cderossi@apple.com (Chris Derossi) (04/25/91)
To all who have expressed interest in seeing the Apple Menu in System 7 get extended so that it has submenus which follow your folder hierarchy: I am 80% done with such an INIT. It has been working fine on mine and several tester's machines now for a while. I'm keeping its distribution very limited until it's done, though; I don't want to have to manage multiple pre-release versions floating around everywhere. HAM (for Hierarchical Apple Menu) will be released at the same time as System 7 makes its debut. HAM makes submenus for each of your folders in your Apple Menu Items folder. If any of those folders contain folders, they become further submenus (up to five levels which is the limit in the Menu Manager). Aliases to folders work just like real folders. If you create a loop by using aliases, HAM will detect this and only show you each folder once in a single chain. HAM will open anything that can be opened, just as if it were in the normal Apple menu, including applications, documents, folders, control panels, server aliases, and desk accessories. It will even let you select and open folders, even though those items will have submenus. All of the above currently works. All I have left to do is add some controls for a few of the user-changable parameters, and fine tune some of the speed. Chris Derossi Blue Meanie Apple Computer, Inc.
ech@cbnewsk.att.com (ned.horvath) (04/26/91)
From article <13172@goofy.Apple.COM>, by cderossi@apple.com (Chris Derossi): > To all who have expressed interest in seeing the Apple Menu in System 7 get > extended so that it has submenus which follow your folder hierarchy: > > I am 80% done with such an INIT...HAM (for Hierarchical Apple Menu) > will be released at the same time as System 7 makes its debut. > ...up to five levels...Aliases to folders work...HAM will detect > [alias loops]...HAM will open anything that can be opened...even folders, > even though those items will have submenus. Way to go, Chris! I can see the MacLeak headline now: "Blue Meanie turns Software Terrorist!" Seriously, this is a truly nice addition to the 7.0 Apple menu functionality. I'll be looking for it. Thanks! =Ned Horvath= ehorvath@attmail.com
garym@runx.oz.au (Gary Makin) (05/06/91)
HAM sounds like a good idea, but I have one slight problem with the idea. You said that folder aliases will work just like read folders, therefore they should cause a hierarchical submenu to appear. However, I *like* having folder aliases in the Apple menu so I can easyly open the folder's window in the Finder. Will HAM stop me from doing this? Gary Makin.