Changes to menu packgae
I've been away for two weeks to china, and have been rather busy after
that, so the new release of the menu package that I've been promising
for some time has been delayed considerably. But this weekend I'll try
to release it.
First I'd like to describe some features that people have asked for, or
other changes that I would like to add, and after that a way I'd like
to handle them. If I'm leaving out something you would like to see in,
(or even discussed with me), please tell me so.
Suggested new features:
(1) There should be a way to generate hotkeys (Joey Hess),
(2) There should be a way to suggest a (non-alphabetic) order in the
menuentries in one submenu (Kenneth MacDonald).
(3) More flexibility in the /etc/menu-method/* "scripts" (those that
use /usr/bin/install-fvwmgen). For example, things like "if some
variable is defined, use that variable, otherwise, use this default
string". (me)
(4) Remove the need for those ugly double \\'s in /etc/menu-methods/* scripts
(sometimes one needs one, sometimes two, still, nobody complained!). (me)
(5) Support some new "variables", like a long description, and maybe
local sysadm/user defined ones. (Michel LESPINASS and others)
Together with (3), this should allow "use long description if available,
otherwise default to short one". (This should probably not be the
default setup for the window managers).
Suggested implementation:
-----------
For (1), (3), (4), I would like to add a new "compat" mode in the
/etc/menu-method/* scripts (the old "compat=gen" mode will of cource continue
to work). So, an old "compat=gen" excerpt:
compat: gen
supported
text= " Exec \"${title}\" exec /usr/bin/X11/xterm -title ${title} -e ${command}& \\n"
end
Will in the new format look like:
compat: menu-1
supported
text=" Exec " print($title) " exec /usr/bin/X11/xterm -title " \
print($title) " -e " print(command) " & \n"
end
The difficult to remember expantions like $%{icon} (expands to nothing if
icon is empty, otherwise %iconfile%), etc can be replaced by general
commands as
old("gen") new(menu-1)
-----------------------------------
$%(icon) cond_surr($icon,"%","%")
$d(var) esc($var,"\"")
$s(var) esc($var,"\'")
$b(var) esc($var,"\"\'")
impossible hotkey($var)
impossible ifempty($var,"empyt")
#print "empyt" if $var=="", else print nothing
impossible ifnempty($var,"notempty")
impossible ifelse($var,"full", "empty")
impossible iffile($var) #if file $var exist, $var
impossible print($var)
#print $var, issue error message if $var
#undifined/empty.
impossible sort($var)
#Don't print anything, but sort on $var.
And of cource it's easy to invent other stuff for this list.
-----------
For (2), (5) (and somewhat (1)), we _need_ an expandable format
for the menuentry files (those in /usr/lib/menu/* etc). The current
format is not expandable (the last column contains the command to be
executed, and that may have command line arguments).
For example, for the vi package, I'd suggest something like:
? package(vi): needs=text command=/usr/bin/vi section=Apps/Editors title=Vi \
longdesc="The editor that people complain even \
more about than the aboutweather, vi." \
id=vi sort=aa myfunkyvar=lichtbewolkt
- The question mark indicates the new format and:
- stuff before the ":" will be a test for update-menus whether to
install this menuentry (the above would say: if package vi is installed,
then install this menuentry). This will allow the addition of
menuentries depending on whether a file exists ( package(vi)&file(myfile) ).
- The remainder define variables. These variables can be used in
the /etc/menu-method/* files as $var, i.e., print($myfunkyvar)
would print "lichtbewolkt".
I would like to stress that menu-method files using the
old "compat=gen" mode will continue to work, as will menuentries that
use the old format.
(the really old menu versions used "compat=fvwm2" etc. I do plan
to remove the support for that).
-----------
Thanks, joost witteveen joostje@debian.org
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