42 — Menu & Routing Redesign¶

Created: April 6, 2026
Status: In Progress
Owner: Chad
Depends on: Bug 100 fix (commit 95730f624), Bug 94 fix (commit 40c3b7071)
DFMEA: DFMEA-036 (Menu/Routing), DFMEA-037 (Dialog State)

Context¶

The ConstructiVision pull-down menu and routing architecture date from 2001. User testing after Bug 100 revealed UX confusion: two different “new project” paths lead to different dialogs, the 14-button progopts.dcl wall duplicates the menu, and there is no way to directly edit the currently open drawing.

This document records the evidence-based redesign plan, its implementation phases, au3 compatibility constraints, and verification criteria.

Design Authority Sources¶

Primary — UI/UX Best Practices¶

Tag	Source	Key Principles Applied
[S1]	NNGroup “Dropdowns: Design Guidelines” (Whitenton, 2020)	Gray out unavailable options (#2), avoid very long dropdowns (#3), keep labels visible (#6)
[S2]	NNGroup “Menu-Design Checklist: 17 UX Guidelines” (Sherwin, 2019)	Clear/specific/familiar wording (#7), front-load key terms (#8), avoid multilevel cascading (#14), Fitts’s law — most-used items closest (#16)

Secondary — Autodesk/AutoCAD Domain¶

Tag	Source	Key Takeaway
[S3]	AU SD125181 / SD323181 (Darren Young, “Advanced AutoLISP”)	Separate utility functions from command entry points
[S4]	AU DV1543 (Lee Ambrosius, “Going on a Bug Hunt”)	Explicit error handlers, fail gracefully
[S5]	Autodesk App Store Product Guidelines v2.0	Rejection risk includes poor UX fit
[S6]	AfraLISP DCL Reference (afralisp.net)	Community-standard DCL dialog conventions

Constraints¶

Tag	Constraint	Impact
[C1]	au3 test fixture (IMMUTABLE — Rule 10) — tests 6 progcont values via `(progn (setq progcont N)(c:csv))`: 1, 8193, 262145, 262153, 262161, 262177	Menu label changes safe; routing logic changes must preserve au3 expected dialogs
[C2]	AutoCAD 2000 DCL — no native tab control	Settings dialog deferred to future phase
[C3]	VLX vs Source mode mismatch	progcont routing must work in source-mode (TB11)

Problems Addressed¶

#	Problem	Source Violated
1	“Drawing Setup” and “Create New Project” lead to different dialogs for same “new” intent	[S2] #7
2	`progopts.dcl` is a 14-button wall that duplicates the menu	[S1] #3, [S3]
3	`project.dcl` adds unnecessary “New or Existing?” click	[S5]
4	“Drawing Setup” on an open drawing forces file selection	[S2] #16
5	No “Edit Current Drawing” — requires browsing even when drawing is open	[S2] #16
6	Panel-centric: site drawings are second-class	[S2] #7
7	Unavailable options not visually differentiated	[S1] #2

Phase 1: Menu Restructure (`csv.mnu`)¶

Rationale: Per [S2] #16 (Fitts’s law) most-used items go first. Per [S2] #8 front-load action verbs. Per [S2] #14 avoid multilevel cascading. Per [S2] #7 use clear, specific, familiar wording.

New Menu Layout¶

ConstructiVision (POP1)
├── Edit Current Drawing          progcont=1       ← most-used action, top position
│   [--]
├── New Drawing                   progcont=262161  ← clear verb, front-loaded
├── Open Drawing                  progcont=262145  ← renamed from "Edit Existing Drawing"
│   [--]
├── New Project                   progcont=262153  ← clear verb
├── Edit Project Details          progcont=524289  ← NEW: was buried in progopts
│   [--]
├──→ View [->
│     All Layers                  progcont=262209
│     Select Layers               progcont=262273
│     [--]
│     Panel/Site Faces            (6 direct cmds)
│     [--]
│     Isometric Views             (4 direct cmds)
│  ←]
│   [--]
├──→ Print [->
│     All Layers                  progcont=262465
│     Select Layouts              progcont=262657
│     [--]
│     Print Specific Items        (5 presets)
│  ←]
│   [--]
├──→ Shading [->
│     Off / Hidden / Shaded
│  ←]
│   [--]
├── Materials List                progcont=263169
├── Revision History              progcont=264193
│   [--]
├── Batch Utilities               progcont=262177  ← less-used, positioned lower
├── Slope Calculator              progcont=8193
│   [--]
├── Settings...                                    ← future [C2: deferred]
│   [--]
├── Registration / Help / About / Web / Support

Label Changes¶

Old (Ambiguous)	New (Clear Verb)	Rationale
Drawing Setup	Edit Current Drawing	Front-loaded verb; no ambiguous “setup” [S2] #8
Create New Project	New Project	Shorter, scans faster [S2] #7
Create New Drawing	New Drawing	Same
Edit Existing Drawing	Open Drawing	Implies browse+open action
(none)	Edit Project Details	New — was hidden inside progopts

au3 Compatibility ([C1])¶

The au3 sets progcont via (progn (setq progcont N)(c:csv)), not via menu clicks. The 6 tested progcont values must continue to route correctly regardless of menu label changes. Menu restructure affects only the .mnu file — routing logic changes in csv.lsp are the constraint.

progcont=1 strategy (Option A): Keep backward-compatible — show progopts.dcl when no CV drawing is open (matching au3’s “Drawing1” baseline). Only skip progopts when a CV drawing IS open. au3 tests on Drawing1 → still sees progopts → PASS.

Phase 2: Routing Rewrite (`csv.lsp`)¶

Step 1: Edit Current Drawing (progcont=1) — Context-Aware¶

Design: Per [S2] #16, the most frequent action should be most accessible. Per [S4], fail gracefully when no valid drawing is open.

progcont=1 invoked
  ├─ IF csv_open_con set → route to panel/site editor (unchanged)
  ├─ IF in AutoCAD dir OR no CV drawing (Drawing1)
  │     → Show progopts.dcl (backward compat with au3) [C1]
  └─ IF CV drawing IS open (csv_dwgtype = "panel" or "site")
        → Route DIRECTLY to mp_dlg (panel) or sdwg_dlg (site)
        → Skip project.dcl and progopts.dcl entirely

Step 2: New Project (progcont=262153) — Stop-After-Create¶

Current: projdet.dcl → new() → auto-launch panel editor
New: projdet.dcl → new() → stop. Print “Project created. Use ‘New Drawing’ to start a drawing.”

Step 3: Edit Project Details (progcont=524289) — New Feature¶

Detect current project via curdir
If valid: open projdet.dcl pre-populated with existing project values
If none: alert “No project loaded. Open a project drawing first.”
projdet.lsp accepts optional pre-populated values

Step 4: New Drawing (progcont=262161) — Panel/Site Prompt¶

Current: getfiled → template selection → panel workflow
New: Panel-vs-site chooser via (getkword) → getfiled → appropriate editor

Au3 impact [C1]: MEDIUM — adds command-line prompt before getfiled. Safe fallback: keep getfiled first.

Step 5: Settings (DEFERRED per [C2])¶

DCL has no native tab control. Deferred to separate planning session.

Phase 3: Dialog Retirement¶

Retired from default path (per [S5]):¶

project.dcl — “New or Existing?” gatekeeper. Menu items make this explicit. Keep file for backward compat.
progopts.dcl/lsp — 14-button wall [S1] #3 violation. Retained ONLY as fallback for progcont=1 on Drawing1 (au3 compat).

No new DCL files in this phase¶

Panel-vs-site chooser uses command-line (getkword) per AutoCAD convention [S6].

Phase 4: Verification¶

Functional Tests¶

Test	Expected Result
Edit Current Drawing on Drawing1 (no CV data)	`progopts.dcl` appears (au3 compat)
Edit Current Drawing on open panel drawing	`mp_dlg` directly (no progopts, no project.dcl)
Edit Current Drawing on open site drawing	`sdwg_dlg` directly
New Drawing	Panel/Site prompt → `getfiled` → editor
Open Drawing	`getfiled` → `scr()` → drawing opens + editor
New Project	`projdet` → `new.dcl` → folder created → stop
Edit Project Details on open project	`projdet` pre-populated
Edit Project Details with no project	Alert message

au3 Compatibility Matrix [C1]¶

au3 Test	progcont	Current Dialog	After Redesign	Risk
02-drawing-setup	1	project.dcl→progopts	progopts (Drawing1)	LOW
03-slope-calculator	8193	slope_dlg.dcl	slope_dlg.dcl	NONE
04-create-new-project	262153	projdet.dcl	projdet.dcl	NONE
05-create-new-drawing	262161	getfiled	getfiled (prompt first?)	MEDIUM
06-edit-existing-drawing	262145	getfiled	getfiled	NONE
07-batch-utilities	262177	btch_dlg.dcl	btch_dlg.dcl	NONE

Regression Criteria¶

All 13 existing progcont values must continue to route correctly
New progcont value (524289 for Edit Project Details) is additive — no collision risk
Full au3 validation on VM 108 after implementation
OCR compare against golden baseline (Rule 15)

Implementation Order¶

Step	Scope	Risk	Dependencies
1	`csv.mnu` restructure — label and grouping changes	LOW	None
2	`csv.lsp` progcont=1 context-aware routing	MEDIUM	Step 1
3	`csv.lsp` New Project stop-after-create	LOW	None
4	`csv.lsp` + `projdet.lsp` Edit Project Details	LOW	None
5	`csv.lsp` New Drawing panel/site prompt	MEDIUM [C1]	None
6	Full au3 validation on VM 108 + OCR	—	Steps 1–5

Steps 1–3 are sequential. Steps 4–5 can parallel. Step 6 blocks on all prior.

Files Modified¶

File	Action
`src/x64/TB11-01x64/csv.mnu`	Restructure layout, rename items, add Edit Project Details
`src/x64/TB11-01x64/csv.lsp`	Context-aware progcont=1, new routes, stop-after-create
`src/x64/TB11-01x64/projdet.lsp`	Add pre-populate logic for Edit Project Details
`src/x32/TB11-01x32/csv.mnu`	Synced from x64
`src/x32/TB11-01x32/csv.lsp`	Synced from x64
`src/x32/TB11-01x32/projdet.lsp`	Synced from x64

Decisions¶

Decision	Rationale	Source
Retire progopts from default routing	Duplicates menu; 14-button wall is bad UX	[S1] #3, [S3]
Keep progopts as Drawing1 fallback	au3 compat: progcont=1 on Drawing1 must show dialog	[C1]
Retire project.dcl from routing	Menu items make New/Existing explicit; extra click adds no value	[S5]
Context-aware progcont=1	Most-used action should be most accessible	[S2] #16
Defer Settings tab dialog	DCL has no native tabs; simulation is complex	[C2]
Use (getkword) for Panel/Site	Command-line prompts standard for binary choices in AutoCAD	[S6]
Front-load verbs in menu labels	“Edit”, “New”, “Open” scan faster than “Create New…”	[S2] #8