NAME
       menu - Create and manipulate menu widgets

SYNOPSIS
       menu pathName ?options?

STANDARD OPTIONS
       -activebackground              -background     -disabledforeground-relief
       -activeborderwidth             -borderwidth    -font-takefocus
       -activeforeground              -cursor         -foreground

       See  the  options manual entry for details on the standard
       options.

WIDGET-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
       Command-Line Name:-postcommand
       Database Name:  postCommand
       Database Class: Command

              If this option is specified then it provides a  Tcl
              command  to  execute  each time the menu is posted.
              The command is invoked by the post  widget  command
              before posting the menu.

       Command-Line Name:-selectcolor
       Database Name:  selectColor
       Database Class: Background

              For  menu  entries  that are check buttons or radio
              buttons, this option specifies the color to display
              in  the  indicator  when  the check button or radio
              button is selected.

       Command-Line Name:-tearoff
       Database Name:  tearOff
       Database Class: TearOff

              This option must have a proper boolean value, which
              specifies  whether or not the menu should include a
              tear-off entry at the top.  If so, it will exist as
              entry 0 of the menu and the other entries will num-
              ber starting  at  1.   The  default  menu  bindings
              arrange  for the menu to be torn off when the tear-
              off entry is invoked.

       Command-Line Name:-tearoffcommand
       Database Name:  tearOffCommand
       Database Class: TearOffCommand

              If this option has a non-empty value, then it spec-
              ifies  a Tcl command to invoke whenever the menu is
              torn off.  The actual command will consist  of  the
              value of this option, followed by a space, followed
              by the name of  the  menu  window,  followed  by  a
              space, followed by the name of the name of the torn
              off menu window.  For example, if the  option's  is
              ``a  b''  and menu .x.y is torn off to create a new
              menu .x.tearoff1,  then  the  command  ``a  b  .x.y
              .x.tearoff1'' will be invoked.

       Command-Line Name:-transient
       Database Name:  transient
       Database Class: Transient

              This  option must have a boolean value.  True means
              that the menu is used on a transient basis, e.g. as
              a pop-up, pull-down, or cascaded menu.  False means
              that the menu will be displayed on the screen  con-
              tinuously,  for example as a torn-off menu.  If the
              option is true, no window manager  border  will  be
              displayed  around  the  menu  and redisplay will be
              optimized using X's ``save under'' facility.


INTRODUCTION
       The menu command creates a new top-level window (given  by
       the  pathName  argument)  and makes it into a menu widget.
       Additional options, described above, may be  specified  on
       the  command  line  or in the option database to configure
       aspects of the menu such as its colors and font.  The menu
       command  returns  its pathName argument.  At the time this
       command is invoked, there must not exist  a  window  named
       pathName, but pathName's parent must exist.

       A  menu is a widget that displays a collection of one-line
       entries arranged in a column.  There exist several differ-
       ent  types  of  entries,  each  with different properties.
       Entries of different types may be  combined  in  a  single
       menu.  Menu entries are not the same as entry widgets.  In
       fact, menu entries are  not  even  distinct  widgets;  the
       entire menu is one widget.

       Menu  entries  are  displayed  with  up  to three separate
       fields.  The main field is a label in the form of  a  text
       string,  a  bitmap, or an image, controlled by the -label,
       -bitmap,  and  -image  options  for  the  entry.   If  the
       -accelerator  option is specified for an entry then a sec-
       ond textual field is displayed to the right of the  label.
       The  accelerator  typically describes a keystroke sequence
       that may be typed in the application  to  cause  the  same
       result  as invoking the menu entry.  The third field is an
       indicator.  The indicator is present only for  checkbutton
       or radiobutton entries.  It indicates whether the entry is
       selected or not, and is  displayed  to  the  left  of  the
       entry's string.

       In  normal  use,  an entry becomes active (displays itself
       differently) whenever the mouse pointer is over the entry.
       If  a  mouse  button  is  released over the entry then the
       entry is invoked.  The effect of invocation  is  different
       for  each type of entry; these effects are described below
       in the sections on individual entries.

       Entries may be disabled, which  causes  their  labels  and
       accelerators  to  be  displayed  with  dimmer colors.  The
       default menu bindings will not allow a disabled  entry  to
       be  activated  or  invoked.   Disabled  entries may be re-
       enabled, at which point it becomes  possible  to  activate
       and invoke them again.


COMMAND ENTRIES
       The  most  common  kind  of menu entry is a command entry,
       which behaves much like a button widget.  When  a  command
       entry is invoked, a Tcl command is executed.  The Tcl com-
       mand is specified with the -command option.


SEPARATOR ENTRIES
       A separator is an entry that is displayed as a  horizontal
       dividing  line.   A  separator  may  not  be  activated or
       invoked, and it has no behavior  other  than  its  display
       appearance.


CHECKBUTTON ENTRIES
       A  checkbutton  menu entry behaves much like a checkbutton
       widget.  When it is invoked  it  toggles  back  and  forth
       between  the  selected  and  deselected  states.  When the
       entry is selected, a particular value is stored in a  par-
       ticular global variable (as determined by the -onvalue and
       -variable options for the entry);  when the entry is dese-
       lected  another value (determined by the -offvalue option)
       is stored in the global variable.   An  indicator  box  is
       displayed to the left of the label in a checkbutton entry.
       If the entry is selected then the  indicator's  center  is
       displayed  in  the  color given by the -selectcolor option
       for the entry; otherwise the indicator's  center  is  dis-
       played  in  the background color for the menu.  If a -com-
       mand option is specified for a checkbutton entry, then its
       value is evaluated as a Tcl command each time the entry is
       invoked;  this happens after toggling the entry's selected
       state.


RADIOBUTTON ENTRIES
       A  radiobutton  menu entry behaves much like a radiobutton
       widget.  Radiobutton entries are organized  in  groups  of
       which  only one entry may be selected at a time.  Whenever
       a particular entry becomes selected it stores a particular
       value  into a particular global variable (as determined by
       the -value and -variable options  for  the  entry).   This
       action  causes  any  previously-selected entry in the same
       group to  deselect  itself.   Once  an  entry  has  become
       selected,  any  change  to the entry's associated variable
       will cause the entry  to  deselect  itself.   Grouping  of
       radiobutton  entries  is  determined  by  their associated
       variables:  if two entries have the same associated  vari-
       able  then  they are in the same group.  An indicator dia-
       mond is displayed  to  the  left  of  the  label  in  each
       radiobutton  entry.   If  the  entry  is selected then the
       indicator's center is displayed in the color given by  the
       -selectcolor  option  for the entry; otherwise the indica-
       tor's center is displayed in the background color for  the
       menu.  If a -command option is specified for a radiobutton
       entry, then its value is evaluated as a Tcl  command  each
       time  the  entry is invoked;  this happens after selecting
       the entry.


CASCADE ENTRIES
       A cascade entry is one with an associated menu (determined
       by the -menu option).  Cascade entries allow the construc-
       tion of cascading menus.  The postcascade  widget  command
       can be used to post and unpost the associated menu just to
       the right of the cascade entry.  The associated menu  must
       be  a child of the menu containing the cascade entry (this
       is needed in order for menu traversal to work  correctly).

       A  cascade  entry  posts its associated menu by invoking a
       Tcl command of the form
              menu post x y
       where menu is the path name of the associated menu, and  x
       and  y  are the root-window coordinates of the upper-right
       corner of the cascade  entry.   The  lower-level  menu  is
       unposted by executing a Tcl command with the form
              menu unpost
       where menu is the name of the associated menu.

       If a -command option is specified for a cascade entry then
       it is evaluated as a Tcl command  whenever  the  entry  is
       invoked.


TEAR-OFF ENTRIES
       A tear-off entry appears at the top of the menu if enabled
       with the tearOff  option.   It  is  not  like  other  menu
       entries  in  that it cannot be created with the add widget
       command and cannot be deleted with the delete widget  com-
       mand.   When  a  tear-off entry is created it appears as a
       dashed line at the top of the  menu.   Under  the  default
       bindings,  invoking  the  tear-off entry causes a torn-off
       copy to be made of the menu and all of its submenus.
WIDGET COMMAND
       The menu command creates a new Tcl command whose  name  is
       pathName.   This  command  may  be  used to invoke various
       operations on the widget.  It has  the  following  general
       form:
              pathName option ?arg arg ...?
       Option  and  the  args determine the exact behavior of the
       command.

       Many of the widget commands for a menu take as  one  argu-
       ment  an  indicator  of which entry of the menu to operate
       on.  These indicators are called indexes and may be speci-
       fied in any of the following forms:

       number      Specifies  the entry numerically, where 0 cor-
                   responds to the top-most entry of the menu,  1
                   to the entry below it, and so on.

       active      Indicates  the entry that is currently active.
                   If no entry is active then this form is equiv-
                   alent  to none.  This form may not be abbrevi-
                   ated.

       end         Indicates the bottommost entry  in  the  menu.
                   If  there are no entries in the menu then this
                   form is equivalent to none.  This form may not
                   be abbreviated.

       last        Same as end.

       none        Indicates  ``no  entry at all'';  this is used
                   most commonly  with  the  activate  option  to
                   deactivate  all  the  entries in the menu.  In
                   most cases the specification  of  none  causes
                   nothing to happen in the widget command.  This
                   form may not be abbreviated.

       @number     In this  form,  number  is  treated  as  a  y-
                   coordinate  in  the  menu's window;  the entry
                   closest to that  y-coordinate  is  used.   For
                   example,  ``@0''  indicates the top-most entry
                   in the window.

       pattern     If the index doesn't satisfy one of the  above
                   forms then this form is used.  Pattern is pat-
                   tern-matched against the label of  each  entry
                   in the menu, in order from the top down, until
                   a matching  entry  is  found.   The  rules  of
                   Tcl_StringMatch are used.

       The  following  widget commands are possible for menu wid-
       gets:
       pathName activate index
              Change the state of the entry indicated by index to
              active  and  redisplay  it using its active colors.
              Any previously-active  entry  is  deactivated.   If
              index  is  specified  as  none, or if the specified
              entry is disabled, then the menu ends  up  with  no
              active entry.  Returns an empty string.

       pathName add type ?option value option value ...?
              Add a new entry to the bottom of the menu.  The new
              entry's type is given by type and must  be  one  of
              cascade, checkbutton, command, radiobutton, or sep-
              arator, or a unique  abbreviation  of  one  of  the
              above.   If  additional arguments are present, they
              specify any of the following options:

              -activebackground value
                     Specifies a background color to use for dis-
                     playing  this  entry  when it is active.  If
                     this option is specified as an empty  string
                     (the  default),  then  the  activeBackground
                     option for the overall menu is used.  If the
                     tk_strictMotif  variable  has  been  set  to
                     request strict Motif compliance,  then  this
                     option is ignored and the -background option
                     is used in its place.  This  option  is  not
                     available for separator or tear-off entries.

              -activeforeground value
                     Specifies a foreground color to use for dis-
                     playing  this  entry  when it is active.  If
                     this option is specified as an empty  string
                     (the  default),  then  the  activeForeground
                     option for the overall menu is  used.   This
                     option  is  not  available  for separator or
                     tear-off entries.

              -accelerator value
                     Specifies a string to display at  the  right
                     side  of the menu entry.  Normally describes
                     an accelerator keystroke sequence  that  may
                     be  typed to invoke the same function as the
                     menu entry.  This option  is  not  available
                     for separator or tear-off entries.

              -background value
                     Specifies a background color to use for dis-
                     playing this entry when it is in the  normal
                     state  (neither  active  nor  disabled).  If
                     this option is specified as an empty  string
                     (the  default),  then  the background option
                     for the overall menu is used.   This  option
                     is  not  available for separator or tear-off
                     entries.
              -bitmap value
                     Specifies a bitmap to display  in  the  menu
                     instead  of  a  textual label, in any of the
                     forms accepted by Tk_GetBitmap.  This option
                     overrides the -label option but may be reset
                     to an empty string to enable a textual label
                     to  be  displayed.   If  a -image option has
                     been specified, it overrides -bitmap.   This
                     option  is  not  available  for separator or
                     tear-off entries.

              -command value
                     Specifies a Tcl command to execute when  the
                     menu  entry  is  invoked.  Not available for
                     separator or tear-off entries.

              -font value
                     Specifies the font to use when  drawing  the
                     label  or  accelerator string in this entry.
                     If this option  is  specified  as  an  empty
                     string  (the  default)  then the font option
                     for the overall menu is used.   This  option
                     is  not  available for separator or tear-off
                     entries.

              -foreground value
                     Specifies a foreground color to use for dis-
                     playing  this entry when it is in the normal
                     state (neither  active  nor  disabled).   If
                     this  option is specified as an empty string
                     (the default), then  the  foreground  option
                     for  the  overall menu is used.  This option
                     is not available for separator  or  tear-off
                     entries.

              -image value
                     Specifies  an  image  to display in the menu
                     instead of a text string or bitmap The image
                     must  have  been  created  by  some previous
                     invocation of  image  create.   This  option
                     overrides the -label and -bitmap options but
                     may be reset to an empty string to enable  a
                     textual  or  bitmap  label  to be displayed.
                     This option is not available  for  separator
                     or tear-off entries.

              -indicatoron value
                     Available only for checkbutton and radiobut-
                     ton entries.  Value is a boolean that deter-
                     mines whether or not the indicator should be
                     displayed.

              -label value
                     Specifies  a  string  to   display   as   an
                     identifying  label  in  the menu entry.  Not
                     available for separator or tear-off entries.

              -menu value
                     Available  only for cascade entries.  Speci-
                     fies the path name of the submenu associated
                     with  this  entry.   The  submenu  must be a
                     child of the menu.

              -offvalue value
                     Available  only  for  checkbutton   entries.
                     Specifies  the value to store in the entry's
                     associated variable when the entry is  dese-
                     lected.

              -onvalue value
                     Available   only  for  checkbutton  entries.
                     Specifies the value to store in the  entry's
                     associated   variable   when  the  entry  is
                     selected.

              -selectcolor value
                     Available only for checkbutton and radiobut-
                     ton entries.  Specifies the color to display
                     in the indicator when the entry is selected.
                     If   the  value  is  an  empty  string  (the
                     default) then the selectColor option for the
                     menu determines the indicator color.

              -selectimage value
                     Available only for checkbutton and radiobut-
                     ton entries.  Specifies an image to  display
                     in the entry (in place of the -image option)
                     when it is selected.  Value is the  name  of
                     an  image,  which  must have been created by
                     some previous invocation  of  image  create.
                     This  option  is  ignored  unless the -image
                     option has been specified.

              -state value
                     Specifies one of three states for the entry:
                     normal,  active,  or  disabled.   In  normal
                     state the entry is displayed using the fore-
                     ground  option  for  the  menu and the back-
                     ground option from the entry  or  the  menu.
                     The  active state is typically used when the
                     pointer is over the entry.  In active  state
                     the entry is displayed using the activeFore-
                     ground option for the menu  along  with  the
                     activebackground   option  from  the  entry.
                     Disabled state means that the  entry  should
                     be  insensitive:   the default bindings will
                     refuse to activate or invoke the entry.   In
                     this  state the entry is displayed according
                     to the  disabledForeground  option  for  the
                     menu  and  the  background  option  from the
                     entry.  This option  is  not  available  for
                     separator entries.

              -underline value
                     Specifies  the  integer index of a character
                     to underline in the entry.  This  option  is
                     also  queried  by  the  default bindings and
                     used to  implement  keyboard  traversal.   0
                     corresponds  to  the  first character of the
                     text displayed in the entry, 1 to  the  next
                     character,  and so on.  If a bitmap or image
                     is displayed in the entry then  this  option
                     is  ignored.   This  option is not available
                     for separator or tear-off entries.

              -value value
                     Available  only  for  radiobutton   entries.
                     Specifies  the value to store in the entry's
                     associated  variable  when  the   entry   is
                     selected.

              -variable value
                     Available only for checkbutton and radiobut-
                     ton entries.  Specifies the name of a global
                     value  to  set  when  the entry is selected.
                     For checkbutton entries the variable is also
                     set  when  the  entry  is  deselected.   For
                     radiobutton entries, changing  the  variable
                     causes the currently-selected entry to dese-
                     lect itself.

              The add widget command returns an empty string.

       pathName cget option
              Returns the  current  value  of  the  configuration
              option given by option.  Option may have any of the
              values accepted by the menu command.

       pathName configure ?option? ?value option value ...?
              Query or modify the configuration  options  of  the
              widget.   If no option is specified, returns a list
              describing all of the available options  for  path-
              Name  (see  Tk_ConfigureInfo for information on the
              format of this list).  If option is specified  with
              no  value, then the command returns a list describ-
              ing the one named option (this list will be identi-
              cal  to  the  corresponding  sublist  of  the value
              returned if no option is  specified).   If  one  or
              more  option-value  pairs  are  specified, then the
              command modifies the given widget option(s) to have
              the  given  value(s);   in  this  case  the command
              returns an empty string.  Option may  have  any  of
              the values accepted by the menu command.

       pathName delete index1 ?index2?
              Delete  all  of the menu entries between index1 and
              index2 inclusive.  If index2  is  omitted  then  it
              defaults  to index1.  Attempts to delete a tear-off
              menu entry are ignored (instead, you should  change
              the tearOff option to remove the tear-off entry).

       pathName entrycget index option
              Returns the current value of a configuration option
              for the entry given by index.  Option may have  any
              of the values accepted by the add widget command.

       pathName entryconfigure index ?options?
              This  command  is similar to the configure command,
              except that it applies to the options for an  indi-
              vidual  entry,  whereas  configure  applies  to the
              options for the menu as a whole.  Options may  have
              any  of  the values accepted by the add widget com-
              mand.  If options are specified, options are  modi-
              fied  as  indicated  in the command and the command
              returns an empty string.  If no options are  speci-
              fied, returns a list describing the current options
              for entry index (see Tk_ConfigureInfo for  informa-
              tion on the format of this list).

       pathName index index
              Returns the numerical index corresponding to index,
              or none if index was specified as none.

       pathName insert index type ?option value option value ...?
              Same  as  the  add  widget  command  except that it
              inserts the new entry just before the  entry  given
              by  index,  instead  of appending to the end of the
              menu.  The type, option, and value  arguments  have
              the  same interpretation as for the add widget com-
              mand.  It  is  not  possible  to  insert  new  menu
              entries  before the tear-off entry, if the menu has
              one.

       pathName invoke index
              Invoke the action of the menu entry.  See the  sec-
              tions  on  the individual entries above for details
              on what happens.  If the  menu  entry  is  disabled
              then  nothing  happens.  If the entry has a command
              associated with it then the result of that  command
              is returned as the result of the invoke widget com-
              mand.  Otherwise the result  is  an  empty  string.
              Note:  invoking a menu entry does not automatically
              unpost the menu;   the  default  bindings  normally
              take care of this before invoking the invoke widget
              command.
       pathName post x y
              Arrange for the menu to be displayed on the  screen
              at  the  root-window  coordinates given by x and y.
              These coordinates  are  adjusted  if  necessary  to
              guarantee  that  the  entire menu is visible on the
              screen.  This command  normally  returns  an  empty
              string.   If the postCommand option has been speci-
              fied, then its value is executed as  a  Tcl  script
              before  posting  the  menu  and  the result of that
              script is returned as the result of the post widget
              command.   If  an error returns while executing the
              command, then the error is returned without posting
              the menu.

       pathName postcascade index
              Posts the submenu associated with the cascade entry
              given by index, and unposts any  previously  posted
              submenu.   If index doesn't correspond to a cascade
              entry, or if pathName isn't posted, the command has
              no  effect  except  to  unpost any currently posted
              submenu.

       pathName type index
              Returns the type of the menu entry given by  index.
              This  is the type argument passed to the add widget
              command when the entry was created, such as command
              or separator, or tearoff for a tear-off entry.

       pathName unpost
              Unmap the window so that it is no longer displayed.
              If a lower-level cascaded menu  is  posted,  unpost
              that menu.  Returns an empty string.

       pathName yposition index
              Returns  a  decimal  string giving the y-coordinate
              within the menu window of the topmost pixel in  the
              entry specified by index.


MENU CONFIGURATIONS
       The  default bindings support four different ways of using
       menus:

       Pulldown Menus
              This is the  most  common  case.   You  create  one
              menubutton widget for each top-level menu, and typ-
              ically you arrange a series of menubuttons in a row
              in a menubar window.  You also create the top-level
              menus and  any  cascaded  submenus,  and  tie  them
              together with -menu options in menubuttons and cas-
              cade menu entries.  The top-level menu  must  be  a
              child of the menubutton, and each submenu must be a
              child of the menu that refers to it.  Once you have
              done this, the default bindings will allow users to
              traverse and invoke  the  tree  of  menus  via  its
              menubutton;   see  the  menubutton manual entry for
              details.

       Popup Menus
              Popup menus typically post in response to  a  mouse
              button  press  or  keystroke.  You create the popup
              menus and any cascaded submenus, then you call  the
              tk_popup  procedure at the appropriate time to post
              the top-level menu.

       Option Menus
              An option menu consists of  a  menubutton  with  an
              associated  menu  that  allows you to select one of
              several values.  The current value is displayed  in
              the menubutton and is also stored in a global vari-
              able.  Use the tk_optionMenu  procedure  to  create
              option menubuttons and their menus.

       Torn-off Menus
              You create a torn-off menu by invoking the tear-off
              entry at the top of an existing menu.  The  default
              bindings  will  create a new menu that is a copy of
              the original menu and leave it  permanently  posted
              as  a  top-level window.  The torn-off menu behaves
              just the same as the original menu.


DEFAULT BINDINGS
       Tk automatically creates class  bindings  for  menus  that
       give them the following default behavior:

       [1]    When  the mouse enters a menu, the entry underneath
              the mouse cursor activates;   as  the  mouse  moves
              around  the menu, the active entry changes to track
              the mouse.

       [2]    When the mouse leaves a menu all of the entries  in
              the  menu  deactivate,  except  in the special case
              where the mouse moves from a  menu  to  a  cascaded
              submenu.

       [3]    When  a  button is released over a menu, the active
              entry (if any) is invoked.  The menu  also  unposts
              unless it is a torn-off menu.

       [4]    The  Space  and Return keys invoke the active entry
              and unpost the menu.

       [5]    If any of the entries in a menu have letters under-
              lined  with  with  -underline option, then pressing
              one of the underlined letters (or its upper-case or
              lower-case   equivalent)  invokes  that  entry  and
              unposts the menu.
       [6]    The Escape key aborts a menu selection in  progress
              without  invoking  any  entry.  It also unposts the
              menu unless it is a torn-off menu.

       [7]    The Up and Down keys activate the  next  higher  or
              lower  entry in the menu.  When one end of the menu
              is reached, the active entry wraps  around  to  the
              other end.

       [8]    The  Left  key  moves to the next menu to the left.
              If the current menu is a cascaded submenu, then the
              submenu  is  unposted  and  the  current menu entry
              becomes the cascade entry in the  parent.   If  the
              current  menu  is  a  top-level  menu posted from a
              menubutton, then the current menubutton is unposted
              and  the  next  menubutton  to  the left is posted.
              Otherwise the key has no  effect.   The  left-right
              order  of menubuttons is determined by their stack-
              ing order:  Tk assumes that the  lowest  menubutton
              (which  by  default is the first one created) is on
              the left.

       [9]    The Right key moves to the next menu to the  right.
              If  the  current entry is a cascade entry, then the
              submenu is  posted  and  the   current  menu  entry
              becomes the first entry in the submenu.  Otherwise,
              if the current menu was posted from  a  menubutton,
              then  the  current  menubutton  is unposted and the
              next menubutton to the right is posted.

       Disabled menu  entries  are  non-responsive:   they  don't
       activate   and   they  ignore  mouse  button  presses  and
       releases.

       The behavior of menus can be changed by defining new bind-
       ings  for  individual  widgets  or by redefining the class
       bindings.


BUGS
       At present it isn't possible to use the option database to
       specify values for the options to individual entries.


KEYWORDS
       menu, widget
