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Add a contextual command

Attach a contextual menu to the intended target control.

1 Form / control designs1 complete BASIC filesGuided sample project

The target relationship determines where the menu appears. Configure it in the component properties rather than drawing a fake menu into the Form. Handle the selected command in the ContextMenu event and leave the target’s normal interaction intact.

Step 1Prepare a safe practice project#

Extract the archive into a new writable folder, separate from your own application. Open ContextMenu.mcbproj in McBasic™. Keep every declared source, layout, resource and migration file together.

To reconstruct it yourself, create a DesktopApp project and add the files declared below. In the complete project, follow these steps as a guided rebuild: replace each named source file once and Check after all its procedures are present.

Exact project configuration
project.mcproj
{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "projectId": "c9f2b2cd-9c31-4b6e-bf0b-7e972f2cb4ef",
  "name": "ContextMenuSample",
  "kind": "DesktopApp",
  "ai": {
    "storeChatsInProject": false
  },
  "language": {
    "dialect": "McBasic1",
    "requireExplicit": true,
    "compare": "Binary",
    "defaultArrayBase": 0
  },
  "application": {
    "bundleIdentifier": "com.mcbasic.samples.contextmenu",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "buildNumber": "1",
    "startupFormId": "form-main",
    "shutdownMode": "OnStartupFormClosed"
  },
  "forms": [
    {
      "id": "form-main",
      "typeName": "frmMain",
      "layout": "Forms/frmMain.form.json",
      "code": "Forms/frmMain.bas"
    }
  ],
  "modules": [],
  "classes": [],
  "tests": [],
  "references": [],
  "resources": [],
  "targets": [
    "osx-arm64"
  ],
  "capabilities": []
}

Step 2Build the Form and set its properties#

frmMain

Select the Form first and set its properties. Add containers before their children. These are initial Designer values, not statements to paste into a procedure.

Form propertyValue
Caption"ContextMenu — McBasic"
Width560
Height300
MinWidth440
MinHeight220
TypeNameParent
CommandButtoncmdTargetForm
LabellblStatusForm
CommandButtoncmdCloseForm
ContextMenuctxTargetComponent tray
cmdTarget · exact Inspector values
PropertyValue
Left48
Top72
Width220
Height40
Caption"Context target"
TabIndex0
lblStatus · exact Inspector values
PropertyValue
Left48
Top136
Width440
Height32
Caption"Control-click the target button to open its context menu."
TabIndex1
cmdClose · exact Inspector values
PropertyValue
Left48
Top196
Width120
Height36
Caption"Close"
TabIndex2
ctxTarget · exact Inspector values
PropertyValue
Target"cmdTarget"
Items"Open\n---\nCopy"
VisibleTrue
EnabledTrue
ClickedIndex-1

Step 3Connect the events explicitly#

frmMain

ObjectEventProcedureParameters
cmdCloseClickcmdClose_ClickClick()
ctxTargetClickctxTarget_ClickClick()
FormLoadForm_Load()

Step 4Enter the complete behavior#

Open the named source file. Enter declarations first, then every procedure. Expand a procedure for its full body, or copy the complete file. Helpers are required: do not stop after entering the first Click handler.

Forms/frmMain.bas

Enter these declarations at file scope, before the procedures.

Forms/frmMain.bas · declarations
Option Explicit
Private Sub Form_Load()

Initialize state before enabling dependent actions. Keep the shared declarations and startup dependencies with this procedure.

Forms/frmMain.bas · Form_Load
Private Sub Form_Load()
    lblStatus.Caption = "Control-click the target button to open its context menu."
End Sub
Private Sub ctxTarget_Click()

Enter the complete action, including its input checks and calls to helper procedures.

Forms/frmMain.bas · ctxTarget_Click
Private Sub ctxTarget_Click()
    lblStatus.Caption = "Context item " & CStr(ctxTarget.ClickedIndex + 1) & " selected."
End Sub
Private Sub cmdClose_Click()

Enter the complete action, including its input checks and calls to helper procedures.

Forms/frmMain.bas · cmdClose_Click
Private Sub cmdClose_Click()
    Unload Me
End Sub
Copy the complete Forms/frmMain.bas file

Replace the file once; do not append duplicate procedures.

Forms/frmMain.bas
Option Explicit

Private Sub Form_Load()
    lblStatus.Caption = "Control-click the target button to open its context menu."
End Sub

Private Sub ctxTarget_Click()
    lblStatus.Caption = "Context item " & CStr(ctxTarget.ClickedIndex + 1) & " selected."
End Sub

Private Sub cmdClose_Click()
    Unload Me
End Sub

Step 5Keep resources and storage reproducible#

No external resource or migration files are declared. Any inline migration, seed data or local JSON is present in the code above. Runtime application data and private preferences are not included in the archive.

Step 6Check, run and test the result#

Save all files and run Check. Resolve diagnostics before Run. Developer CLI users can work from the extracted folder:

Developer CLI
mcbasic check ContextMenu.mcbproj
mcbasic run ContextMenu.mcbproj

Acceptance checklist

  • Open the context menu on the configured target.
  • Select the command and inspect feedback.
  • Click the target normally and confirm the contextual menu does not replace its normal behavior.

Step 7Make one change and repeat the tests#

Add another command meaningful for the target, with a distinct item identity.

Save a working Git checkpoint first. Change one behavior, Check again and repeat the acceptance checklist. Compare with the downloaded solution if a regression appears.

Source baseline 20f4bfed6b · Build manifest