>>>I don't think this is possible, without again resorting to KEYBOARD commands to simulate the user using the shortcut keys to open the menus back up. Eeeuw.
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>>I agree -- except for the last word. KEYBOARD is a perfectly acceptable way of doing this - in fact I think it is the best thing that KEYBOARD does.
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>I say eeeuw, because now when menu structure or shortcut keys change, now the code will have to as well. Also, menus closing after the command is executed is Windows standard behavior, and altering that behavior should only be done with a seriously exceptional situation.

Erik,

The second point is well taken.

John, for consistency across applications, I'd probably argue that the commonly used features in your menu should either have their own shortcut key combination or should be nested less deeply.

The first point goes to maitainability rather than user interface. One of the objectives of heads down data entry is that things like this change as little as possible between versions so if your app is stable then KEYBOARDing to get back (if that't what you decide to do) will probably not be too much of a drama.

Cheers,

Andrew