============================================================================ BarMenu Components Copyright (C) 2000-2003 Bluecave Software. All Rights Reserved.

You may use this Package under compliance of Public License or Corporation License.

Public License:

For license terms see License.txt. You may not use this package in anyway unless you agree the terms. So, before you continue, please read the License.

Corporation License:

For license terms see CorpLicense.txt. You may not use this package in anyway unless you agree the terms. So, before you continue, please read the License.

Corporation License License Fee is $29.90. For detailed information how to order read Register.txt.

Contact information:

Latest version of the BarMenus is available at: http://www.bluecave.net/products/barmenus/BarMenus.zip

Bluecave Software, http://www.bluecave.net/ support@bluecave.net

Jouni Airaksinen, http://www.bluecave.net/mintus/ Mintus@Codefield.com

If you have any questions or suggestions contact me. Use either my personal email or the Bluecave Software support email. Any emails related to this package are welcome. If you want to praise these components, you are welcome to do so. Actually, I would appreciate your comments very much. Without any mental support, I seen no point developing these for others than just me and my needs.

BarMenu Components Mailing list:

BarMenu Components has a mailing list. The list is for questions, feature requests and general discussion. You will also get notifications through the list whenever new a version of BarMenu Components is released. The list is a very convient way to communicate with the author and other users of the BarMenu Components.

To join the list go to, http://www.freelists.org/list/barmenus

Mailing list provided by www.freelists.org.

Other people involved:

Thanks to following people who have contributed their work to BarMenu Components:

* Magnus Flysjö (magnus.flysjo@visuellkommunikation.com)
* Yury Zaytsev, Binary Insight SDT (www.binary-insight.com)

Thanks for Magnus Flysjö for some suggestions and improvements to the code.

Special thanks to Stefan Agoston for testing the package compatibility with Delphi 6 and C++Builder 5.

Big thanks for Yuri Zaytsev for testing and providing packages for C++Builder 6.

What are BarMenu Components?

BarMenu Components is a package to create menus and popupmenus with a gradient bar - like the classic start-menu. Gradient bar is drawn dynamically so you get very smooth bar with customizable colors. Alternatively you can have bitmap as a bar or even both; bitmap and gradient bar. Gradient bar can have dynamically created vertical caption with highlight and shadow colors. Also you can have additional bitmap (e.g. logo) on the bar. If you want you can also draw the menu bar manually through events.

BarMenu Components are compatible with Windows XP. Windows version is autodetected and your menus have automatically XP look under Windows XP and the standard look under older versions of Windows'. It is also possible to force the MenuStyle.

Menu separator lines in BarMenus can be drawn in a short way - like in Office 2000. Also it is possible to have text in the separator line - like in ICQ. Separator line ends can be faded like in Windows XP and/or lines can be flat (single line, color can be selected).

Making some special application and need custom menu font? These components have MenuFont property to change the font other than the system default just for the menus in your application.

For more flexibility there is a DrawModule concept. DrawModule is separate module which handles the MenuItem drawing for the whole menu. You can switch between different DrawModules in designtime and runtime. Let the user choose the menu look in your application - implement with just one line of code!

Components are compatible with VCL, so it is easy to convert existing menus. In addition BarMenus are resource friendly, no Form based solutions. Package contains two demo applications.

BarMenu Components package contains following components: - TBcBarMainMenu - TBcBarPopupMenu - TBcCustomDrawModule

Requirements:

BarMenu Components can be compiled and used with (tested): * Delphi 5 * Delphi 6 * Delphi 7 * C++Builder 5 * C++Builder 6

Might be coming: version for Kylix 1 and/or 2

Installing:

After unzipping the files in the package to own directory you should have following directories:

Demo1\ - a demo program demonstrating the component Demo2\ - a demo program demonstrating dynamic use of the component Packages\ - packages for different compilers (Runtime, Designtime) * Delphi 5 (BcBarMenus50.dpk, BcBarMenusD50.dpk) * Delphi 6 (BcBarMenus60.dpk, BcBarMenusD60.dpk) * C++Builder 5 (BcBarMenusB50.dpk, BcBarMenusBD50.dpk) * C++Builder 6 (BcBarMenusB60.dpk, BcBarMenusBD60.dpk) Source\ - source files

Add the Source\ directory to your library path.
- Tools | Enviroment Options | Library | Library path ...
- write the path to the edit box and press Add.
Open appropiate runtime package file (without the "D" letter before the version number) in your IDE by selecting File | Open.
In the resulting package window, click the Compile button.
Open appropiate designtime package file (with the "D" letter before the version number) in your IDE by selecting File | Open.
In the resulting package window, click the Install button. If this package has already been installed (i.e. you are updating existing files), click the Compile button instead.

Now you should have the components under Bluecave tab in the component palette.

If you have problems with upgrading it is advisable to uninstall the BarMenus packages and then close your IDE and delete all BcBarMenus*.bpl files from your system (usually at ($DELPHI)\Projects\Bpl\ and/or ($SYSTEM)). After that try again to install with the above five step instructions.

Uninstalling:

If you need to uninstall the components:

Open Packages window by selecting Component | Install Packages.
Find the "Bluecave: BarMenu Components (Designtime)" package from the window and uncheck the box next to it.
Click Remove and then Yes.
In addition you may remove the Source\ directory from the library path.

To be completely sure of full uninstallation you can delete the BcBarMenus*.bpl files from system. Note that if you have applications compiled with the runtime packages, and you delete the bpl files, your applications won't work anymore.

TBcBarPopupMenu and TBcBarMainMenu:

TBcBarPopupMenu works like the normal TPopupMenu but TBcBarPopupMenu introduces few new properties. TBcBarMainMenu is similar to normal TMainMenu and it introduces few new properties as well.

Following properties are common for both components:

property Separators: TBcSeparators | | | +-- property SeparatorStyle: TSeparatorStyle | | Controls the the separator line style. Note that with style ssCaption | | if there is no caption text (the Hint property of menuitem) the line | | is drawn in a standard way. | | | +-- property Alignment: TAlignment | | Alignment of the separator line text. | | | +-- property GradientStyle: TGradientStyle | | Style of the caption gradient with style ssCaption. | | | +-- property GradientStart: TColor | +-- property GradientEnd: TColor | | Colors of the separator line caption with style ssCaption. | | | +-- property Fade: Boolean | | If set True the separators (ssShortLine, ssNormal) are drawn | | as single line with faded ends. | | | +-- property FadeWidth: Boolean | | Width of the fade at the ends. | | | +-- property FadeColor: Boolean | | Color of the line when Fade is True. | | | +-- property FlatLines: Boolean | | Lines as single color line. | | | +-- property Font: TFont | | Separator line caption text font. Has no effect if UseSystemFont is | | set True. | | | +-- property UseSystemFont: Boolean | If set True the separator line captions are draw using the default | system menu font instead of the font in the Font property. |
property Flat: Boolean // protected property - do not use | Draw menu borders Flat instead of the standard 3D look. |
property Opacity: TOpacity // protected property - do not use | Controls the opacity of the menu. Values 0..255 are accepted where 255 | is completely opaque and 0 is completely transparent. Works only in | Windows 2000/XP. Ignored in Windows'. This property does not exist | in TBcBarMainMenu. |
property MenuFont: TFont | Font for the menuitems. Use this e.g. to personalize the menifont only for | your application because of special font requirements. |
property UseSystemFont: Boolean | If set True the menu items are draw using the default | system menu font instead of the font in the MenuFont property. |
property MenuStyle: TBcMenuStyle | This property allows you to select msStandard, msWindowsXP or msAuto. msAuto | will select drawing style depending on the Windows version in which the | application is run. msStandard is the VCL old way and msWindowsXP is | Windows XP way. |
property DrawModule: TBcBarMe

BarMenus

Install / Use

README