Create a Menu Bar with File Open on it

[Burt Rosner]

Anyone,

I want to customize a menu bar. I want to have a File
Open feature in it, but seem to be having problems setting
it up. I'm running 2002 format on Windows NT 2000.

I'm familiar with setting up the Menu Bar and adding drop
downs. I just can't seem to find the right combination to
perform a File Open action.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Burt

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

When you make a custom bar, you can have each button run YOUR code.

In addition, often you will go on a scavenger hunt and steal menu options
from Existing menu bars. So, instead of creating a menu button from scratch
that runs YOUR custom code, in this case just steal the file open command
from the existing menu. (use ctrl-drag in place of drag and drop so you COPY
the command).

Try the above...it should work...

It is not 100% clear here what you mean by file open? Are you trying to pop
open the file browse dialog to open a new mdb file, or are you talking about
some custom import?

 

[Burt Rosner]

Albert,

Thanks for getting back to me. I am in the process of
doing what you have mentioned. I will work this out one
way or another. However, you typed a term I was not
familiar with, "Ctrl+Drag. I think I got the idea. The
other issue is where am I dragging the File Open command
from. Directly from the existing menu bar or the
customized dialoge box? and where am I draging it to. My
macro in design view?

I just printed the Create Toolbar sheet from the help file
and will try and compare what it is saying and what you
have said.

If you could possibly answer my concerns in the first
paragraph I would appreciate it.

If you think I'm an idiot and have brain lock, I could
also understand that.

Thanks for your help,

Burt

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

However, you typed a term I was not

familiar with, "Ctrl+Drag.

When you have two windows open on the desktop (we are talking the standard
windows file explorer), you can drag and drop a file from one window to
another. When you do this, you are MOVING the file. If you hold down the
ctrl-key, you will notice a small "+" sign as you drag. In this case, when
you hold down the ctrl-key, you are MAKING A COPY of the file. So, by
ctrl-drag, I simply mean to hold down the ctrl-key. Windows has worked this
way for many years (going all the way back to windows 3.1 - 10 years ago).
However, don't feel bad...as a lot people don't know about ctrl-drag. (and,
I am somewhat guilty of not explaining well what I meant by that
term...sorry!).

As it turns out, the same ctrl-drag concept works when you are making your
custom menu bars. You can display any menu bar and then grab any button from
those ms-access bars and MOVE it to YOUR custom bar by drag and drop.
However, we don't want to move, as then you are messing up the original menu
bars in ms-access. So, use ctrl-drag, and you can copy any button, or menu
option you want from any menu bar to yours...

Often, after a while, I find myself grabbing neat buttons from my own
existing menu bars, but once again I want to COPY not move the button, so I
use ctrl-drag while in the menu customize mode.

And, I use custom menus all the time...here is some reasons why to use them,
and some screen shots:

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn/Articles/UseAbility/UserFriendly.htm

Also note that you can import menu bars from other applications into
yours...

 

[Burt Rosner]

Albert,

Thanks. I'm going to play with it now. If you see smoke
coming from NJ, then I Ctl+Dragged the wrong thing.

Thanks again.

Burt