Defining custom commands to add to a menu or toolbar

The Custom Menus window allows you to define custom commands and add them to any menu or toolbar in LTL Operations. You can define a custom command to open an executable file, an Integrated Report, or a web page.

Custom Menus window

The Custom Menus window consists of three sections:

  • The top section of the window contains the Existing custom commands, which displays a list of the custom commands defined in LTL Operations as well as those defined in TMW’s System Administration application. This information is read-only. Clicking on a line item in the grid displays the detail for that custom command in the two lower tabs.

  • The Information tab contains fields where you can define new custom commands, or edit existing custom commands.

  • The Menu Options tab is a grid used for creating, editing, or deleting parameters that are passed by the custom command to the target application.

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For more information on the columns and fields in this window, see Understanding the Custom Menus window.

  1. TMW’s System Administration application also allows you to define custom menu commands for any base system application. You will be able to see the setup for those commands in the Custom Menus window in LTL Operations.

  2. You can make changes to any existing custom command in either the System Administration application or in LTL Operations’s Custom Menus window. Assignment of menu commands for core applications occurs in System Administration. Assignment of menu commands for LTL Operations occurs in LTL Operations.

Custom commands can be added to:

  • The menu and toolbar of the main LTL Operations window

    The main window is the container for all its applications.

    The main window of LTL Operations contains these default menu categories and toolbar icons:

  • The menu and toolbar of any application that opens as a form within the main window

    Windows (or applications) that open as tabs or floating windows within the main window are called forms. They contain their own set of menus and/or toolbars.

    When defining the custom command, you have the option to pass the Trimble user ID and password to the file or Web page. This ability can potentially result in security issues. It is recommended you do any of the following to reduce your security risk when defining custom commands.

    1. Restrict access to the Custom Menu Entries menu command.

    2. In SQL Server Manager, lock the Trimble database tables (custom_menu and menu_options) that contain the custom command definitions.

    3. Apply security to the Credentials field on the window using QuickDesigner.

    4. Use Windows Authentication to log into LTL Operations. A user’s password is never passed to the executable file through the custom command, even if the option is selected in the command definition.

Providing access to the Custom Menus window

The Custom Menus window is opened from the Custom Menu Entries command. However, this command is not, by default, part of the menu structure of LTL Operations. You must add it to a menu, and then save and assign the menu layout to the individuals who will be using it.

Use this procedure to add the Custom Menu Entries command to a menu.

  1. Open LTL Operations with a system administration login.

  2. Right-click on the toolbar and click Customize.
    The Customize dialog box opens.

  3. Click the Commands tab.

  4. Select the MaintenanceMenu category.

  5. In the Commands pane, locate Custom Menu Entries.

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  6. Click and drag Custom Menu Entries to a place in a menu or toolbar.

  7. Assign this menu to the individuals who will be using it.

  8. Inform the individuals of the location of the Custom Menu Entries command.