Menu Options Keeps Graying Out!

thomthom · 30 Nov 2009, 13:09

Right-clicking will reproduce it without any plugins. But I suspect that plugins increase the chance of triggering it.

flyashy · 30 Nov 2009, 13:14

Hi Tig,
nope. didn't happen when I made copies of components and exploded one instance. In fact I went around like a madman right-clicking everything in sight too just to make sure.
The only difference being I'd emptied my plugins directory. Just moved everything including the examples folder to a temp folder.

I also opened up some of the fairy complex models to check if it was the complexity of the file that prompted this..nothing. No greying out.

Could it be about scripts that have submenus in the context menu? I did not have any scripts that had submenus before this started happening.

thanks,
flyashy

thomthom · 30 Nov 2009, 13:22

hm.. when my Selection Toys caused this it was after adding lots of menus to sub-menu in the context menu.

flyashy: before moving the plugins, where you able to reproduce it by right-clicking then? but after clearing all plugins you can't reproduce it?

TIG · 30 Nov 2009, 13:26

Another consistently reproducible way I've found of making some context-menu items become greyed-out is caused by right-clicking...
First I left-click pick on something to highlight it, THEN right-click for the context-menu - all its menu items appear OK.
I do this many many times - I always get good results.
Now without having anything highlighted I right-click over something, and it will become highlighted [although I didn't actively click onto it] and now many of the the context-menu items will be grey-out !
However, if I THEN left-click onto that object [or any other] to highlight it first, and THEN right-click the greyed-out context-menu items magically rejuvenate themselves [unlike my previously reported 'post-explode' grey-out glitch which is irreversible unless I restart SUp and reopen the model]

Go figure...

flyashy · 30 Nov 2009, 13:34

@TT,
erm..I didn't try the exploding instance method before moving the plugins, but yes I could right click and get the greyed out menu.
right now in the process of picking out the non submenu scripts and putting them back to see if the greying out happens or not..
lessee..

jim smith · 30 Nov 2009, 15:20

I have noticed functions drop out lately, and as a user since 2002, it seems to me this has happened only since the 7.0 upgrade. It isn't often but usually after I have been working on a model for a long time,maybe 4 or 5 hours, suddenly I can't copy anything - copy only moves objects. Some other functions will gray out as well but I have not kept track of which ones. The copy drop out is the most annoying and what I have been doing is closing GSU and reopen it which seems to rejuvinate everything. I have not kept track of what triggers the drop outs, except large models, lots of left and right clicking and long sessions. I will keep notes now that I see it is not just me.

EarthMover · 30 Nov 2009, 17:47

It's been about 5 months that I've been dealing with the issue.

A work around without having to restart, is to select the object/group/component and then access the context (right click) menu through the Edit menu..all the way at the bottom.

I also find that the menu will go gray for a long while, then sometimes, it will spontaneously come back for a little while. Also, while most options are grayed out, I can always access the Selection Toys options, while nothing else works.

Gaieus · 30 Nov 2009, 18:31

Seems like Thom rigged the app so that at least his plugin will work.
This way we can say that "see, Google, a plugin scripter can make sure his plugin does not grey out - why cannot you?"

thomthom · 30 Nov 2009, 18:43

flyashy · 30 Nov 2009, 19:40

Okay end of experiment.
in short,

Heavy file + Lots of plugins + repeated right click = grayed out menu.

back to a less engorged plugins directory...

sigh

thomthom · 2 Dec 2009, 13:54

Jinx!

Now I got it as well with a model I worked on. But the odd thing is that Selection Toys didn't grey out. o_O

EscapeArtist · 3 Dec 2009, 02:55

I have a workaround that has worked for me without removing any plugins.

When your right-click menu grays out, go to EDIT > and at the very bottom of the drop-down should the item that you just selected/right-clicked. Click that, and the same options will be available as your right-click. Select what you wanted and continue. The right-click menu will be available again until the next gray-out. Repeat for each gray-out.

flyashy · 3 Dec 2009, 18:08

thanks escapeartist,
i must try that out next time i get the jinx

EscapeArtist · 19 Dec 2009, 20:18

I've noticed something else. This error seems to occur after an auto-save event.

thomthom · 20 Dec 2009, 02:20

@escapeartist said:

I've noticed something else. This error seems to occur after an auto-save event.

hmm... that should be easy to test. what happens if you disable auto-save?

EscapeArtist · 20 Dec 2009, 04:30

@thomthom said:

@escapeartist said:

I've noticed something else. This error seems to occur after an auto-save event.

hmm... that should be easy to test. what happens if you disable auto-save?

Sketchup crashes and I lose my work...

lapx · 1 Dec 2011, 22:34

@unknownuser said:

When your right-click menu grays out, go to EDIT > and at the very bottom of the drop-down should the item that you just selected/right-clicked. Click that, and the same options will be available as your right-click. Select what you wanted and continue. The right-click menu will be available again until the next gray-out. Repeat for each gray-out.

This does not work for me. Is google finding a fix for this or is there a workaround. Its becoming impossible to work! Help?

EscapeArtist · 2 Dec 2011, 00:36

@lapx said:

This does not work for me. Is google finding a fix for this or is there a workaround.

IIRC it was a plugin issue, not a Sketchup issue.

Check this thread here:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=32572&p=289106&hilit=Grayed+out+menu#p286956

I had the same issue, but when I updated my TTLib and Tools on Surface plugins, everything worked.

Hope this helps.

ken · 2 Dec 2011, 01:33

Well I have update to M2 and now I really have a grayed out context menu. Make component is out in the context menu. This is the worst I have seen the grayed out menu and sometimes even the "make component" is grayed out in the edit menu.

I have started to disable all the plugins that I have installed lately. Haven't found a problem plugin.

Ken

thomthom · 2 Dec 2011, 08:50

@unknownuser said:

I have started to disable all the plugins that I have installed lately. Haven't found a problem plugin.

It is not a single plugin - not unless you have one of Fredo's old plugins. It's a limitation in SketchUp when there's are a large number of plugins installed that add menus and toolbars.

So until Google has fixed this issue in SketchUp, the only remedy for this is to trim down the number of plugins installed. Be harsh about which ones you really use. When I have reinstalled my computers I no longer copy all plugins from the old to the new, I install them one by one as I need them. That way I ensure I have the latest and I also don't have any plugins I have no use for.

Annoying, I know.