After you customize a menu statically or programmatically, create code that defines the behavior for each item in the custom menu. Use the Event structure and the Menu Selection (User) event to do so.

In most situations, when you are creating block diagrams for a user interface, you are already using an Event structure. Event structures can define behavior to correspond with the elements of an interface that a user can interact with.

Use the Menu Selection (User) event within an Event structure to define the behavior that happens when your end user selects a custom menu item that you have added.

Note You can also use a Case structure together with the Get Menu Selection function to define behavior for custom menu selections. Use only one approach—an Event structure with Menu Selection (User), or a Case structure with Get Menu Selection—in a given VI. If both approaches exist in the same VI, the event approach takes precedence.

To handle custom menu items with the Menu Selection (User) event, complete the following steps.

  1. Add the Menu Selection (User) event case to the Event structure.
    1. Right-click the border of the Event structure and select Add Event Case....
    2. In Event Sources, select <This VI>.
    3. In Events, select Menu Selection (User) and click OK.
  2. Right-click the data field that appears in the event data node and select Select Item » ItemTag.
    ItemTag corresponds to the tag of a menu item. The Insert Menu Items function defines the tag of a menu item. If you provided only a name to Insert Menu Items, then the tag is the same as the name.
  3. Add a Case structure to the Menu Selection (User) event case of the Event structure.
  4. Wire ItemTag to the case selector of the Case structure.
  5. Add individual cases for each custom menu item you created.
    1. For the case selector label, enter the tag of the custom menu item.
      LabVIEW does not autopopulate the tags of custom menu items. Ensure the name of the case matches the tag of the menu item.
    2. Add code to the case subdiagram to define the behavior when a user selects the custom menu item.
For examples of handling selections of custom menu items, refer to labview\examples\Dialog and User Interface\Menu\Customizing the Menubar\Customizing the Menubar.lvproj.