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Current Menu Version: 5.955 dated Sunday April 14 2024 Click to Download

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Milonic Menu FAQ


I recently downloaded the menu but when I run it, I see a link to Milonic Menu, how can I get rid of this?
    This is our attempt to protect our Intellectual Property.

    If you are a licensed user of Milonic Products your downloads will be delivered without the link.

    If you are not a license holder, all downloads will be restricted by this link. This is after all part of the free license deal and shouldn't be removed without a proper license to do so.

    The only way to get a copy of the menu without the link is to either purchase a license or make a requst for a free license. There is currently a small admin charge for processing free licenses.


I've now purchased a license but the menu still contains the link to milonic.com.
    This is because you need to download the "unlinked" menu now that you have bought.

    If you ensure that you are logged in as the user that bought the menu, you will be issued with a download that does not contain the mandatory link to Milonic.com

    Note that your data file will not need to be changed and should be fully compatible with the new menu code files.


My menus are linking to pages inside IFRAMES, this means that the menu items are not highlighted using pagecolor and pagebgcolor, how can I activate certain menu items.
    When you target IFRAMES using the menu, only the IFRAME will get refreshed. This means that the actual pages URL or HREF will remain the same and the menu will not know that one of its links is currently active.

    The workaround for this is to include a custom function inside your menu_data.js file and call this function inside each of your menu items targetting the IFRAMES

    The function for this is:

    function highlightme()
    {
    _I=_mi[_itemRef];
    if(_I[19])_I[7]=_I[19]
    if(_I[18])_I[8]=_I[18]
    itemOff(_itemRef)
    }

    Custom functions are normally placed at the top of the data file, before everything else.

    Once you have added the above function to your datafile you then need to tell the menu to execute this function onClick.

    You can do this 2 ways, one way is to add the function inside a clickfunction definition like this:

    aI("text=Link To IFRAME;url=link.htm;target=IFRAME;clickfunction=highlightme();");

    The other way is to add highlightme() to your URL, like this}

    aI("text=Link To IFRAME;url=`javascript:highlightme();openIFrame('tempiframe','somelink.htm')`");

    You could also add the definition highlightme(); to the openIFrame function}


My menus are not positioned correctly on Internet Explorer for the Apple Mac, why is this?
    This is a big problem with Internet Explorer browser for the Apple Mac if you have embedded the whole of the menu inside a table cell and set the position of the menu to relative but it is something that can be fixed.

    The problem is caused by the way Internet Explorer on the Mac determines positioning. As you have embedded the menus inside a table cell, Mac-IE will use the top and left offsets of the table rather than the top and left offsets of the browser window, no other browser does this and it's one of the reasons why we are so happy that Microsoft ceased support for this dreadful browser.

    The workaround is to build all of the sub menus first, independently of the table cell. The sub menus need to be built as HTML objects on their own and not be embedded inside any other HTML object. Just after the body tag is a good place to put the sub menus. To do this move all of your menu script definitions and your menu data to just after the body tag and render the menus as normal with the drawMenus() command. This will build the sub menus as part of the web page (BODY) and not part as of a table cell

    You then need to move the relative positioned main menu (that we haven't rendered yet) into your table cell.

    Your menu object definition (inside the table cell) will look something like this:


    <html>
    <body>
    <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="milonic_src.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>
    <script language=JavaScript>
    if(ns4)_d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=mmenuns4.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    else _d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=mmenudom.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    </script>
    <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="menu_data.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>
    <table border=1>
      <tr>
        <td>
          <script language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>
            with(milonic=new menuname("Main Menu")){
            style=menuStyle;
            alwaysvisible=1;
            orientation="horizontal";
            position="relative";
            aI("text=Home;url=http://www.milonic.com/;");
            aI("text=Menu Samples;showmenu=Samples;");
            aI("text=Milonic;showmenu=Milonic;");
            aI("text=Partners;showmenu=Partners;");
            aI("text=Links;showmenu=Links;");
            aI("text=My Milonic;showmenu=My Milonic;");
            }
            drawMenus()
        </script>
        </td>
      </tr>
    </table>
    </body>
    </html>

    So basically, what you are doing is building all of the sub menus as entities on their own. The main menu can go inside the table cell without further problems.

    When you embed all of the menus inside a table cell, the table cell becomes the menus parent object and this confuses Apple Mac's Internet Explorer. Then, you only place the main (relative) menu inside the table cell, this will then allow IE on the Mac to position the menus correctly.


How do I upgrade to the latest code release?
    Login and download the current menu code from Menu Information Page or the Menu Download Page then simply copy the files milonic_src.js, mmenudom.js, mmenuns4.js into your menu directory.

    Menu_data.js holds all your menu style information, and doesn't need to be altered to upgrade to the latest code.


Would it be possible for someone from Milonic to build our menu system? If so what are the typical rates/charges?
    Yes, we can build your menu to your specification, we charge $150 which includes a professional software license.


I have more than one license but your site keeps building downloads for the first license I bought, how do I download for different licenses?
    You can download the full menu code for each license you have from My Licenses Page


I noticed that you release updates regularly. Will I automatically be notified of version changes?
    Currently no, but you can easily check via the Menu Information Page or the Forum to see if you need to update. As we are constantly updating the code we may be labelled as spammers if we were to email every time an update was released.


How can I tell what version of the Milonic Menu I already have?
    If you take a look at the top of one of your menu files, it should display the copyright and menu version information.


I'm a free license user and I need some help with my menu implantation, where can I get help?


I'm looking at the menu files but I can't see the link to Milonic.com, why is this?
    This is because it's encrypted into the menu source code adding a link to http://www.milonic.com/ to your page will remove the menu.
    Please do not attempt to reverse engineer our code, you will be in you being in breach of the terms and conditions.


I would like to remove the menu when a user prints my webpages How can I do this?
    In order to remove the menu from your page prints. You will need to add a Cascading Style Sheet to set the visibility of the menu to hidden whilst in print mode.

    The style sheet will need to consist of the following:

    .mmenu
    {
      position:absolute;
      display:none;
    }

    and needs to be called with the following CSS reference:

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="menuprint.css" media="print">

    The above assumes a CSS file name of menuprint.css.

    This will be automatically activated when the user prints your web pages.

    Alternatively, you could add the above as a property embedded in style tags, like this:

    <style type="text/css">
    @media print {
      .mmenu {
          position:absolute;
          display: none;
        }
      }
    </style>


Can I add a link to a menu item that opens a sub menu?

    Yes - Each menu item can be both a parent to a sub menu as well as link to a page.

    It's a simple matter of declaring the sub menu that you want to open 'onMouseOver' and also declaring the URL you want to open 'onClick'

    Here is a sample menu item that activates a sub menu and also links to a url

    aI("text=Sample Link;url=index.html;showmenu=submenu");


How do I add more menus or sub-menus?
    With a Text-Editor, just copy and paste an existing menu, change it's name and then change the menu items to suit your needs.

    In order to open the new menu, you'll need to add a menu item with a showmenu declaration pointing to the name of your new menu.


How do I add menu items?
    With a Text-Editor, just copy and paste an existing menu item. Then change the properties inside the meu item to suit your needs


Can I include more than one menu on a page at the same time?
    Absolutely, The menu has been designed to allow for an unlimited number of master menus.

    Each of these can be horizontal, vertical or combinations of the two. You can also use different colors and styles for each of your main menus.


Can I set a target for a link to open another frame or a new window?
    Yes, The menu can be instructed to open links in new instances of browsers, new editable windows and FRAMES or IFRAMES.

    More information can be found at this menu sample Opening Windows & Frames


Can the Milonic DHTML Menu be set Relative so that it appears to be part of my sites content flow?
    Yes, The Milonic DHTML Menu can be configured to become part of your pages content.

    The normal procedure for designing menus is to congigure them as floating menus. This is more cross browser happy but if you want the menu to position itself relative to other objects on your page this does not pose a problem

    To do this, you need to declare the menus position as relative with the

    position="relative";

    command


Can I use Images instead of text in my menus?
    Yes, The Milonic DHTML Menu has been designed to allow for menus to be rendered using only images.

    With this technique you will need to remove the padding reference in your style. And then substitute the 'text=blah;' parameter with 'image=blah.gif;'


Can I declare a background image for each of my menus?
    Yes, this is possible.

    Add the property

    bgimage=yourimage.gif;

    To the menus that you want to declare a background image for. Also, remember to remove the offbgcolor or else you won't see the image.


Can a menu item that opens a sub menu on mouse over, also be clicked on to open another page?

    Yes - Each menu item can be both a parent to a sub menu as well as link to a page.

    It's a simple matter of declaring the sub menu that you want to open 'onMouseOver' and also declaring the URL you want to open 'onClick'

    Here is a sample menu item that activates a sub menu and also links to a url

    aI("text=Sample Link;url=index.html;showmenu=submenu");


Do I need to declare widths for my vertical menus?
    Not if you are using Version 5+

    Older versions of the menu had big problems in certain browsers if a width had not been specified.

    This has now been worked on and a considerable amount of time spent perfecting this unique feature


I get text wrapping in my menu items. How can I stop this?
    I'm assuming you have declared a width for your menus.

    The reason you get text wrapping is becuase the menu needs more space, if you have declared a width the menu will never adjust the width to suit. It will always wrap onto the next line.

    To stop this from happening, either widen the menu by declaring a bigger width or remove the width parameter altogether and let the menu decide on the best width


I need to add &nbsp; to my text string.
    Menu properties are separated by semi colons and these could clash.

    Each menu item property is separated with a semi colon and as &nbsp; and all other html entities end in semi colon you would imagine this to cause a problem.

    However, the menu is smart enough to know that &nbsp; is not the end of the property and should add it as text to each of the properties you have declared.

    All other HTML Entites are valid and can be added as is without any modifications.


I want my main menu to be aligned centered on my page. What is the best way of achieving this?
    With Screen Position

    Screen Position is a powerful feature that sets the position of your menu based on where you want it.

    using a Screen Position of "center" will keep the menu in the center of the page. It will even adjust the position after a page resize.

    Other properties are Top, Middle, Bottom, Left and Right

    You can also use a combination of 2 properties. screenposition="center;middle"; will position the menu exactly in the middle of your page.

    Also note that you can offset the position slightly by declaring positive or negative offsets for the Top or Left positions

    Here's a sample:

    with(milonic=new menuname("mainmenu")){
    screenposition="center"
    top="offset=-200"
    .....

    This will position the menu in the center of the page and move it to the left by 200 pixels.


I want to have a different sub menu indicator image for horizontal menus, How can I do this?
    You can do this by either creating a completly new style and applying a different subimage or you can make a copy of an existing style and only change the values you want.

    It's done this way so that we can make the menu even more efficient. Here's how to do it:

    with(verticalStyle=new mm_style()){
    onbgcolor = "#ffffcc";
    oncolor = "black";
    offbgcolor = "#5082e6";
    offcolor = "#ffffff";
    subimage = "images/arrow.gif";
    }

    horizontalStyle=new copyOf(verticalStyle)
    horizontalStyle.subimage="images/arrow_down.gif";


    The above code creates a new style called verticalStyle, this will be used for all vertical menus.
    We then create a copy of this style, call it horizontalStyle and then change only the subimage

    We can then use the horizontalStyle for the horizontal menu (making any other changes neccessary) and then use the verticalStyle for all other menus


I want 2 menus on my page but each having different color schemes, How do I do this?
    Declare a different style for each menu that you want to have different colors.

    You can also copy an existing menu under a different name, change only the parameters you want changing and them apply this new style to your menu.


There is a delay opening my menus, How can I stop this delay?
    The Milonic DHTML Menu has a built in timer to only show sub-menus after a specified amount of time.

    This is the _menuOpenDelay variable stored in your menu data file. The reason we have this feature is to help improve the accuracy of a users mouse movement.

    If the user accidentaly goes over another menu item (not part of the current menu path) whilst on their way to a sub-menus menu item, the currently open menu will remain open. This hopefully reduces errors and frustration when the user isn't as accurate with a mouse as certain menu systems would like them to be.

    Any users with mouse pads on laptops will appreciate this feature because they are not as accurate as conventional mice.

    If you want to reduce, or indeed increase this delay, change the value for _menuOpenDelay in your data file, the value for this field is in milli seconds


My menus close to quickly, how can I get them to remain open for longer?
    This is controlled by the _menuCloseDelay parameter

    you can increase the amount of time menus remain open by increasing the value for this property and obviosly, reducing the value will reduce the delay.

    The value for _menuCloseDelay is in milli seconds


Do I have to have sub menu indicator images or can I disable them?
    You can disable this if you wish. The Milonic DHTML Menu is as flexible as you want it to be.

    None of the values are mandatory except for style. All you need to do is remove the subimage property completley, or set it's value to null


I want to run a JavaScript function when a user moves over a menu item, Is this possible?
    This is possible and is achieved by declaring the javascript function as a url

    Any valid link is allowable as a url in the Milonic DHTML Menu.

    In HTML you would declare this function as

    <a href="javascript:myfunction("my parameter")>My JS Function</a>


    As a menu item you would declare the above like this:

    aI("text=My JS Function;url=javascript:myfunction(\"my parameter\");")


    Note the addition of the escape character: \ This is needed to include double quotes inside a text string. You could have also used a single quote like this

    aI("text=My JS Function;url=javascript:myfunction('my parameter');")


I use Frontpage Shared Borders, will the menu still work if I embed it in a Shared Border?
    Absolutely, Milonic have ensured that the menu will work with FrontPage Shared Borders.

    Frontpage Shared Borders are basically tables that Frontpage add to your HTML.

    In order to use the menu with Shared Borders and also, with Tables, you need to declare the main menu as a relative positioned menu.

    So, the the main menu that you want attaching to the Shared Border will need to have its position set to relative with the following code:

    position="relative";

    Please also see Mac Table Trouble for more information on attaching menus to table cells.


I'm having trouble with images. image='../images/image.gif'; doesn't work too well.
    The reason the above fails sometimes is because of directory levels.

    The problem is, if your images are in (for example) the /images/ directory the menu needs to be told exactly this. You do this from the data file, here's an example:

    image="/images/image.gif";

    or

    image="http://www.milonic.com/images/image.gif";

    Both of the above samples are pointing to the same image file. Note the prefix of "/" in the first example, this is most important as this tells the menu to start from the begining of your directory tree, this means that you can access your images from any directory within your website.


I have no need to support Netscape 4, can I remove the reference to it?

    Yes - We separated the files so that once people decided that it just wasn't worth supporting Netscape 4.x they could remove the support for it altogether.

    You could do this by removing the code like this:

    <script language=JavaScript>
    if(ns4)_d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=mmenuns4.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    else _d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=mmenudom.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    </script>

    And replacing it with this:

    <script language=JavaScript src=mmenudom.js type=text/javascript></script>


What about JavaScript being switched off. Can users still navigate my site?
    Some users prefer to disable JavaScript for their day to day web browsing.

    Although this technique isn't recommended, it does mean that you will no longer fall victim to the barrage of popup ads and other annoying tactics that certain websites use.

    Many people also believe that leaving JavaScript enabled leaves their machine vunerable to attack from viruses, this is no longer the case with newer web browsers, if indeed it was ever possible with the old ones. JavaScript is quite safe.

    If you visit our website with JavaScript disabled you can still navigate.

    The way we do it is by adding a table inside a <NOSCRIPT> tag.

    This is also very useful for ensuring that Search Engines will be able to crawl your site. Search Engines do not care very much for JavaScript and so anything you can do to make the Search Engines life easier is definately a good thing.


What are the file sizes for the menu and can they be trimmed down?
    The file sizes constantly change as we improve the menu.

    We also add new features on a regular basis so the file sizes can go up as well as down

    The normal size of all menu files combined, range from between 20 to 30Kb but will depend on the complexity of your menu

    We have already optimized the code so little changes can be made to decrease the size of the files. However, if you would like to decrease the size of your data files we have a JavaScript Compressor that removes whitespace and on average reduces JavaScript files by as much as 70%. The link to the JavaScript compressor is here: Milonic JavaScript Compressor

    Note that many web browsers store copies of JavaScript files locally on your hard disk drive, so future page requests made to your site will not incur another download. This should ensure that once the main page of your site has downloaded that subsequent pages will load much quicker


What is the latest version of the DHTML Menu?
    The latest release of the DHTML Menu is version 5.955

    More information can be found here at our Menu Information Page


why isn't menu_data.js included within milonic_src.js like the other two files?
    The reason for this is so that you are not resticted by only one data file.

    The advantage of this is so that you can include multiple data files for multiple menus. Although you can also use the same data file for multiple menus, it gives users a much more flexible system and the structure of your menus is left up to you.


Why are the menu files all on one line when I open them in Notepad?

    This is a Unix to Microsoft Windows file compatibility problem.

    Due to the fact that the Milonic Web Server is Unix based, the files stored on it are in Unix file format. Even though they are plain text files they are not fully compatible, by default, on a Microsoft Windows operating system.

    This is because MS Windows, or DOS based files need two characters to represent a carriage return (ASCII Chr 13 and ASCII Chr 10). Unix and Apple Macs use only one character. To make matters even more complicated they do not use the same character. Unix uses ASCII Chr 10 and Apple Macs use Chr 13.

    This is only a problem if you are using a RAW Text Editor such as Notepad. If you use a higher level text editor like WordPad or the Milonic Recommended UltraEdit from http://www.ultraedit.com, the file will automatically be detected and converted without you even knowing it.



Does the Milonic DHTML Menu use a hierachical system for it's menus?
    The simple answer to this is No.

    The Milonic DHTML Menu treats each menu as equal. This may seem compicated at first but once you grasp the idea it is actually quite simple.

    Each menu has exactly the same properties and is treated as just another menu. Main or Master menus have one small difference and that is their ability to remain on screen at all times, hence the 'Always Visible' parameter.

    Any menu can be promoted to a Master menu and vice versa, be demoted to a sub menu. All you need to do is change the menus property and then give the menu a nudge by either hiding or displaying the menu depending on your choice.

    Techniques for this can be found in the Menu API, a growing set of functions and utilities for modifying your menus at runtime. More informatio on the Menu API can be found at the Menu API Pages.


Can I build my menus from a database?
    Yes, and this has already been done for a number of database formats. We currently support MySQL & Microsoft SQL Server


I'd like to use version 5. Do I have to manually recreate my array files again?
    Possibly, we have a version 3 to version 5 converter at converter.php that normally converts menu_array.js files.


Will Search Engines scan my menu data files?
    No, you will need to have additional links for search engines.

    Although search engines are very clever they do not really care much for JavaScript, even after it has been parsed.

    It is better to include a <NOSCRIPT> tag and include a table of links for both search engines and users without JavaScript support. This will enable all visitors to your site to still be able to navigate


I can't see scriptpath in the new download, where is it?
    The variable scriptpath was a good idea but too many people had problems understanding how directory structures worked.

    This meant that we had to remove it in favor of something that all users could understand, now all you need is the following code included on each page that you want the menu on:

    <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/milonic_src.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

    <script language=JavaScript>
    if(ns4)_d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=/mmenuns4.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    else _d.write("<scr"+"ipt language=JavaScript src=/mmenudom.js><\/scr"+"ipt>");
    </script>

    <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/menu_data.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

    Note that you still need to declare the exact path to your menu files. The above sample assumes that you are including the files in the root of your website. The prefix / indicates this.


I can't seem to log-on. I have my username and password but it won't let me in.
    It's possible that your account hasn't been activated yet.

    We would have sent an email with a link that you needed to follow in order to activate your account. This would have been sent to the email address that was specified when you subscribed.

    If you have deleted this email or need another activation link, enter your email address on this page Account Activation Request. Another activation email will be sent to you.

    Unless this link is followed you will not be able to login. It's an anti SPAM meassure that we are having to take.


I've activated my account but I still cannot login, what is the problem?
    If you have activated your account and you are sure that Cookies are allowable from milonic.com you must be entering your details incorrectly.

    We recently monitored user input and people swore that they had entered their password as shown, but after closer inspection we saw many people had still entered the wrong paswsord even though they were sure it was correct.

    Try using copy and paste to enter your password. If this still fails ask us to change it for you.

    Also note that the password for the Forum is not the same as the password for the main website.


I have an account and a license but I can't post on the forum, why not?
    You probably do not have a user account for the forum.

    The forum uses a seprate login system to the main website.

    The reason for this is because we have over 100,000+ registered users of the menu but only around 2500 users that participate on the forum. It helps to keep our admin down.

    If you need to post questions on the forum you will need to create another account, specifically for the forum.


Can I change my password? The one you gave me is too difficult to remember.


When the Professional DHTML Menu License is acquired, is this for one style of menu only? Example - if using the Multi Columns menu style, is this the sole style that would have been paid for?
    No, once you're licensed you can use or combine as many of the sample styles available on our site as you wish. The samples are just visual examples of the many features the Milonic menu has to offer. All the menu samples are built from the same code and can be used or adapted to suit your own website style.




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