New and Open menu items

[lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu]

The save, save-as, close, save-copy-as, revert, and print menu-items and
their corresponding functions are a delight.

I was hoping to not have to make my own file menu at all in a quick little
application I was writing.  OK, call me lazy.

Unfortunately, open and new are rather close-minded, if I may
anthropomorphize.

I am currently altering the (menu-item-action-function...) slot of these
menu-items.  This is offensive, natch.


A crude solution, off the top of my head, would be to have some global
variables: (sorry Mike).

*new-and-open-file-type*, initialized to :text
*open-file-type-alist* , initialized to ((:text . #'edit-select-file))
*new-file-type-alist*, initiailize to ((:text . #'(lambda () (make-instance
'fred-window))

[Perhaps :text above should be replaced with :fred?]

The New and Open menu-items would then (funcall (assoc
*new-and-open-file-type* *<open/new>-file-type-alist*))

Programmers could push new cons cells onto the latter two, and alter the
first to easily change the behavior of the New and Open file-menus.

I heartily support the coincidental request that a generic window-hardcopy
be written (I'll even try it!!!), and further suggest that it be made the
default.
"TANSTAAFL" Rich lynch@ils.nwu.edu