM "Def&ault Button Bar 2 (as Configured)", em_ext_bar6a
  END_POPUP
  MENUITEM "Change Start Menu...", 700
  MENUITEM "&Save Position", 493
  MENUITEM "Save History", 582
  MENUITEM "Sa&ve Settings", 580
  POPUP "&Change Settings Files"
    MENUITEM "Main and FTP Settings (Only &Notepad)...", 581
    MENUITEM "&Main Settings...", em_ext_editwincmd
    MENUITEM "&FTP Settings (wcx_ftp.ini)...", em_ext_editwcx_ftp
    MENUITEM "User &Commands (language\wcmd_win81amd64_1_eng.ini)...", em_ext_editextcmd
    MENUITEM "Common &User Commands (usercmd.ini)...", em_ext_editusercmd
    MENUITEM "Common &Packer Plugins (pkplugin.ini)...", em_ext_editpkplugins
    MENUITEM "Common File &System Plugins (fsplugin.ini)...", em_ext_editfsplugins
    MENUITEM "Common &Lister Plugins (lsplugin.ini)...", em_ext_editlsplugins
    MENUITEM "Common C&ontent Plugins (contplug.ini)...", em_ext_editcontplugins
  END_POPUP

  POPUP "Language/Menu"
    MENUITEM "English with E&xtended Menu I", em_ext_openlanguagefile1
    MENUITEM "English with Exten&ded Menu II", em_ext_openlanguagefile2
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Open Langua&ge/Menu File under Cursor", em_ext_openlanguagefile
    MENUITEM "Open Men&u File under Cursor", em_ext_openmenufile
    MENUITEM "Open Language/Menu Button Bar", em_ext_langbar
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "English Language && Menu (&Internal)", em_ext_openlanguage
    MENUITEM "Current Language with English Menu (Internal)", em_ext_openmenu
    MENUITEM "English Language && Menu (&External)*", em_ext_openlanguagefile0
    MENUITEM "Current Language &with English Menu (External)*", em_ext_openmenufile0
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "Ceština (C&zech)*", em_ext_openlanguage_cz
    MENUITEM "&Chinese (Simplified)*", em_ext_openlanguage_chn
    MENUITEM "D&ansk*", em_ext_openlanguage_dan
    MENUITEM "Deutsc&h*", em_ext_openlanguage_deu
    MENUITEM "E&spańol (Tradicional)*", em_ext_openlanguage_esp
    MENUITEM "&Français*", em_ext_openlanguage_fra
    MENUITEM "I&taliano*", em_ext_openlanguage_ita
    MENUITEM "&Korean*", em_ext_openlanguage_kor
    MENUITEM "Mag&yar (Tegezős)*", em_ext_openlanguage_hun
    MENUITEM "&Nederlands*", em_ext_openlanguage_dut
    MENUITEM "Norsk (&Bokmĺl)*", em_ext_openlanguage_nor
    MENUITEM "&Polski*", em_ext_openlanguage_pol
    MENUITEM "Ro&mâna*", em_ext_openlanguage_rom
    MENUITEM "&Russian*", em_ext_openlanguage_rus
    MENUITEM "S&lovenský (Slovak)*", em_ext_openlanguage_sk
    MENUITEM "Sl&ovenski (Slovenian)*", em_ext_openlanguage_svn
    MENUITEM "S&venska*", em_ext_openlanguage_swe
    MENUITEM "Ukranian*", em_ext_openlanguage_ukr
    MENUITEM SEPARATOR
    MENUITEM "* = if installed", em_ext_dummy
  END_POPUP
  MENUITEM SEPARATOR
  MENUITEM "Layout...", 476
  MENUITEM "Display...", 486
  MENUITEM "    Icons...", 477
  MENUITEM "    Fo&nt...", 492
  MENUITEM "    Colo&r...", 494
  MENUITEM "    T&abstops/Data Formats...", 497
  MENUITEM "    &Folder Tabs...", 488
  MENUITEM "    C&ustom Columns...", 483
  MENUITEM "        Configure current...", 2920
  MENUITEM "    View Modes...", 2939
  MENUITEM "        Auto Switch Mode...", 2940
  MENUITEM "    Lan&guage...", 499
  MENUITEM "Op&eration...", 516
  MENUITEM "    Edit/Vie&w...", 496
  MENUITEM "    Cop&y/Delete...", 487
  MENUITEM "    Refresh...", 478
  MENUITEM "    &Quick Search...", 479
  MENUITEM "    F&TP...", 489
  MENUITEM "    &Plugins...", 484
  MENUITEM "    T&humbnails...", 482
  MENUITEM "    Log File...", 481
  MENUITEM "    &Ignore List...", 480
  MENUITEM "    History...", 475
  MENUITEM "Pac&ker...", 491
  MENUITEM "    &Zip Packer...", 485
  MENUITEM "&Misc...", 495
END_POPUP

[petermad]

2oko
Your Display menu mixes display of TC's window elements and display of what is shown inside the file panels - I am not sure I like that. But it makes me consider moving "Dark Mode" into the current layout submenu, since it affects all of TC, not just the file panels. I might also add a duplicate of the "Ignore Files and Folders from Ignore List" to the Preferences -> Display submenu for the same reason.

Also adding another main menu item "Display" could cause the menu line to wrap too often because it get too wide.


BTW I didn't address these issues:

There is no information about uninstall extended menu. Please add.

Under Help -> About this Menu - you get information of which files that is installed.

If user installs addons, the files are scattered in tc program dir and subdirs. If it is possible it would be nice to be installed in one dir, like the Language bar is installed in Extra dir. Purpose is to not mix with tc original program files and to simple uninstall.

The files that are installed via the Addons have to be put in TC's program folder (except for the English language files which goes in TC's Language subfolder. The addons files will not work if they are not located in TC's program folder - that is why I don't install them by default whne installing the Menus. I could install them all at once, but then the language/menu file will not be loaded after installation.

You could add to installed files a button bar file with one button to load Extended menu (or two buttons to load Ext.Menu I and Ext.Menu II)

That is not a bad idea - the problem is how to make the user aware of the button bar - people tend not to read readme files.

[oko]

Your Display menu mixes display of TC's window elements and display of what is shown inside the file panels - I am not sure I like that.

New display menu collects everything what is about "display/show/layout" settings. It does not "mixes", just put on one place. There are separated groups (by separator) - first are layout display preferences, second are panels display preferences and the third could be program display preferences (e.g. dark theme). You can move items between them to be in appropriate group.

But it makes me consider moving "Dark Mode" into the current layout submenu, since it affects all of TC, not just the file panels.

In my opinion Dark mode does not belong to Layout because nothing is moved or rearranged, only colors are changed. So it is about display or color preference. I suggest to add separator after "Vertical arrangement" in "Display" submenu and move "Dark" under this separator (the panel display items would be above separator, the program display would be under separator). Or Dark could be directly in Preferences menu under Display item. (Or you can move it to Commands No! It is a joke).

I might also add a duplicate of the "Ignore Files and Folders from Ignore List" to the Preferences -> Display submenu for the same reason.

Do not duplicate, just move. It is preference setting.

Also adding another main menu item "Display" could cause the menu line to wrap too often because it get too wide.

There is still space to add. On standard screen in maximized tc window menus are only left half of screen. The FTP and Net could be combined to one to save space.

There is no information about uninstall extended menu. Please add.

Under Help -> About this Menu - you get information of which files that is installed.

But there is not information where they are installed. I suppose that to uninstall I have to find and delete files listed in help. But without info I am not sure if I am right or easier way is available. I think one sentence would be fair to mention something like this: "To uninstall Extended menu find and delete all files listed in this help. Files and dir with bars are in language dir and if you install addons some of addon files are in language dir and some in program dir."

The files that are installed via the Addons have to be put in TC's program folder (except for the English language files which goes in TC's Language subfolder. The addons files will not work if they are not located in TC's program folder - that is why I don't install them by default whne installing the Menus. I could install them all at once, but then the language/menu file will not be loaded after installation.

Ok, addons take aside. But main instalation files and folder with bars would be in one dir or not? It would be simple to unintall - only to delete one dir. The same way like Language bar plugin.

You could add to installed files a button bar file with one button to load Extended menu (or two buttons to load Ext.Menu I and Ext.Menu II)

That is not a bad idea - the problem is how to make the user aware of the button bar - people tend not to read readme files.

I do not see the problem. If it works in Language bar, why should not work here. Make button bar and write steps what to do in readme. Do not care what people take if you give them all the best. If someone does not read readme he will not enjoy the advance.

[petermad]

2oko

It does not "mixes", just put on one place. There are separated groups (by separator) - first are layout display preferences, second are panels display preferences and the third could be program display preferences (e.g. dark theme). You can move items between them to be in appropriate group.

OK, Maybe "combines" would have been a better word than "mixes. I am still not for it - also because people have been using my menus since TC 6.54 (2006) - if they (and I) are used to find the items in one place - it can be annoying that they are moved too much around.

Also with your combined Display menu itme I would have to remove several of the shortcut keys because of conflicts.

In my opinion Dark mode does not belong to Layout because nothing is moved or rearranged,

Well, TC's configuration dialog has Dark Mode in he Colors section, which is a subsection to Display.

But there is not information where they are installed. I suppose that to uninstall I have to find and delete files listed in help. But without info I am not sure if I am right or easier way is available. I think one sentence would be fair to mention

I could of course mention that all the menu files are in TC's language folder. wcmd_win10amd64_eng\*.bar already indicates that the bar files are in a subfolder with the same name as the language files.

I could be a good idea to also include a list of the files installed in the TC folder as addons.

Spoiler

wcmicon_win10amd64.dll
wcmicon_win10amd64.inc
Totalcmd.hlp
winhlp32.exe
TotalcmdDark.chm
lister.exe
lister.exe.manifest
descript.ion
Desktop.ini
Language\WCMD_ENG.LNG
Language\WCMD_ENG.MNU
Language\WCMD_ENG.INC
Language\Wcmd_deu.chm
Language\Wcmd_deuDark.chm

But main instalation files and folder with bars would be in one dir or not? It would be simple to unintall - only to delete one dir. The same way like Language bar plugin.

No, the .lng, .mnu, .inc and .ini files HAS to be in the Language folder - otherwise they will not turn up in TC's Language setting dialog. I find it more neat to keep the bar files by themselves - that also makes it easier if the user wants to delete the menu, but keep the bar files when they are separated from the menu files. and the subdir with the bar files is easy to recognize - it has the same name as the menu files.

If you notice - All the many languages that comes with my Language bar does not show up in TC's Language dialog, because they are all in the Extra subdir.