Menu Attributes

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	Practical Programming in Tcl & Tk, Third Edition By Brent B. Welch
	Table of Contents
	Chapter 27.  Buttons and Menus

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A menu has a few global attributes, and then each menu entry has many button-like attributes that describe its appearance and behavior. Table 27-5 specifies the attributes that apply globally to the menu, unless overridden by a per-entry attribute. The table uses the X resource names, which may have a capital at interior word boundaries. In Tcl commands, use all lowercase and a leading dash.

Table 27-5. Menu attribute resource names.

activeBackground	Background color when the mouse is over a menu entry.
activeForeground	Text color when the mouse is over a menu entry.
activeBorderWidth	Width of the raised border around active entries.
background	The normal background color for menu entries.
borderWidth	Width of the border around all the menu entries.
cursor	Cursor to display when mouse is over the menu.
disabledForeground	Foreground (text) color when menu entries are disabled.
font	Default font for the text.
foreground	Foreground color. (Also fg).
postCommand	Tcl command to run just before the menu is posted.
selectColor	Color for selector in check and radio type entries.
takeFocus	Control focus changes from keyboard traversal.
tearOff	True if menu should contain a tear-off entry.
tearOffCommand	Command to execute when menu is torn off. Two arguments are added: the original menu and the new tear-off.
type	(Read-only) normal, menubar, or tearoff. (Tk 8.0).

Table 27-6 describes the attributes for menu entries, as you would use them in a Tcl command (i.e., all lowercase with a leading dash.) The attributes for menu entries are not supported directly by the resource database. However, Example 28-6 on page 411 describes how you can use the resource database for menu entries.

Table 27-6. Attributes for menu entries.

-activebackground	Background color when the mouse is over the entry.
-activeforeground	Foreground (text) color with mouse is over the entry.
-accelerator	Text to display as a reminder about keystroke binding.
-background	The normal background color.
-bitmap	A bitmap to display instead of text.
-columnbreak	Puts the entry at the start of a new column. (Tk 8.0).
-command	Tcl command to invoke when entry is invoked.
-font	Default font for the text.
-foreground	Foreground color. (Also fg).
-hidemargin	Suppresses the margin reserved for button indicators. (Tk 8.0).
-image	Image to display instead of text or bitmap.
-label	Text to display in the menu entry.
-justify	Text justification: center, left, or right.
-menu	Menu posted when cascade entry is invoked.
-offvalue	Variable value when check entry is not selected.
-onvalue	Value for Tcl variable when check entry is selected.
-selectcolor	Color for selector: check and radio entries.
-state	The state: normal, active, or disabled
-underline	Index of text character to underline.
-value	Value for Tcl variable when radiobutton entry is selected.
-variable	Tcl variable associated with the check or radio entry.

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