[TC 11.55rc2] Old help index entries that should be removed

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There are many things wrong with the help index, but that doesn't mean we cannot improve things when we stumble upon them. So here are some old help index entries that should be removed.

1. Index entry: 3d-look (the top entry)
   

   Dialog box: Configuration - Colors
   
   3d-main window
   
   If the file ctl3dv2.dll exists in your system (in a version newer than January 1993), you can make the main window appear in pseudo three dimensions. You must always put the newest version of ctl3dv2.dll into your windows\system directory and delete all other occurrences of this file!

   In Windows Commander 3, the option to enable/disable the 3d-look was removed, as was the information about it in the help text. The index entry still remains though.
    
2. Index entry: Old style menu
   
   In Windows Commander 2, a new main menu was introduced, leaving behind the old Norton Commander style menu with "Left" and "Right" in the main menu. But in version 2, you could now replace the entire menu with your own menu and the old style menu was included in the Windows Commander package.
   

   Dialog box: Change main menu
   
   In this dialog box you can change the whole menu structure! E.g. if you want to continue to work with Wincmd's old menu, you can choose oldstyle.mnu in this dialog box. You can also modify the menu to your needs. See below for a description of a menu file. You open this dialog box by selecting Change main menu in the Start menu. The Start menu was chosen because it is always present, even in an empty main menu.

   OLDSTYLE.MNU

   Code: Select all

   POPUP "&Left"
     MENUITEM "&Brief", cm_leftshort
     MENUITEM "&Full", cm_leftlong
     MENUITEM "&Tree", cm_LeftTree
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&All Files", cm_leftallfiles
     MENUITEM "&Programs", cm_leftexecs
     MENUITEM "*.*", cm_leftuserspec
     MENUITEM "&Custom...", cm_leftuserdef
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Name\tCTRL+F3", cm_leftbyname
     MENUITEM "E&xtension\tCTRL+F4", cm_leftbyext
     MENUITEM "Ti&me\tCTRL+F5", cm_leftbydatetime
     MENUITEM "&Size\tCTRL+F6", cm_leftbysize
     MENUITEM "&Unsorted\tCTRL+F7", cm_leftunsorted
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Reversed order", cm_leftnegorder
   END_POPUP
   
   POPUP "&Files"
     MENUITEM "&Change attributes...", cm_SetAttrib
     MENUITEM "&Pack...\tALT+F5", cm_PackFiles
     MENUITEM "&Unpack...\tALT+F6", cm_UnpackFiles
     MENUITEM "&Associate with...", cm_associate
     MENUITEM "&Version info...\tALT+ENTER", cm_versioninfo
     MENUITEM "Calculate &occupied space...", cm_GetFileSpace
     MENUITEM "Prin&t\tCTRL+F9", cm_PrintFile
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "Select &group...\tGray +", cm_spreadselection
     MENUITEM "Unselect group...\tGray -", cm_shrinkselection
     MENUITEM "Select all\tCTRL Gray +", cm_selectall
     MENUITEM "Unselect all\tCTRL Gray -", cm_Clearall
     MENUITEM "&Invert Selection\tGray *", cm_ExchangeSelection
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Quit\tALT+F4", 24340
   END_POPUP
   
   POPUP "&Commands"
     MENUITEM "CD &tree...\tALT+F10", cm_CDtree
     MENUITEM "&Search...\tALT+F7", cm_searchfor
     MENUITEM "&Volume label...", cm_VolumeId
     MENUITEM "System &information...", cm_sysinfo
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "Run &DOS", cm_ExecuteDOS
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Network connections...", cm_NetConnect
     MENUITEM "Disc&onnect network drives...", cm_NetDisconnect
     MENUITEM "Share c&urrent directory...", cm_NetShareDir
     MENUITEM "&Unshare directory...", cm_NetUnshareDir
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "Source&<->Target\tCTRL+U", cm_exchange
     MENUITEM "Target&=Source", cm_matchsrc
     MENUITEM "&Compare directories", cm_CompareDirs
     MENUITEM "&Mark newer, hide same files", cm_DirMatch
     MENUITEM "R&eread source\tCTRL+R", cm_rereadsource
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     POPUP "Con&figuration"
       MENUITEM "&General settings...", cm_config
       MENUITEM "&Viewer/Editor...", cm_Editconfig
       MENUITEM "&Packer...", cm_PackerConfig
       MENUITEM "Change b&utton bar...", cm_ButtonConfig
       MENUITEM "&Font...", cm_FontConfig
       MENUITEM "&Colors...", cm_ColorConfig
       MENUITEM "&Tabstops in file window...", cm_ConfTabChange
       MENUITEM "C&onfirmation...", cm_Confirmation
       MENUITEM "&Language...", cm_LanguageConfig
       MENUITEM "&Save position", cm_configSavepos
     END_POPUP
   END_POPUP
   
   
   
   STARTMENU
   
   HELP_BREAK
   
   POPUP "&Help"
     MENUITEM "&Index\tF1", cm_HelpIndex
     MENUITEM "&Keyboard", cm_keyboard
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&About Windows Commander...", cm_About
   END_POPUP
   
   POPUP "&Right"
     MENUITEM "&Brief", cm_rightshort
     MENUITEM "&Full", cm_rightlong
     MENUITEM "&Tree", cm_RightTree
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&All files", cm_rightallfiles
     MENUITEM "&Programs", cm_rightexecs
     MENUITEM "*.*", cm_rightuserspec
     MENUITEM "&Custom...", cm_rightuserdef
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Name\tCTRL+F3", cm_rightbyname
     MENUITEM "E&xtension\tCTRL+F4", cm_rightbyext
     MENUITEM "Ti&me\tCTRL+F5", cm_rightbydatetime
     MENUITEM "&Size\tCTRL+F6", cm_rightbysize
     MENUITEM "&Unsorted\tCTRL+F7", cm_rightunsorted
     MENUITEM SEPARATOR
     MENUITEM "&Reversed order", cm_rightnegorder
   END_POPUP
   

   The current help page "Keyboard layout" mentions "F9 Activate menu above source window (left or right)" and "F10 Activate left menu or leave menu" (same text as in as in KEYBOARD.TXT of Windows Commander 2), which makes a lot more sense with the old style menu.
   
   In Windows Commander 3, the "Change main menu" dialog was removed and was the feature was integrated in the Configuration dialog. The old style menu was no longer included and the information about the "Change main menu" dialog was removed which included the information about the old style menu. The index entry still remains though.

[ghisler(Author)]

Index entry: 3d-look

Confirmed, I will remove that.

Old style menu

I will remove that too, thanks.

"F9 Activate menu above source window (left or right)" still works when you use a menu with separate left/right submenus.

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"F9 Activate menu above source window (left or right)" still works when you use a menu with separate left/right submenus.

Except when "righttoleft" is in the language file. When installing Arabic for example, F9 seems to mean:

• If focus is on the left panel: activate menu above the target panel.
• If focus is on the right panel: activate third menu from the right.

Somehow this doesn't seem right.

[ghisler(Author)]

Except when "righttoleft" is in the language file. When installing Arabic for example, F9 seems to mean:

Sorry, I will not change that.

[ghisler(Author)]

Please check the updated help of 11.55 RC3.

[white]

Confirmed that the index entries "3d-look" and "Old style menu" are removed from English and German help.

[ghisler(Author)]

Thanks!

Moderator message from: ghisler(Author) » 2025-05-22, 07:44 UTC

Moved to fixed bugs

[white]

Except when "righttoleft" is in the language file. When installing Arabic for example, F9 seems to mean:

Sorry, I will not change that.

Why? Is it hard? At the least it could behave the same as F10, instead of seemingly random behavior.

[ghisler(Author)]

F9 is meant for menus which have a "Left" and "Right" main menu item. This is mostly for compatibility reasons for menus included in older versions. They never existed in Hebrew or Arabic because they were discontinued before adding right to left support. Since a lot can go wrong making these changes, I decided to not support F9 in right to left languages, sorry.

[white]

Since a lot can go wrong making these changes, I decided to not support F9 in right to left languages, sorry.

It goes wrong now when pressing F9 and using a right to left language. If you don't support F9 when using a right to left language, why not display a message "Not supported", or like I suggested, let it behave like F10. F10 already works for right to left languages.

[ghisler(Author)]

OK, I can do that.

[white]

25.05.25 Fixed: F9 key now focuses the same menu item as the F10 key when using a right to left language (32/64)

Tested OK using TC 11.55rc4 32-bit and 64-bit.