eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Please post all questions on Help+Manual 8 here

Moderators: Alexander Halser, Tim Green

Post Reply
User avatar
Sheri Steeves
Posts: 146
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario,CANADA
Contact:

eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Sheri Steeves »

I've started to upgrade to the latest H&M and the new eWriter v3 and I want to remove the new menu in the caption bar.

The option in my project is to not include an application menu but I still see one in my eWriter file with the updated H&M. I understand I can modify the menu item but I don't want to see it at all.

Shown below is a a screen shot of the new version showing the menu, even when I set the options to not show it, and the older version of the writer from another help file. which shows the caption with no menu, which is what I am looking for.

H&MEwriteMenu.PNG
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Sheri,

If you use the very latest version the "Menu" item will just be the title and will not have the little triangle. The current version of Help+Manual 8 is 8.5.0 Build 5980, and if you are using the eViewer installer and/or the developer package you should get the latest versions of those too from the eWriter page here:

https://www.helpandmanual.com/ewriter/index.html
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
Sheri Steeves
Posts: 146
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario,CANADA
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Sheri Steeves »

Tim,

Thanks for the suggestions.

I was only able to get it to not have the open menu when I renamed eViewer.exe to a custom name. This, however, still leaves the orange [eViewer] block in the caption bar. I would prefer to not have it at all. Especially since if I don't have a menu, it's just in the way and misleading for the user.

I experimented with creating my own menu, and while initially promising, it doesn't seem like I can use the <%VAR%> syntax in the menu item text.

My documentation is set up so that I can build the docs for three products from the same help file using variables and include in build options on the topics. If I have to replace the [eViewer] block with my own menu to get rid of it, having to edit this for each product to set the product name before I build the help (which I have set up as publish tasks) is just asking for a step I will miss. Is there a way to create these menu items using the <%VAR %> variables?
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Sheri,

In the new viewer it's actually always a menu. If you don't put your own menu entries in it, it still displays the options for opening recent documents or another eWriter file. However, what you can do is control the menu items via the command with which you open the viewer as context help. When you add openmenu=false to the command it switches off the menu entries for recent files and Open...

For details on how to use all this, download the developer package on the eWriter page ("Ewriter as Application Help" heading):

https://www.helpandmanual.com/ewriter/index.html

It includes the latest viewers for Windows and Mac, a PDF with all the new context help syntax and test applications.

I'll check about using variables in the menu entries. That would definitely be useful.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Tim Green »

Update: You can "eliminate" the menu with the following trick: Create a menu but with just the application button entry, and make that entry a simple title. When the help is called from your app as context help, the automatic Open... and Recent... entries won't be shown, and it won't be a menu. You will only see them when you open it manually, or automatically after publishing. Or include the openmenu=false parameter in your calls to make absolutely sure they don't turn up.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23156
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Tim Green »

Update: Variables are going to be supported in the next version of Help+Manual, which is going to be released soon. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
Sheri Steeves
Posts: 146
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Ottawa, Ontario,CANADA
Contact:

Re: eWriter Menu in Caption - How to Remove it

Unread post by Sheri Steeves »

Tim,

Great news about the variables. I had played with most of your suggestions before posting so good to know I wasn't missing anything obvious.

The menu with the single button entry/title makes the most sense for us, and once the variables are in place I can finish migrating to the latest version of H&M and eWriter.
Post Reply