BMenuItem

A BMenuItem object displays one item within a menu and contains the state associated with that item. By default, menu items display text; a derived class can reimplement the Draw() and DrawContent() hook functions to draw something else.

Each BMenuItem object can have its own invocation message and target. A menu item needn’t send any message—it can be used simply for its visual presence (see BSeparatorItem for an example).

Menu items can’t be used outside of a menu; to add a BMenuItem to a BMenu, call BMenu::AddItem().

Kinds of Items

Some menu items set up the menu hierarchy by giving users access to submenus. A submenu remains hidden until the user operates the item that controls it.

Other items accomplish specific actions. When the user invokes the item, it sends a message to a target BLooper and BHandler, usually the window where the menu at the root of the hierarchy (a BMenuBar object) is displayed. The action that the item initiates, or the state that it sets, depends entirely on the message and the target’s response to it.

Shortcuts and Triggers

Any menu item (except for those that control submenus) can be associated with a keyboard shortcut, a character the user can type in combination with a Command key (and possibly other modifiers) to invoke the item. The shortcut character is displayed in the item to the right of the label.

A shortcut works even when the item it invokes isn’t visible on-screen. It, therefore, has to be unique within the window (within the entire menu hierarchy).

Every menu item is also associated with a trigger, a character that the user can type (without the Command key) to invoke the item. The trigger works only while the menu is both open on-screen and can be operated using the keyboard. It therefore must be unique only within a particular branch of the menu hierarchy (within the menu).

The trigger is one of the characters that’s displayed within the item—either the keyboard shortcut or a character in the label. When it’s possible for the trigger to invoke the item, the character is underlined. Like shortcuts, triggers are case-insensitive.

For an item to have a keyboard shortcut, the application must explicitly assign one. However, by default, the Interface Kit chooses and assigns triggers for all items. The default choice can be altered by the SetTrigger() function.

Marked Items

An item can also be marked (with a check mark drawn to the left of the label) in order to indicate that the state it sets is currently in effect. Items are marked by the SetMarked() function. A menu can be set up so that items are automatically marked when they’re selected and exactly one item is marked at all times. (See SetRadioMode() in the BMenu class.)

Disabled Items

Items can also be enabled or disabled (by the SetEnabled() function). A disabled item is drawn in muted tones to indicate that it doesn’t work. It can’t be selected or invoked. If the item controls a specific action, it won’t post the message that initiates the action. If it controls a submenu, it will still bring the submenu to the screen, but all the items in submenu will be disabled. If an item in the submenu brings its own submenu to the screen, items in that submenu will also be disabled. Disabling the superitem for a submenu in effect disables a whole branch of the menu hierarchy.