Arma 3: Communication Menu

Communication menu and icons

Communication menu is a commanding menu where support or mission requests are placed.

The player can access it using following means:

• Open the quick command menu ('~' by default) and select "Communication" item
• Press 8-1 (Reply - Communication)

Available items are announced upon adding by a notification and remain visualized as icons next to the commanding menu.

Configuration

Config

Communication menu items can be defined in config - global Config.cpp, Campaign Description.ext or mission Description.ext (searched in this order, the latter has the highest priority).

Preview and path for icons

class CfgCommunicationMenu
{
	class myArtillery
	{
		text = "Artillery Strike";		// Text displayed in the menu and in a notification
		submenu = "";					// Submenu opened upon activation (expression is ignored when submenu is not empty.)
		expression = "player setVariable ['BIS_SUPP_request', ['Artillery', _pos]];";	// Code executed upon activation
		icon = "\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\artillery_ca.paa";				// Icon displayed permanently next to the command menu
		cursor = "\a3\Ui_f\data\IGUI\Cfg\Cursors\iconCursorSupport_ca.paa";				// Custom cursor displayed when the item is selected
		enable = "1";					// Simple expression condition for enabling the item
		removeAfterExpressionCall = 1;	// 1 to remove the item after calling
	};

	class menu_comms_1
	{
		text = "Menu Comms 1";
		submenu = "#USER:MENU_COMMS_1";  // will open submenu that is defined as global variable MENU_COMMS_1
		expression = "";
		icon = "";
		cursor = "";
		enable = "1";
		removeAfterExpressionCall = 0;
	};
};

Available default icons:

"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\artillery_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\attack_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\call_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\cas_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\casheli_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\defend_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\instructor_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\mortar_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\supplydrop_ca.paa"
"\a3\Ui_f\data\GUI\Cfg\CommunicationMenu\transport_ca.paa"

You can also preview pre-defined items using the Splendid™ Config Viewer.

Simple expressions:

Expression	Effect
1	Always available
0	Always disabled
cursorOnGround	Only callable when pointing at a valid position

Adding

Use following functions to add the item in your mission or system:

• BIS_fnc_addCommMenuItem
• BIS_fnc_removeCommMenuItem

Number of slots is limited to 10, no pagination is implemented. Larger number is an edge case, no mission should need as many supports.

Expression Arguments

Following arguments are passed into the expression field:

[caller, pos, target, is3D, id]

• caller: Object - unit which called the item, usually player
• pos: Array in format Position - cursor position
• target: Object - cursor target
• is3D: Boolean - true when in 3D scene, false when in map
• id: String - item ID as returned by BIS_fnc_addCommMenuItem function

Submenu

submenu = "#USER:MENU_COMMS_1"; // 'MENU_COMMS_1' is just a global variable, can name it anything

showCommandingMenu '#USER:MENU_COMMS_1';  // if you wanted to show your custom menu on a keydown event or something

MENU_COMMS_1 = [ // First array: "User menu" This will be displayed under the menu, bool value: has Input Focus or not. // Note that as of version Arma 3 1.05, if the bool value is set to false, Custom Icons will not be displayed. ["MenuName", false], // Syntax and semantics for following array elements: // ["Title_in_menu", [assigned_key], "Submenu_name", CMD, [["expression",script-string]], "isVisible", "isActive" (, optional icon path)] // Title_in_menu: string that will be displayed for the player // Assigned_key: 0 - no key, 1 - escape key, 2 - key-1, 3 - key-2, ... , 10 - key-9, 11 - key-0, 12 and up... the whole keyboard // Submenu_name: User menu name string (eg "#USER:MY_SUBMENU_NAME" ), "" for script to execute. // CMD: (for main menu:) CMD_SEPARATOR -1; CMD_NOTHING -2; CMD_HIDE_MENU -3; CMD_BACK -4; (for custom menu:) CMD_EXECUTE -5 // script-string: command to be executed on activation. (_target=CursorTarget,_pos=CursorPos) // isVisible - Boolean 1 or 0 for yes or no, - or optional argument string, eg: "CursorOnGround" // isActive - Boolean 1 or 0 for yes or no - if item is not active, it appears gray. // optional icon path: The path to the texture of the cursor, that should be used on this menuitem. ["Teleport", [2], "", -5, [["expression", "player setPos _pos;"]], "1", "1", "\A3\ui_f\data\IGUI\Cfg\Cursors\iconcursorsupport_ca.paa"], ["Kill Target", [3], "", -5, [["expression", "_target setDamage 1;"]], "1", "1", "\A3\ui_f\data\IGUI\Cfg\Cursors\iconcursorsupport_ca.paa"], ["Disabled", [4], "", -5, [["expression", ""]], "1", "0"], ["Submenu", [5], "#USER:MENU_COMMS_2", -5, [], "1", "1"] ];
MENU_COMMS_2 = [ ["Submenu", false], ["Option 1", [2], "", -5, [["expression", "hint 'Option 1';"]], "1", "1"], ["Option 2", [3], "", -5, [["expression", "hint 'Option 2';"]], "1", "1"], ["Option 3", [4], "", -5, [["expression", "hint 'Option 3';"]], "1", "1"] ];

Existing Submenus

Some of the existing submenus in Arma3

Menu	Menu Location
"#User:BIS_fnc_addCommMenuItem_menu"	Group/Reply commuication menu /High Command Group reply menu
"#User:BIS_MENU_GroupCommunication"	High Command/UAV Reply communication menu
"#USER:BIS_VR_commMenu_1"	VR Training Mission menu
"#USER:HCWPWaitRadio"	High Command/UAV Waypoints waitRadio menu
"#USER:HCWPWaitUntil"	High Command/UAV Waypoints waitUnitl menu
"#USER:HC_Custom_0"	High Command/UAV Action menu
"#USER:HC_Missions_0"	High Command/UAV Missions menu
"#USER:HC_Targets_0"	High Command/UAV Targets menu
"#USER:BIS_fnc_kbMenu_menu"	Conversation menu
"#USER:BIS_MENU_SOM_SecOps"	Communication menu
"#USER:BIS_MENU_SOM_Support"	Communication Support menu