Custom menus

Custom menus are add-ins that allow you to add optional commands and features to Genstat accessible via the menu bar. When a custom menu is attached to Genstat a new item appears on the User menu allowing the custom menu to be opened.

Genstat has facilities for including three types of custom menu add-ins: Procedure menus, custom dialogs and custom Component Object Model (COM) add-ins.

Procedure menu

A procedure menu add-in is a procedure that has been written using the Genstat command language that includes commands that use windows menus. For example, this could be a procedure that has been written to include the QUESTION procedure.

Custom dialogs

A custom dialog add-in is a window that is created using the Genstat resource language that is loaded at run time. A dialog is a user-interface object (window) that presents information and allows users to change the information. It can contain one or more controls (child windows) with which the user enters text, chooses options, or directs the action. In Genstat a custom dialog can be used to retrieve data from the controls and the data can then be used within an attached Genstat procedure. The resource language commands used to construct the dialog are supplied within a Genstat resource file and are dynamically loaded at run-time.

COM add-in

COM add-ins are supplemental programs that provide additional functionality in a variety of programming languages, including Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual J++. Within Genstat this can be used to create dialogs to run a set of Genstat commands. The developer of a COM add-in usually provides installation and removal of all programs for the add-in. All queries with regards to installing a COM add-in or using it should be directed to the developer who provides the add-in.

Developing custom menu add-ins

Updated on August 11, 2023

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