On 4/15/24 12:38, 'Matthias Melcher' via fltk.general wrote:

I like to use a trick to avoid re-allocating menu item arrays:

    Huh, I never worried about re-allocating menu item arrays..
    do you avoid it because it's slow, or is the idea to allow pointers to not change?

    When I build menus I always use add() to construct menus dynamically,
    as often I need to change the menus, such as in my app's main menubar:

      File -> Recent -> <dynamic list of recently edited files>

    Even for menus that I originally design not to change, I figure inevitably
    I'll need to add a feature that does involve dynamic changes, so better
    to always design for dynamic than to have to retrofit later.

    So I always use find_item() to access menu pointers to avoid problems
    with old pointers going stale; that seems to be less brittle.

    If there's any overhead for using find_item(), I've never found it
    to be a problem, even on slow machines with "large" menus.
   

.. I reserve an array large enough to hold everything I may ever add, but I keep the spare items invisible using the `FL_MENU_INVISIBLE` flag (or call hide() on the menu item).