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Last month, I started talking about menu customization and the many different aspects of it—from files to menu sections. All these items help to understand how menus work in AutoCAD; hopefully it didn't scare anyone away. This article will help to clear any "fog" that may exist out there, giving us clear sailing ahead. So onward we go! This article will help to give an understanding of a couple different topics that seem to come up when menu customization is discussed: MNU vs. MNS and Partial vs. Full (or Base) menu formats. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these topics in the world of menu customizing?

MNU vs. MNS
One of the great questions about menus that is brought up time and time again is, "What are the differences between MNU and MNS files?" A MNU file is referred to as a menu template and, as such, is where all menus start. You could think of the MNU as being similar to a DWT. You start a new drawing with a Drawing Template (DWT) and create a DWG file. For menus, you start with a MNU and create a MNS (menu source) file. The MENU command is used to load the MNU file into AutoCAD and this does several things when a MNU file is selected.

1. It generates a human readable file in the form of the MNS from the MNU. For the most part they are identical files, but the MNS doesnˇ¦t contain all of the comments that are found in the MNU file. So the MNS file is a scaled down version of the MNU file.
2. The MNC (compiled menu) and MNR (menu resource) files are generated as additional output files that are machine readable. The MNC file is what actually gets loaded into AutoCAD for speed purposes and the MNR file is where the Toolbar icons are compiled for that menu file.
3. Loads the MNC file into AutoCAD after all files are generated.

Tip: Menu files can be dragged and dropped into AutoCAD to force a recompile and/or loading into the AutoCAD environment, like you can do with the MENU command. This works for MNU, MNS, and MNC file types.

If you're confused, no worries. I have created several small images that show the process. Often a picture can be worth a thousand words and, in this case, maybe a couple hundred thousand. The illustration below shows what is happening when a MNU file is selected in the MENU command. A MNS file can also be selected in the MENU command and it doesn't recompile the MNR and MNC files unless there is a date difference between the three files. If the MNU file is selected in the MENU command, the user has the option to continue compiling or not. If the user continues to recompile the MNU file, the MNS, MNC, and MNR files are overwritten and all changes to the MNS are lost.

So, you might wonder, what is the true purpose of the MNS then? Well, it is to protect the work that you did when making changes to the customized menu. The MNS allows the user of that menu to make their own changes via the Customize command for their Toolbar buttons and Accelerator keys. When these changes take place AutoCAD goes through a similar process except it uses the MNS file and leaves the MNU file alone. This process is illustrated below.

It is in your best of interest to do your work in the MNU file directly or use some of the tools like the Customize command to make your changes. After the changes are made, make a copy of the MNS file and rename the file extension to MNU. This helps to reduce the risk of losing tools and causing the need for rework. The best solution is to store your menu files on a network location that is setup for Read-only access to the majority of the company. Then you can make the changes in one location and everyone will have the latest changes right away. Now this leads into the next topic of this article and that is to get an understanding of the differences between Partial vs. Full (or Base) menus.

Partial vs. Full (or Base) Menus
A Full menu contains all of the different menu sections where as a Partial menu will only contain some of the sections that contain the functionality of the tools that are desired. A Full menu is always loaded first and is typically loaded with the MENU command, but can be loaded with the MENULOAD command too. The MENULOAD command is used to load other menus that are typically setup as Partial menus. AutoCAD's Express Tools menu is an example of a partial menu, which contains only a single POP (pull-down) menu, some Toolbars and Help Strings.

Starting with AutoCAD 2005, Autodesk introduced a new Partial menu called Custom. This file was setup to help users get the benefits of using a Partial menu without some of the things that need to be done to get them loaded. The Custom menu was introduced to be a way to help users migrate to future versions by having custom Toolbars, Accelerator Keys and Help Strings outside of the main menu. Out of the box AutoCAD now has two different menus, unlike in previous versions were there was only one menu called Acad.mnu. The Acad.mnu is typically the Full menu file in most installs and setups.

By using Partial menus it is easier to migrate from one version to the next. This process helps to reduce the risk of losing items during the migration process and helps to keep company standards and workflow together too. Below is how AutoCAD sees menus that are loaded, Full and Partial. Each menu must have a different Menugroup name and based on the use of the MENU or MENULOAD command determines how AutoCAD handles loading of the POP menu items. If the MENULOAD command is used, the user determines which POP menus should be added to the Menubar at the top of AutoCAD.

Hopefully, now you better understand how AutoCAD's menu files work together. The next article will focus on the internal workings of the menu file, as I step through and show how to customize the many different sections of the menu file. I would like to hear from anyone that has tried to customize menus in the past, but couldn't quite get things to work or were you might have struggled. Also, I would like to hear about any successful experiences that anyone would be willing to share. Both these types of situations can help to get good tips out there for people to use. Below is a quick summary of the Pros and Cons to each of these topics. There might be more Cons and Pros to these topics, but these are the general ones.

Pros of using MNU over MNS

• Tools are not lost when a user makes changes to an MNS in AutoCAD.
• MNS, MNC, and MNR files can be recreated quickly from the MNU.

Cons of using MNU over MNS

• Using the Customize command in AutoCAD updates the MNS and not the MNU so some additional work most be done to get the changes back to the MNU.

Pros of using Partial over Full Menu

• Partial menus only contain your company tools and not all the AutoCAD tools so it is easier to maintain and manage.
• Workflow and company standards can be setup easier.
• Reduces risk of losing tools between versions and additional work when migrating.

Cons of using Partial over Full Menu

• There is some additional work that needs to be done to get the POP menus loaded into AutoCAD's Menubar area.

That's a Wrap for This Year
I would like to thank those at AUGI for allowing me to write an article each month on customizing AutoCAD, and many thanks to all the readers out there—you have made the first year of this column enjoyable to write. Without you, the readers, there just wouldn't be a need for newsletters such as AUGI HotNews, and I would like to extend happy holiday wishes to all. I look forward to what should be a great 2005!

Submitted by Lee Ambrosius of HyperPics.

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