Does the Window menu in the Delphi IDE serve any useful purpose?

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Does the Window menu in the Delphi IDE serve any useful purpose?

Why is there a Component menu that has only four items in it:
* New VCL component, which duplicates the File -> New -> Component functionality
* Create Component Template, which could easily be moved to Edit or Refactor, or even Tools
* Install Packages, which really belongs under File or Tools
* Import Component, which again belongs under File or Tools

Questions...

I've just added an option to GExperts to hide the Window menu and move Components under tools. The reason for doing this: It reduces the width of the menu and allows me to move the toolbar to the right of the menu and so gain some more vertical space for the editor window.
(Yes, I'm currently working on a notebook computer.)

Comments

  1. Mircea PfaFebruary 22, 2016 at 1:06 PM

    there's a layout for the ide named "Classic undocked". Enable that and then check the window menu again. That should answer your first question.

    The rest, is a matter of opinion. I have none on this matter.

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  2. Heinz ToskanoFebruary 22, 2016 at 2:20 PM

    Well, under D2007, windows menu keeps a list of open windows and an option to open new windows, only has meaning when not using embeded designer. BUT, as I use it embeded, the options are greyed.

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  3. Richard BaroniunasFebruary 22, 2016 at 4:11 PM

    Not to be a pain but why can't you move the entire GExperts under tools and have it expand to a sideway menu and leave Window alone, as Heinz mentioned it is there for a reason even if we do not use it.

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  4. David MillingtonFebruary 22, 2016 at 4:42 PM

    It's a leftover from when window switching required a window menu. Ah, the days of MDI and floating windows... IMO better left behind :p

    I like the idea of removing it and moving the Components menu to a submenu. Nice idea.

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  5. Thomas Mueller (dummzeuch)February 22, 2016 at 9:29 PM

    Richard Baroniunas​ because I like it better as a main menu item.
    GExperts already had the option to be put under tools, in case you didn't know. It now has two more options. Chose the ones you like, leave the ones you don't.

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  6. Richard BaroniunasFebruary 22, 2016 at 10:12 PM

    Thomas Mueller Thanks, I did not know that about the tools option, that is where I placed my GExperts for now.

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  7. Glenn CrouchFebruary 22, 2016 at 11:26 PM

    I like having options :) Since I can't recall using the Windows Menu - if given the option to hide it, I would - since I can always change the option later... Some goes with the Component Menu. Always pleased to have a little more real estate - keep up the good work!

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  8. Nicholas RingFebruary 23, 2016 at 1:28 AM

    David Millington From the snippets of information I gathered last November, there seems to be plans to re-enable the floating windows again (for VCL and FMX) - of course, I believe it will optional to which way you want the IDE :)

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  9. Heinz ToskanoFebruary 23, 2016 at 10:14 AM

    Is it posible to allow us to move any other menu item to another custom menu? so we can customize any menu as we like.

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  10. Thomas Mueller (dummzeuch)February 23, 2016 at 10:27 AM

    Heinz Toskano yes that would be possible. But I doubt that it's worth the effort. Also it might play havoc with other plugins which assume a certain arrangement of the menus. And even the IDE itself might get into trouble because it adds some menu items dynamically, e.g. the ones configurable in the Tools menu. When I simply appended the Component menu to the Tools menu, it vanished because the IDE overwrote it when it changed the Tools menu.

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  11. Heinz ToskanoFebruary 23, 2016 at 10:52 AM

    Thomas Mueller I understand. The IDE still has a 90s look and feel, something we all are used too.

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  12. Nicholas RingFebruary 23, 2016 at 11:39 AM

    Also, I believe the IDE expects certain menu items in certain places (as I have also hacked around the IDE menus because I also work on a laptop) and things go bust when the expected result is not returned (no error checking here, move on).

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  13. Nicholas RingFebruary 25, 2016 at 1:39 AM

    Just in case anyone is interested, here is an item I raise last year - https://quality.embarcadero.com/browse/RSP-12732

    ReplyDelete

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