the difference between the add to panel menus entries is not obvious

[Paul Whipp]

Binary package hint: gnome-panel

Using Ubuntu 8.10 fully updated.

gnome-panel:
  Installed: 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2.1
  Candidate: 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2.1
  Version table:
 *** 1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2.1 0
        500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au intrepid-updates/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au intrepid/main Packages

On the top default panel of Ubuntu right click and select 'Add to panel'

Scroll down until you see "Main menu" and "Menu bar" options:

The main menu option reproduces the "Applications" part of the main menu accessed by an icon. To conform with its label, it should do what "Menu Bar" currently does.

"Menu Bar" reproduces the current main menu along with the three top level options. It is NOT a copy so if the user attempts to modify his second and ostensibly custom menu, it will change the main GNOME menu.

"Menu Bar" should create an empty version of the main GNOME menu allowing the user to create a custom menu. If the main menu content is needed as 'example content' this should be made clear and it must be a COPY so it can be made into a distinct custom menu.

If the custom functionality cannot be supported, Menu Bar should be removed from the list until it can be supported and Main menu should be provided with the functionality currently provided by Menu Bar.

[Lupine (thelupine)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better, but unfortunately I've been unable to duplicate your issue. When I add "Main Menu" (which is currently the only one I use) to the gnome-panel, I see the normal list of Applications: Accessories Games Graphics...etc. I also see the Places and System options, followed by the Lock Screen, Log Out and Shut Down.

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

OK, I need to find out why that is broken on my system but the Menu Bar option behaviour is the main issue. Is that working as intended/expected on your system?

[jmaasing (johan-zoom)]

I have exactly the same behaviour as described in the report so I can reproduce it. 32-bit 8.10 updated from 8.4.

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

Lupine: I installed a fresh 8.10 and fully updated it. The behaviour described in this bug is exactly as described. Perhaps it relies on something else you have installed.

I particularly wanted to use the custom menu ("Menu Bar") - the main menu that is there as a standard feature is fine.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Could you tell us a few easy steps in order to reproduce the issue? May you also try the same with another new user created on your system? I cannot reproduce this either, thanks in advance.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

We are closing this bug report as it lacks the information, described in the previous comments, we need to investigate the problem further. However, please reopen it if you can give us the missing information and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future.

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

Using VMWare, create a basic PC suitable for ubuntu.
Install 8.10 on it.
Repeat the steps as indicated in the original report.

I'm thinking there must be some 'common' development package that you guys install that makes this error go away. Failing that its hardware specific which would be very strange for this kind of bug.

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

Is it OK for me to mark this confirmed when responding?

[Leif Arne Storset (lastorset)]

I can't find the custom menu applet (or indeed any applet but the Main Menu) in /usr/lib/bonobo/servers (which the standard location GNOME panel applet Bonobo .server files, according to http://projects.gnome.org/ORBit2/appletstutorial.html#AEN102). Yet "Menu bar" is visible in the Add to Panel dialog box for me too. Are there any other locations GNOME searches for panel applets?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

could somebody take a screenshot showing the issue? the description is just non clear

[jmaasing (johan-zoom)]

I'll also try to write a description (although I think Pauls is spot on), rewording might help.

Right click the panel
Select Add to panel
Select "Menu Bar - A custom menu bar"

The result is NOT a custom menu bar. It is another instance of the main menu with all the menu items.
See the attached image, I end up with 2 instances of the main menu.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

so this bug is just about the applet wording? what else would you suggest?

[jmaasing (johan-zoom)]

No, I'm sorry, I meant rewording the description of the bug report. I was trying to explain the same thing as already is in the bug report, obviously I failed :-)

If you do:
Right click the panel
Select Add to panel

You'll see the choices:
"Main menu - The main GNOME menu"
"Menu Bar - A custom menu bar"

The problem is that the second choice leads to exactly the same result as the first choice. That the main menu is added to the panel.
I expected the second choice to give me an empty menu that I could populate myself. Instead it leads to the "main menu" added a second time to the panel.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

one of those option is supposed to give the 3 labels, the other one a logo only which opens a menu, that works correctly on jaunty there

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

Sebastian,

You are talking about Jaunty and this is a bug raised on 8.10 which is Intrepid.

You are saying that the "Main menu" option in Jaunty opens the main menu with the "Applictions, places and system" options and that "Menu bar" opens just a logo, allowing the user to customize it and add their own options.

So it sounds as though what is happening *in Jaunty* is exactly what should be happening so I believe you are implying that this bug has been fixed in the forthcoming Jaunty release.

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

BTW it will be really cool to be able to finally add my own custom menu. There are a lot of docs and things I use regularly and having my own menu will help reduce the clutter on my top panel and desktop a lot.

I'm looking forward to having that capability in Jaunty.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

nobody said the menu is totally editable in jaunty, the icon are just different menus, a 3 label one and a 1 logo one, that's this way since years and working in intrepid too

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

That is clearly not the intention of the items as described on the menu panel. "Menu bar" explicitly states it is a custom menu bar which would be very useful. It does not state that its the "Main menu" .

"Main menu" is also clearly not doing what it says it will on the menu panel. "Main menu" explicitly states that it is "The main GNOME menu". It does not state that it "is an icon form of the Applications bit of the main menu"!

At the very least the descriptions need fixing but I think it would be much better for all if they did what the descriptions say and what I'm pretty sure they were always intended to.

[jmaasing (johan-zoom)]

Oh, ok, the applets do what they are intended to do so this is not a bug, my bad.

Still, a better wording in the "Add dialog" would be good. The use of "A" as in "A custom menu bar" suggests it is different from "The" in "The main GNOME menu". I thought it was a difference that I could add several "Custom"-menues with different content.
Also the use of "custom" suggested to me that I, as a user of Ubuntu, could customize the menu. Not that this was a custom implementation of a menu-viewer program.

So perhaps it would be better to say something like
"The main GNOME menu" and "The compact menu"
or
"The main menu" and "The application menu"

Paul: let's learn Gnome and build the menu we both want :-)

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

custom is used in the sense of alternative there, it's an another menu format than the default one

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

The wording should be fixed, particularly as the more obvious meaning is that it does something that I think a lot of people would like (they probably try the menu, fail and forget about it rather than whinge like us).

I'd seriously love to implement a proper "Custom menu" option in gnome (or whatever) but I'm very time poor at the moment and I suspect it would take me a week of overhead to learn enough to implement and submit something like that as part of jaunty (especially as I'd definitely want to also reword or remove the current confusing options).

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the wording could be better indeed, there is probably already a bug about that

[Martin Mai (mrkanister-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=396405 might be a way to avoid this confusion.

[rvgsd (rvgsd-id1)]

I am using Ubuntu 9.04 and still experiencing this bug.
Unable to create a custom Menu through "Add to panel" after right clicking on the Panel. All it does is creates a clone of the Main Menu. Any changes in the menu affects the Main menu as well.
Is there any work around for this? Is this issue still not fixed?

[Paul Whipp (paul-whipp)]

It is bad wording but is unlikely to be fixed anytime soon.

I've just added a workaround tip (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=100) but while it awaits moderation. Here it is in short -

Edit the application menu and add the custom menu you want at the bottom.

Once the menu is working to your satisfaction there you can right click on it and add it to the panel as a menu.