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• • March 6, 2010 at 10:17 pm #55088
    Leane Wells

    Member

    Is there any way to customize any of the InDesign Menus?

    The Paragraph Styles flyout menu makes me nuts. That list of paragraph elements is not in any kind of logical order. Why name line rules 'paragraph rules' when I'm already in the paragraph styles menu? 'Rules' would make more sense–and that's what I always look for first. Why are bullets listed near the bottom of items?–I prefer a logical/alphabetized list where I can locate list items instantly. Other items in the text category of Windows to show–are alphabetized. Why not this one?

  • March 7, 2010 at 5:48 am #55089
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    Edit -> Menus .. (at the very bottom) allows to hide or highlight individual menu items. But no, customizing to the extent you want is not easily possible.

    I would not say “totally impossible” because it can be done. InDesign's Scripting languages allow you to add scripts as new menu items on any position you want; so you could create a new menu item called “Rules” that for all intents and purposes does what “Paragraph Rules” does. Not for the faint hearted, though, so only try if it really bugs you.

    That said, well, perhaps there is a general want for more menu customization. I would love to be able to create my own context sensitive popup menu, showing only those items I always use. Feel free to let Adobe know your thoughts using their Feature Request Form: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

  • March 7, 2010 at 1:49 pm #55090
    Leane Wells

    Member

    Thanks for the reply. I have submitted a request to Adobe, asking to allow user defined list order to menus–that one specifically. I'd like to know who thought that order of items–not alphabetical–was user friendly. I usually select my font style/size and color together at the onset–yet character color is way down on the list.

    It's just annoying from a user quality point of view. It looks like it's been employed as menus were in Quark–another annoying and less than user friendly application. Also, placing the “summary” of a paragraph style in a long paragraph format is as nutty as well. Lists are always easier to read; something I can scan easily–not have to read in a default order and as I would in a book. There's felxibility everywhere in Adobe's applications except in this instance. Thanks again for your response.

  • March 7, 2010 at 2:57 pm #55091
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    Heh heh. Alphabetically, eh? Adobe added a special trick to the menus, which is always a bit confusing to me as I “grew up” with the menu order as it is.

    Hold down Apple+Alt+Shift and select any menu (sorry, behind my Mac now; it must be fairly same-like for Windows). Presto! Instant Alphabetically Sorted Menus!

    Perhaps they could make this a Preferences setting.

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