Java Shopping Cart Setup Documentation

Chapter 3 - Menu file creation.

This is one the most delicate thing in the JSC setup. You have to be VERY CAREFUL when changing this file. The positioning if each character is VERY IMPORTANT. Certain lines need to start in the position 1 or position 2. This is very important. After you get basic idea you will be able to create professional quality menus.

Symbols definitions:

| : horizontal field separator character
{ : begin or open menu character
} : end or close menu character
- : vertical menu separator

Basic Menu Format:

TopMenuOption|{
SubMenuOption|CatalogFile+BannerFile+TextFile
}

BannerFile and TextFile options are not supported for JSCF. Use '*' instead.
Example: SubMenuOption|CatalogFile+*+*.
You MUST use '*' as described above.

The TopMenuOption is the top level menu description. The '|' separates two items. First item is the TopMenuOption description and the second item is '{'. The { represented an open menu command. The SubMenuOption starts in the column two. This is VERY IMPORTANT. After '|' separator character the catalog file name follows together with image banner for this catalog file and up to two lines of description text file. The '*' can be use to represent default banner and suppress text file. For more information on how to create catalog files see Chapter 4. The '}' will close this menu. We will provide several examples of creating menus.
We believe that the best way to learn is by example. We'll use computer store concept for this.

Example 1: One Menu with tow items and no text descriptions.

Computers|{
Desktop|desktop.cat+desktop_ban.gif+*
Notebooks|notebook.cat+notebook_ban.gif+*
}

Example 2: Same as example 1 but with separator.

Computers|{
Desktop|desktop.cat+desktop_ban.gif+*
-
Notebooks|notebook.cat+notebook_ban.gif+*
}

Example 3: Three top menus with two items each
Note: no spaces between lines and all items start in column two.

Computers|{
Desktop Computers|desktop.cat+desktop_ban.gif+desck.txt
-
Notebook Computers|notebook.cat+notebook_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}
Scanners|{
Hand-Held Scanners|hand_scan.cat+scanban.gif+*
-
Flatbed Scanners|flat_scan.cat+flatscan.gif+*
}
Software|{
Graphics Software|graphware.cat+*+*
Publishing Software|software.cat+*+*
}

Example 4: Three top menus with submenus on the first one.
Note: In the first menu Computers we have two submenus Systems and Printers. They start in column two and have their own open and close symbols {}. The items with in these submenus start in the column three.
Don't forget an '|' separator character.

Computers|{
Systems|{
    Desktop Computers|desktop.cat+desktop_ban.gif+desck.txt
    -
    Notebook Computers|notebook.cat+notebook_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}
Printers|{
    Laser|laser.cat+*+*
    Ink-Jet|inkjet.cat+*+*
}
}
Scanners|{
    Hand-Held Scanners|hand_scan.cat+scanban.gif+*
    -
    Flatbed Scanners|flat_scan.cat+flatscan.gif+*
}
Software|{
   Graphics Software|graphware.cat+*+*
   Publishing Software|software.cat+*+*
}

The best way is to study examples above and experiment with top level menus and submenus. This structure gives you great flexibility with the menus. You can have up to ten levels of submenus.

You don't have to use .cat extension for catalog files. Use anything you like as long as you point to the same extension in your JSCMenu.ini.

IMPORTANT: Each description in the sub-menu for the catalog must be unique.

For instance the following example is incorrect because the descriptions "Desktop Computers" are the same for Budget and Power Computers. Even though they are in the different menus they MUST be unique.

Budget Computers|{
Desktop Computers|bdesktop.cat+desk_ban.gif+desck.txt
-
Notebook Computers|bnotebook.cat+note_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}
Power Computers|{
Desktop Computers|pdesktop.cat+desk_ban.gif+desck.txt
-
Notebook Computers|pnotebook.cat+note_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}

Change the example above to have different names:

Budget Computers|{
Budget Desktop Computers|bdesktop.cat+desk_ban.gif+desck.txt
-
Budget Notebook Computers|bnotebook.cat+note_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}
Power Computers|{
Power Desktop Computers|pdesktop.cat+desk_ban.gif+desck.txt
-
Power Notebook Computers|pnotebook.cat+note_ban.gif+noteb.txt
}

This way each description is unique.

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