Bernie:

Right after I sent my previous post, I came 
across the following from Robert Purves. posted 
back in 2002.

Ken


/*
The preferences menu item in the OS X application menu
is system-supplied, not built by FB.  All that the menu
preferences statement does is to enable that item with

EnableMenuCommand( 0, _"pref" )

The Preferences menu item thus has an ellipsis and no
Cmd-key, as in the OS X applications Mail, Image Capture,
Finder, Console, Sherlock, TextEdit, Stickies, iMovie...

i suspected that some default operation was in action here.
is there no way to provide a shortcut for this item?


Perhaps something like this might serve?  It looks a bit
elaborate, but gives you full control and works in OS 8/9
or X, in Standard or Appearance.

Robert P.

*/

dim as short  gPrefsMenuItem
_menuEdit = 2
end globals

/*
In OS 8/9, add a separator and Preferences item to the edit menu.
In OS X, enable the Preferences menu item and set its name and Cmd-key.
Pass 0 for cmdKey to have no Cmd-key equivalent.
*/
local mode
local fn AddPreferencesMenuItem( editMenuNum as short, ¬
                                prefsItemName as str255,¬
                                cmdKey as short )
'~'1
dim as short           nEditMenuItems, prefsMenuItem
dim as MenuRef       @ theMenu
dim as MenuItemIndex @ item
dim as OSStatus        status

prefsMenuItem = 0
theMenu = fn GetMenuHandle( editMenuNum )
long if ( theMenu )
prefsMenuItem = fn CountMItems( theMenu ) + 2
long if ( system( _sysVers ) >= 1000 ) // OS X
#if CarbonLib
menu preferences editMenuNum, prefsMenuItem
status = fn GetIndMenuItemWithCommandID( 0, _kHICommandPreferences, ¬
                1, @theMenu, @item )
long if ( status == _noErr )
long if ( cmdKey )
status = fn SetMenuItemCommandKey( theMenu, item, _false, cmdKey )
end if
SetMenuItemText( theMenu, item, prefsItemName )
end if
#endif
xelse // OS 8/9
menu editMenuNum, prefsMenuItem - 1, _disable, "-"
menu editMenuNum, prefsMenuItem, _enable, prefsItemName
if ( cmdKey ) then SetItemCmd( theMenu, prefsMenuItem, cmdKey )
end if
end if

end fn = prefsMenuItem


local fn HandleMenu
'~'1
if ( menu(0) == 1 ) then end
print menu(0), menu(1)
long if ( menu(0) == _menuEdit ) and ( menu(1) == gPrefsMenuItem )
print "Preferences item chosen"
end if
menu
end fn

on menu fn HandleMenu

menu 1, 0, _enable, "File"
menu 1, 1, _enable, "Quit/Q"

#if def _appearanceRuntime
gFBEditSelectAll = _zTrue
#endif

edit menu _menuEdit

gPrefsMenuItem = fn AddPreferencesMenuItem( _menuEdit, ¬
                    "Idiosyncratic PreferencesŠ", _";" )
print "Choose the Preferences menu item"
do
handleevents
until 0