Context Menu (1.4)

This article or section documents something not included in the current version of Scratch (3.0). It is only useful from a historical perspective.

This article or section documents an outdated version of Scratch (version 1.4). For this article in Scratch 2.0, see Context Menu (2.0).

The context menu in the Scripts Area.

A context menu is a menu which provides extra options about an item. Context menus are traditionally accessed by right-clicking or control-clicking.

Menus

Scratch has some of the following right-click options for different parts of the program:

Scripts Area

clean up — Organizes oddly placed scripts. Scratch will order them vertically on the left side of the Scripts Area, with a slight space in between each.

save picture of scripts — Allows for a user to save a picture of all the scripts in the area. This option opens the Scratch File Browser, which allows a user to choose where in their system they would like to place the image, which may be shrunken if necessary. It is a .GIF file.

add comment — This was created as a replacement for the comment block in Scratch 1.2 beta. It was removed because it confused users; it has no effect on a sprite's scripts. After much protesting of its removal on the Scratch Website, the current comment feature was introduced in Scratch 1.3. It allows for a user to type notes or helpful comments in a convenient area, usually explaining how their scripts work. The user can also attach it to scripts and adjust its width. Despite all of their help, comments greatly slow a project's speed — they are sometimes avoided or placed detached from their wanted places in their script.

bigger/normal size/smaller — These options will be added in Scratch 2.0. They zoom the Scripts Area, to make it easier to see blocks.

Blocks

help — Opens the "help" dialog for that block. This is the only option while the block is in the Block Palette.

duplicate — Duplicates the stack below that block. If in a C Block, duplicates until the end of the C.

delete — Only available on the top of a script (a stack of blocks with no hat is considered a script for this purpose), it works similarly to duplicate, but deletes instead of copying.

On some blocks, such as () + () (block), () - () (block), and () and () (block), the block label can be switched.

In Scratch 2.0, the Define () block has an "edit" option to change the parameters of the procedure.

Costumes

turn into new sprite — Removes the costume from the current sprite, and adds it to a new one, with no other costumes, scripts, or sounds.

export this costume — Exports the costume as a file on the user's computer.

Sounds

export this sound — Exports the sound as a file on the user's computer.

Sprite thumbnails

show — If the hide block has been activated on it, it shows the sprite. If the ghost effect is above 70, it sets it to 0. If the size is less than 10, it is set to 100. If the absolute value of the Y position is greater than 180, or the absolute value of the X position is greater than 240 (i.e. the costume center is off of the coordinates of the stage), it moves to 0@0. If it is not on the top layer, it moves to the top.

export this sprite — Exports the sprite as a .sprite file on the user's computer. (In Scratch 2.0, this is "save to local file".)

duplicate — Creates a copy of the sprite.

delete — Deletes the sprite.

save to server — It is unknown what exactly this does, or how, but it most likely saves the sprite to the server. (Added in Scratch 2.0.)

Sprites on the Stage

The "export this sprite", "duplicate", and "delete" options are here as well, but "show" is unnecessary because if it wasn't visible, it could not be clicked.

grab screen region for new costume — Select an area of the Scratch IDE to become a new costume for the sprite.

Resizing a sprite via the context menu.

Rotating a sprite via the context menu.

resize this sprite — creates a handler to drag and resize the sprite. Dragging left shrinks, right grows.

rotate this sprite — creates a handler to rotate the sprite.

Stage

grab screen region for new sprite — Select an area of the Scratch IDE to become a costume for a new sprite.

save picture of stage — Saves a screenshot of the stage as it is to the user's computer.

Variable Stage Monitors

normal readout — Switches to the normal look

large readout — Switches to the large look, only showing the value

slider (variables only) — Switches to the slider look for variables, which allows the user to change the value by sliding it

set slider min and max (variables in slider mode only) — Sets the range of the slider. By default, it is from 0 to 100.

hide — Hides the watcher.

List watchers

export — Exports the list to a .txt file, putting each item on a new line.

import — Imports a .txt file as a list, overwriting all previous content.

hide — Hides the watcher.

Look

Menus in the Scratch 1.x series share the look of context menus; for example, menus in the File/Edit/Share/Help menus, and also Shift-Click-R.