ReaMenus ...the better menu set.

[Mike Stop Continues]

Download ReaMenus #008!

There's been constant criticism against REAPER's default menu set and for good reason. They're too disorganized! The default set is off-putting to newcomers and makes the REAPER seem like it isn't the best DAW on the market.

To the rescue comes ReaMenus, my attempt to make REAPER easier for newcomers and at the same time, demonstrating the superb feature-set that we Reapers love so much. Hopefully, ReaMenus can act as a better platform on which to start developing your own set of menus which better suits your needs.

As ReaMenus is meant to be of use to the entire community, please feel free to make as many suggestions as you can to help improve the set.

Remember ReaMenus values are as follows:

1. Easy/Usable (clarity, most used features on top)
2. Organized (LABELS, context sensitivity)
3. Feature-rich (as much as can be easily found)
4. Small size (max-height: 600px, as narrow as possible)
5. Up-to-date (always updated with most recent REAPER and SWS features)

Features of ReaMenus #008:

• Main window and MIDI editor menus now support alt-walk!
• Added Clipboard submenus (copy, cut, paste) to all appropriate context menus.
• No more deep 'More...' submenus on the [Media item context] menu.
• Replaced REAPER split actions with SWS split actions (which only split selected items).
• Reorganized [Main options] menu to support future Options options.
• Complete options set available on the following context menus: [Transport context], [Arrange/ruler context], [Track control panel context]/[Empty TCP context], [Media item context], [Envelope point context]/[Envelope context].
• [Empty TCP context] now identical to [Track control panel context].
• [MIDI main menu context] now contains full set of MIDI main menus.
• Actions for track locking, take locking, take colors, track record path, recording overlap modes, and more new REAPER and SWS features.
• Numerous typos fixed.

Installation:

1. Unzip ReaMenus to REAPER\MenuSets directory. (Anywhere, really, but it's easier to keep your files organized.)
2. Inside REAPER, go to Options->Customize Menus/toolbars...
3. Click Export->Export ALL menus/toolbars to ReaperMenuSet... and save your default set.
4. Click Import. Open ReaMenus.ReaperMenuSet. (Don't worry if REAPER appears to freeze on older machines. Give it time, and your new menus will be imported properly!)
5. You're done!
6. If after using ReaMenus, you'd like to bring your own customized menus back, you can Import them, and only the menus that you previously customized will be restored. If you only wish to import certain of your old menus, you can edit your saved .ReaperMenuSet file and remove entirely each menu you want to discard before Importing.
7. If for any reason you want to revert to the default menu set, simply use the Reset button in the Menu/Toolbars... dialog.

Notes:
ReaMenus depends on REAPER 3.66 and SWS Extensions 1.7.3#2. To my mind, REAPER is not complete without the SWS extensions. I'd love to see it's functionality folded into the core.

In making this set, I noticed in what ways REAPER's menu customization is lacking. I have made a large feature request detailing certain 'bugs' and certain improvements that would go a long way towards making REAPER's menu system more awesome.

Please show your support on the feature request page.

Special Thanks
I'd like to thank everyone for your continued suggestions and support! Together, we might be able to build the best of all possible menu sets. Keep those improvements coming!

Noteworthy Contributors:

• EvilDragon
• BenK-msx
• AdamWathan
• Bevosss
• White Tie
• nicholas
• technogremlin
• Sound asleep
• jedstar2000

----

Remember to export ALL your menus before you import ReaMenus!

Download ReaMenus #008!

[henge]

Great idea and it looks great!! I just can'e afford the time right now to test as I'mm in the middle of a bunch of stuff. Can,t wait to try it.

[semiquaver]

looks amazing - looking forward to trying...

[EvilDragon]

Stellar!

There's a BIT more menu-diving, but at least it's much more organized!

I recommend this setup as default, Cockos should implement it!

And yes, definitely do MIDI editor as well! It would be neat if you'd sort out the Extensions menu as well... Nicholas' SWS manual could be of help in how to sort it. I'd do it myself, but being very busy with KSP scripting, I'm not in the position to do it.

Carry on!


EDIT: I have one suggestion - shorten the Zoom menu in main arrange context. 99% of users use the mousewheel for that. I recommend it to look like this:

Zoom =>
    Toggle zoom to tracks maximum height
    Toggle zoom to tracks minimum height
    ------
    Zoom to project
    ------
    Toggle zoom to selected item(s)
    Toggle zoom to time selection/selected track(s)
    Toggle zoom to time selection/selected item(s)
<=

[jedstar2000]

Nice going

The great thing is I loaded your menu sets to have a look , then loaded my partially completed set back over the top and it kept the the sets of yours that I hadn't altered. Hurray giving me a complete set.

Keep up the good work

[JHughes]

This is brill and long past due. Thank you for taking the initiative!

PS, please add a note regarding how to install/uninstall this and how to customize one's own menus.

[EvilDragon]

Found a typo or two.

Options->Record mode->Suto-punch selected items.

Anyways, I'm adjusting these menus VERY slightly, as they are almost perfect!

Suggestion - in View section, you don't need to mention "window" everywhere. Makes menus shorter, and still to the point!

Also, you can omit parentheses in wordings like "selected track(s)", because when you say "selected tracks" it conveys the meaning on anything that's selected, be it one or more tracks. Parentheses just make things look busier.

[BenK-msx]

kudos for giving this a go mikestop - nice. i like the labels.

i think it will definately help new comers, though maybe for speed of access a few more things could be at the highest level personally (like the view stuff) but as you say, great start point to tinker.

could i suggest that insert MEDIA instead of launching the default insert (file dialog) brings up the media explorer instead.. was a change i had made a while ago and i like it!
i find it the best way to sift through things to insert, by just double clicking on file or draging or r-clicking to insert into project etc. ( i labelled it 'insert media via media explorer')

great stuff.

thanks

edit- just a thing i noticed, 'move items to source position' is nowhere to be found in item context menu.. quite a handy old action - so i'd like to see it in item properties or the editing>more>move bit. obviously i can do that quicksmart, but just an idea for you to consider.


just a thought!

[Tom@Metro]

Thanks Mike Stop, I'll give this a shot.

[Kundalinguist]

Thank you Mike. Very useful for not getting lost in Reaper Forest.

EDIT. Just tried it out. Looks amazing. Thanks again.

Oh God. Oh, please, no don't stop. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Hey wait, you're not a girl!!! Oh Gawd, what have I done????]

[White Tie]

Excellent, excellent news! I'm inclined to move this to the main forum, but I'll wait to see if you agree.

[EvilDragon]

MSC, here's a slight update by me. Check out if you like it or not I have added my MIDI menus, so you can take them as a starting point for your own if you want.

P.S.: IIRC, I have used some ReaScripts for loading/unloading note name actions... please replace those actions with regular ones, then!

ReaMenus #001 ED.zip

[Darbilly]

Sorry...but where should I place this menu? Many thanks!

[EvilDragon]

Wherever you want! But suggested is to put it in your Reaper resource folder, in the MenuSets folder within.

The important thing is to EXPORT your current menu settings first (you have to go to menu customizer to do so - search the action list). After you do that, you click on Import, and load the menuset.

[Darbilly]

Thanks a lot!

[Kundalinguist]

It's these events that make a good Reaper day.

[zoid9]

Breath of fresh air

[Kenneth R.]

I'm an organizing freak. This rules

[Susan G]

Very nice, they look great!

Thanks much!

-Susan

[Kenny Gioia]

Great job.

Thanks for all the hard work.

[scottedog]

Makes a world of difference! Thank you.

[sebas777]

Amazing !

I share the hope with you, that:

1) ReaMenus, SWS, Themes,

maybe also

2) default Screensets, Preferences and Keycommands,
documentation (...contextual vids?), links to the best thirdparty freeware VST

one day will transform into ReaDAW kits.

[adXok]

This is great! I hope someday Reaper menus, labels, SWS Extensions and dynamic menus could be possible to translate in whatever language.

[cfbp]

EXCELLENT!!!!!


many, many thanks, wonderfull work!!!

cheers!

[pylorca]

Thanks! it is great!

[toot]

what a great job and positive thing to do for everyone. I was starting something similar but you've done a much better job than me.Thanks,

[vidalsh]

something like this should be implemented by default...

[stephane]

Originally Posted by vidalsh

something like this should be implemented by default...

Absolutely +1

[ed209]

GREAT job!!! I'm just wondering though, how will additional menu items be available when Cockos updates? when I did my own menus a while ago they lacked the new Reaper functions as I updated.

[EvilDragon]

I guess somebody is gonna have to update the menus, then.

[zoid9]

I'm not sure if ReaMenus caused this, but I had to rescan for the VST/VSTis that were not put in my VSTs Folder by an installer.(Which was alot since I am doing the same thing as Technogremlin). I am going to try to reproduce this. Will keep you informed.

[EvilDragon]

I can't see in what way can that possibly be connected to importing menusets.

[ed209]

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

I guess somebody is gonna have to update the menus, then.

Sure, that's an apparent solution and concidering the complexity of the renovation I guess it's also the best. I just wish any new functionality in an update was added as a menu item in its default place so that it would be there at least... anyone know how it works at this point for sure?

[EvilDragon]

Well, the current Reaper behavior is, if you have customized the menus, when a new command is introduced, you will NOT see it in your customized menus. You will have to search the default menus to locate the new command, and then transfer it to your customized menus at will.

[Mike Stop Continues]

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

I recommend this setup as default, Cockos should implement it!
<=[/CODE]

Your feedback is great. Every improvement you suggested is included in the most recent release. You know, it was actually your Color toolbar that encouraged me to start hacking REAPER at all, so thank!

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

MSC, here's a slight update by me. Check out if you like it or not I have added my MIDI menus, so you can take them as a starting point for your own if you want.
Attachment 8086

I'll take a look the next chance I get. Doing the Extensions menu took most of yesterday, though hopefully by Monday, I'll have the MIDI menus complete.

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

I guess somebody is gonna have to update the menus, then.

I promise to keep ReaMenus updated with the most recent features of REAPER and SWS. That said, the best-case scenario is that all us users start to actually read the release notes and update our own menu sets.

[zoid9]

Can't reproduce. One time thing, I guess. (Sh)it happens. I coulda done something inadvertently to cause it. Can't think of what, though.

[Mike Stop Continues]

Originally Posted by BenK-msx

could i suggest that insert MEDIA instead of launching the default insert (file dialog) brings up the media explorer instead.. was a change i had made a while ago and i like it!

edit- just a thing i noticed, 'move items to source position' is nowhere to be found in item context menu..

just a thought!

I made the update to "insert media item..." as suggested because it really does make a lot of sense. No functionality is lost, while much is gained.

It jives with the paradigm. You'll notice that Options->Clean project audio... (renamed in #002 to Project media...) directs to the SWS 'Media pool' rather than the REAPER 'Project media' for the same reason. Just better is just better.

I also re-added 'Move items to source position' in the media item context->More...->Move. It must've snuck by while I was editing the first time around.

Thanks for the great suggestions.

[Mike Stop Continues]

Originally Posted by White Tie

Excellent, excellent news! I'm inclined to move this to the main forum, but I'll wait to see if you agree.

I had no idea the response I would get, nor that the project would be worthy of the main forum, so by all means, make the switch!

Within the next few days, I'll have completed the MIDI menus as well and I fully intend to keep ReaMenus updated. After all, "I'm not only the founder... I'm a user!"

[Mike Stop Continues]

Originally Posted by zoid9

I'm not sure if ReaMenus caused this, but I had to rescan for the VST/VSTis that were not put in my VSTs Folder by an installer.(Which was alot since I am doing the same thing as Technogremlin). I am going to try to reproduce this. Will keep you informed.

Originally Posted by zoid9

Can't reproduce. One time thing, I guess. (Sh)it happens. I coulda done something inadvertently to cause it. Can't think of what, though.

I'm sorry these things happened at the same time, though I can't imagine how they could be connected. Just out of curiosity, why do you keep your VSTs outside of your VST directory?

[BenK-msx]

cool, thanks for that

just to show how handy this is i've just discovered the 'floating item info window' from the extensions menu, had no idea that existed..!