So, in setting up some command line parameters, I noticed that in the manual section titled "Command line" that the modifier "CRTL" is mentioned. I didn't test if it worked I just spelled it "CTRL" and that worked

Should I infer from this that SyMenu variables do not need enclosing % to be expanded? Is that intentional?

To explain... If the menu is based on custom structures why not allow one custom structure to be saved to html file and be recalled when clicking button

No this is and will be impossible because the menu is always built with a custom structure. When you choose and save advanced or base structure you are simply choosing one particular custom structure, not a built in one. I don't know if now it is clearer.

A third beta is available.

A third beta is available.

I'm confused?! You say it's a good idea for advanced users then say not to do it as they know where to find it!

If you accidentally click one of these buttons your config is lost.

And again yes your argument is correct: the direct access to options is a useful shortcut for advanced users not basic ones.
The question now is: do I have to add the shortcut option item in the standard advanced menu configuration? Well for the same reason I don't think so because an advanced user knows where to find it and how to activate it.

The compact menu was a pain to maintain exactly because of the modifiers integratated in the title. The title from the compact menu and from the normal menu are infact different components and I had to implement, test, document all the new features twice. Besides the pinned feature was unavailable in the compact menu and impossible to implement.
Now we have a single title element that includes the ability to have drop down items (you'll find it in the next beta... yes I confirm that I am forced to release another beta maybe already tomorrow...). So the only lost feature is the integrated action modifier tool, the most buggy one.

The idea to disable single modifiers is viable. If you start SyMenu in elevated mode you'll see that the elevate modifier is already disabled, so extend this feature to others via options is possible. Low priority for this feature.

I won't implement another button to set the compact menu. You have the base menu and the advanced menu. If you like a menu similar to the compact one you press the advanced button and drag search, my computer, plugin and tools inside the title item.

For people like Glenn that manage a lot of SyMenu instances I'll implement an import and export feature which allows you to choose the options you want to export and the ones you want to import. In that way you can reproduce all or part of the settings of your master SyMenu. But I don't know when I can do that. For now you can manually operate at file level modifing the SyMenuConfig.zip file.

Why can there only be one Tools container? Shouldn't it be more like Separator, that putting it in the active menu still leaves it available? For that matter, why can there only be one of most of the built-ins?

Not sure if the title-bar bugginess extends to the icon bar idea

One thing I'll mention again, but really only in passing... if the menu names are blank, and all there is is an icon, and size shrank, you almost get a vertical icon bar. It is about 3 times wider than the left-aligned icon, though. Together with vertical separators, you could make a little icon grid!

Not sure [...] if you just have a minimum width coded. If it disappeared, it would be even more grid-like.

After taking my names away from my menu items, all of which were pointers to documentation files, I noted that the tooltip showed the path to the file, rather than the description, and rather than both path and description in two lines. Why have a description, if it doesn't show?

I just noted you spoke of a breaking change, and but didn't say how or where the break was [...]
If something is incompatible, though, you should mention what it is[...]
If it is just the "compact menu" feature going away[...]

I was surprised not to find the new menu structure feature in the main configuration panel. And, I'm surprised that the "User items placeholder" exists... that is the antithesis of "fully configurable menu", because it artificially requires that there be no mixing of user items and built-in menu items.

What is truly the minimum menu structure required to operate SyMenu? I think it is "configuration" and "Exit".

Everything else should be optional, and even those should be able to be renamed by the user, and described by the user (like all the SyItems have editable name and description fields).

So if a user-modified menu structure doesn't contain the minimum entries somewhere, either they should get an error at save time, or those minimum entries should be added to the bottom of the top-level menu structure. I prefer the former, but either would be acceptable.

"Tools" seems be just a "SyContainer" with a fancy icon.

Would be nice to have a vertical separator also, for multi-column menus. I've mentioned before regarding large scrolling menus (folder lists, installed programs lists) that it would be nice if they were split in columns like the original Windows 95 Start menu...

It would be nice if simply hovering over the Start Menu button displayed the start menu, rather than requiring a click. Maybe that should be optional.

It would be nice if, when in READONLY mode, the built-in items that cannot be performed would not be shown in the menus, even if they are configured.

You mentioned in another thread about having everything in the title bar.

It would be nice if an icon on the icon bar could be the icon for a container, and hovering would produce a flyout menu. Item icons would produce the description tool tip when hovered. Note, hovering is not something that can be done on a touch screen. Not sure what the replacement is, if any.[...]

I can't download it from the link. It says the file is not found.

• The file flag READONLY can be ineffective for a certain PC if the file name is followed by a dot and the machine name. For example READONLY.Mercury file makes SyMenu runs in readonly mode for every machine except for the PC called Mercury;
• The contextual menus scrollable buttons are now bigger to simplify the use on touch screen devices.

• There is a new option to show the contextual menu on start button mouse hover
  
• I fix a memory leak when thousands of elements are added
  
• The shortcuts to make the search bar appear and to change the current action modifier work only if the menu structure includes the corresponding element

• The title element in the contextual menu can contain child elements, it's more similar to the old compact menu (R.I.P.)
  
• There is a new command line for user custom variables. The new flag is -cv (custom variable) followed from a key=value structure. The -cv flag could recur multiple times. Some examples here: -cvfoo1=text -cv%foo2%=text -cv"foo3=text" -cv"%foo foo 4%"=text -cv"%foo foo 5%=text text"
• I introduced a new element in contextual menu to directly go to SyMenu options