It╒s a ╥cdev╙ or Control Panel Device that lets you customize the way hierarchical menus work on your Mac.
Who can use it?
Anyone with a Mac Plus or more recent machine (no 512KE╒s, 512╒s, 128╒s, Mac XL╒s, or Lisa╒s -- sorry) and an up-to-date version of Apple╒s system software -- meaning System Software version 6.0 or better.
Who needs it?
Anyone who╒s ever been frustrated when a ╥submenu╙ in a hierarchical menu went away before you could select an item in it, or who╒s ever been bothered by seeing all the hierarchical menus flash before your eyes as you scroll up and down the main menu.
How is it installed?
First, drag the file ╥MenuTuner╙ into the System Folder. Second, restart your Macintosh. Third, choose Control Panel from the Apple menu; the MenuTuner icon should appear in the scrolling list on the left side of the Control Panel dialog. Clicking on the MenuTuner icon brings up the MenuTuner dialog screen, and you╒re ready to go.
What now?
MenuTuner displays two timing values that your Macintosh uses to determine how hierarchical menus behave; these are called the ╥Drag Delay╙ and the ╥Submenu Delay╙. Because these values are stored in what╒s called the ╥Extended Parameter RAM╙, the computer remembers what they are, even when it╒s turned off, just the way it remembers the current date and time and what your preferred desktop pattern is. The only difference is, there╒s no way to alter these values -- EXCEPT MenuTuner, which you╒ve just stumbled on. Using the MenuTuner cdev, you can change these timing values to ones that work comfortably for you. Not only does MenuTuner tell you what the current values of Drag Delay and Submenu Delay are, it lets you select new values, test them out, go back to the values in effect when you opened MenuTuner, go back to the standard or ╥default╙ values, etc.
What╒s the ╥Drag Delay╥?
Many new Macintosh programs make use of a new feature called ╥hierarchical menus╙. These are ╥menus within menus╙ -- selecting a menu item doesn╒t get you an action in the application you╒re in, it gets you another menu hanging off the side of the first one, with more choices to make. An example is the ╥Type╙ menu in Aldus╒ Freehand 2.02; When you invoke the ╥Type╙ menu you see a number of items, such as ╥Font╙, ╥Size╙, etc., each of which has a triangle at the right. The triangle is the sign that a ╥submenu╙ or hierarchical menu is present. Clicking on the ╥Type╙ menu and scrolling down to the ╥Fonts╙ item brings up a ╥submenu╙ with the names of all the currently installed fonts. In order to do what you really wanted to do all along (pick a font!), you need to mouse over to the ╥submenu╙ from the main menu -- before it disappears! Here╒s where the Dray Delay comes in. As long as your mouse stays positioned over the ╥Fonts╙ item in the main menu, the fonts submenu stays in view. But when you start moving toward the list of fonts to select one, you have only a certain amount of time before the menu disappears. If you don╒t get to your selection soon enough, you╒re out of luck. This interval, the amount of time a ╥submenu╙ stays around waiting for you to select an item in it, is called the ╥Drag Delay╙. Apple in its wisdom sets the standard ╥default╙ value at 60 ╥ticks╙, or one second. If this is okay for you, good. If not, you╒ve got MenuTuner!
What╒s the ╥Submenu Delay╙?
If you╒re scrolling your mouse down a menu with a number of hierarchical items, it can be distracting to have all the ╥submenus╙ appearing and disappearing in a flash as you move up and down the main menu. Take Freehand╒s ╥Type╙ menu as an example again; the first five items -- ╥Font╙, ╥Size╙, ╥Leading╙, ╥Type style╙, and ╥Effect╙, all have hierarchical submenus. Ideally you╒d like to be able to move your mouse up and down the main menu at your own pace, pause at the item you want to select, and see the appropriate submenu come up, WITHOUT having to see all the other submenus flash on and off as you scroll by. The ╥Submenu Delay╙ determines how long your mouse can rest on a menu item before its associated submenu is displayed. Apple╒s default value is 8 ╥ticks╙, about one-eighth of a second.
How would I change these values?
Use the double arrows underneath the words ╥Drag Delay╙ and ╥Submenu Delay╙ at the bottom of the MenuTuner dialog screen. The up arrow increases the associated value, and the down arrow decreases it. The box just to the right of each arrow displays the value you╒ve selected (the current value if you haven╒t changed anything).
How would I test my new values?
There╒s a fake menu bar in the MenuTuner dialog screen, with two items -- ╥DragDelay╙, and ╥Submenu Delay╙. You can select either of these items to see how the values you╒ve selected are going to work for you -- both of them are hierarchical menus with several submenus, so scroll up and down, then go back to the double arrows to select new values for Drag Delay and Submenu Delay until you╒re comfortable with the way your hierarchical menus behave.
What if I goof?
None of the changes you make is permanent until you quit from the MenuTuner cdev. If you want to bail out you can choose either the ╥Revert╙ or the ╥Use Defaults╙ button at the bottom of the MenuTuner screen. Choosing ╥Revert╙ will restore the values in effect at the time you first opened the MenuTuner cdev. None of the changes you may have made during the current session will take effect. The ╥Use Defaults╙ button allows you to go back to the values that your Macintosh was shipped with -- 60 ticks, or one second, for the Drag Delay, and 8 ticks, or about an eighth of a second, for the Submenu Delay.
And now, a word from our sponsor...
(I can╒t top the eloquence of Billy Steinberg, so I╒ve copied it!)
MenuTuner is free, but it is NOT in the public domain. I reserve all rights to it.
I╒m giving it away, and so can you, though there are a few restrictions:
(1) You must GIVE MenuTuner away; you can NOT charge anything for it.
(2) You must give away unmodified copies.
(3) You must include this documentation.
If you╒re a national BBS╒ such as CompuServe, Delphi, MacNET, GEnie etc., you have my permission to post MenuTuner and this document.
If you╒re a local BBS that does not charge ╥per download╙ of a file, you have my permission to post MenuTuner (and this document) too.
If you sell compilations of ShareWare/FreeWare you do NOT have my permission to include MenuTuner You must obtain permission, in writing, before you can include MenuTuner in anything you market. This means you EduCorp!
If you are a NON-PROFIT user group, and your group sells compilations, (such as BMUG does), you have my permission to include Launcher and this document.
Finally...
To report bugs or problems, or to obtain permission to distribute outside the restrictions outlined above, contact
