How menu commands work

When the user clicks a menu with a menu item that contains a menu command, the following events occur:

  1. If any menuitem tag in the menu contains the dynamic attribute, Adobe Dreamweaver calls the getDynamicContent() function in the associated Menu Commands file to populate the menu.
  2. Adobe Dreamweaver calls the canAcceptCommand() function in each Menu Commands file that is referenced in the menu to check whether the command is appropriate for the selection.
    • If the canAcceptCommand() function returns a false value, the menu item is dimmed.
    • If the canAcceptCommand() function returns a true value or is not defined, Adobe Dreamweaver calls the isCommandChecked() function to determine whether to display a check mark next to the menu item. If the isCommandChecked() function is not defined, no check mark appears.
  3. Adobe Dreamweaver calls the setMenuText() function to determine the text that should appear in the menu.

    If the setMenuText() function is not defined, Adobe Dreamweaver uses the text that is specified in the menuitem tag.

  4. The user selects an item from the menu.
  5. Adobe Dreamweaver calls the receiveArguments() function, if defined, in the selected Menu Commands file to let the command process any arguments that pass from the menu item.

    NOTE

    If it is a dynamic menu item, the ID of the menu item passes as the only argument.

  6. Adobe Dreamweaver calls the commandButtons() function, if defined, to determine which buttons appear on the right side of the Options dialog box and what code should execute when the user clicks the buttons.
  7. Adobe Dreamweaver scans the Menu Commands file for a FORM tag.

    If a form exists, Adobe Dreamweaver calls the windowDimensions() function to determine the size of the Options dialog box that contains the BODY elements of the file.

    If the windowDimensions() function is not defined, Adobe Dreamweaver automatically sizes the dialog box.

  8. If the Menu Commands file's BODY tag contains an onLoad handler, Adobe Dreamweaver executes the associated code (whether or not a dialog box appears). If no dialog box appears, the remaining steps do not occur.
  9. The user selects options in the dialog box. Adobe Dreamweaver executes event handlers that are associated with the fields as the user encounters them.
  10. The user clicks one of the buttons that are defined by the commandButtons() function.
  11. Adobe Dreamweaver executes the code that is associated with the clicked button.
  12. The dialog box remains visible until one of the scripts in the Menu Commands file calls the window.close() function.