# How to remove a menu bar from a frame? **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Answers\ **Tags:** question, gui\ **Created:** [May 24, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934 "2024-05-24T00:00:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cadence](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/cadence/32/998_2.png) [@cadence](https://racket.discourse.group/u/cadence)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/1 "2024-05-24T00:00:10Z")
For creating a menu bar, the documentation says: > `new menu-bar%` - A [menu-bar%](https://docs.racket-lang.org/gui/menu-bar_.html) object is created for a particular [frame%](https://docs.racket-lang.org/gui/frame_.html) object. **A frame can have at most one menu bar;** an [exn:fail:contract](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/exns.html#%28def._%28%28lib._racket%2Fprivate%2Fbase..rkt%29._exn~3afail~3acontract%29%29) exception is raised when a new menu bar is created for a frame that already has a menu bar. I can create a menu bar with this code: ```scheme #lang racket/gui (define frame (new frame% [label "Racket Frame"] [width 200] [height 200])) (define menu-bar (new menu-bar% [parent frame])) (define menu (new menu% [label "File"] [parent menu-bar])) (send frame show #t) ``` After it has been created, how can I remove the menu bar from the frame? ---
**Author:** ![bakgatviooldoos](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/bakgatviooldoos/32/1381_2.png) [@bakgatviooldoos](https://racket.discourse.group/u/bakgatviooldoos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 10:22am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/2 "2024-05-25T10:22:43Z")
Hi, @cadence. I had a quick look at the source for the `menu-bar%` and `frame%`. I am just spit-balling here, so take with a grain of salt, but I think the intended "workflow" if you will, is to have a single menu bar, which is either visible or not, which has items which can delete themselves. So, the menu bar itself stays constant, but its content varies. I hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![cadence](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/cadence/32/998_2.png) [@cadence](https://racket.discourse.group/u/cadence)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 11:36am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/3 "2024-05-25T11:36:39Z")
I see. So I can `(send menu delete)` and `(send menu restore)` to hide/show. That works to clear the items, but the blank space remains there at the top of the window. I guess that's good enough. My workaround was to delete and re-create the entire window. This works well enough for me, but one notable downside is if it's been moved around the screen by the user, it'll reappear in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![bakgatviooldoos](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/bakgatviooldoos/32/1381_2.png) [@bakgatviooldoos](https://racket.discourse.group/u/bakgatviooldoos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/4 "2024-05-25T11:44:50Z")
I see. That is a pickle. Maybe you can "hide" the menu bar with `(send menu-bar enable #false)`, which will disable it. But I don't know if that has the intended effect from just one test. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/2/2063443012cc5b4841fafa6586402a4fe7d37d21.png) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/a/a618fbbe08a3c55efe2532e9e8ce79143e40fc6d.png) ---
**Author:** ![cadence](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/cadence/32/998_2.png) [@cadence](https://racket.discourse.group/u/cadence)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:02pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/5 "2024-05-25T12:02:37Z")
I meant that the menu bar will still reserve space in the window even if it is hidden/deleted. Try this larger example: ```scheme #lang racket/gui (define frame (new frame% [label "Racket Frame"] [width 200] [height 200])) (define check (new check-box% [parent frame] [label "Check Box"] [value #t])) (send frame show #t) (define menu-bar (box #f)) (define menu (box #f)) (define (create-menu) (set-box! menu-bar (new menu-bar% [parent frame])) (set-box! menu (new menu% [label "File"] [parent (unbox menu-bar)]))) (define (disable-delete-menu) (send (unbox menu-bar) enable #f) (send (unbox menu) delete)) ``` At first the menu bar doesn't exist, so the checkbox is right next to the top of the window. Then, after running `(create-menu)` in the REPL, the menu bar is added to the top of the window and pushes the checkbox down a bit. Finally, after running `(disable-delete-menu)` in the REPL, the menu bar disappears but it isn't _truly_ gone. It leaves behind a blank space at the top of the window, stopping the checkbox from going back to the top of the window. ---
**Author:** ![bakgatviooldoos](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/bakgatviooldoos/32/1381_2.png) [@bakgatviooldoos](https://racket.discourse.group/u/bakgatviooldoos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:08pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/6 "2024-05-25T12:08:55Z")
Perhaps it is a platform-related issue, because I cannot recreate what you describe, although I understand what you mean. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/8/882be0927347543657d9796f2f82af6571119b6b.png) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/3/3fba35789fd320d5dbd3d708f68cb0e02cc91e2f.png) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/5/529575c9c4143e35536553f0913b7db0bf2df723.png) Edit: I am running a Windows 10 Professional edition, to clarify the point. ---
**Author:** ![cadence](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/cadence/32/998_2.png) [@cadence](https://racket.discourse.group/u/cadence)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:16pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/7 "2024-05-25T12:16:53Z")
Oh, you're totally right! It does remove the menu entirely on Windows. On Linux I get the blank space left behind. Here's what it looks like for me: ![bitmap](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/racket/original/2X/0/00b7bd23cf3ee6da27ae910e8de2b502c8bbcbe5.png) ---
**Author:** ![bakgatviooldoos](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/bakgatviooldoos/32/1381_2.png) [@bakgatviooldoos](https://racket.discourse.group/u/bakgatviooldoos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/8 "2024-05-25T12:20:29Z")
I wonder how you would troubleshoot the issue 🤔 Does it continue if you add a new item to the frame? Or perhaps, if you are using a tiling WM, move the window around? Edit: I am alluding to whether this is a _platform_-related issue, or merely a "refresh" issue. ---
**Author:** ![cadence](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/cadence/32/998_2.png) [@cadence](https://racket.discourse.group/u/cadence)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/9 "2024-05-25T12:36:37Z")
> [@bakgatviooldoos](#): > > Does it continue if you add a new item to the frame? Yes. I think it's a platform issue rather than a refresh issue. ---
**Author:** ![mflatt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/racket.discourse.group/mflatt/32/6_2.png) [@mflatt](https://racket.discourse.group/u/mflatt)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 12:42pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-remove-a-menu-bar-from-a-frame/2934/10 "2024-05-25T12:42:02Z")
With Gtk, I think `racket/gui` reserves that menu-bar space here: > It's possible that some configuration could reset that space back to 0, although I'm not sure it would work right.