Auto-Creating Selectable Menu Sets

Question

Is there a way to do this? In each scene selection menu, I'd like to have DVDSP automatically create a subset of selectable menus based on the total number of menus and the number of selections in each menu.
For instance, you often see something like "1-8", "9-16", etc in each scene selection menu of a DVD. I thought there might be a way to automate this process, much like DVDSP already automates chapter connections and navigation buttons between menus in tracks with embedded markers.
I suspect I'll have to do this manually, but I thought I'd see if anyone has come up with something. The reason I'm asking is that I have to create 6 dual-layer DVDs with around 50 chapters per DVD, 8 chapter selections per menu. Each DVD will have different content, but the menus will look the same. It would be nice if the user could jump from, say, menu 1 to menu 7 without continually pressing "Next" and this was process was automated to save me a little time.
Any ideas appreciated.

Answer 1

The closest I've come to this is saving a template.
I do a lot of DVDs that are similar in content -- say, three tracks each with a basic menu -- so I saved the overall project without any assets and just with "place text here" for text placeholders. When I make a new DVD, I just copy that template project, rename it, then add my assets and enter in the text descriptions for each of the tracks.
Even if you have a different number of tracks from disc to disc, if the basic layout is the same (especially the number and hierarchy of the menus), you could just have the maximum number of tracks and menus you'll need for the project and the maximum number of buttons you'll need on each menu. Then when you make an actual DVD, just delete the tracks/menus/buttons that aren't used.
For example, say you always have one main menu and up to five submenus, and each submenu has up to four tracks. Make the template with the main menu, buttons pointing to the five submenus, and four tracks on each submenu. Go ahead and add the twenty empty tracks to the project, point all the submenu buttons at the tracks, set the end-jump and any other details on each of the tracks, the "back" button on each submenu pointing back to the main menu (or your "1-8", "9-16"), etc. Then say you make a DVD that only has three tracks on one of the submenus... Easy; delete the extra button on that submenu and the corresponding empty track.
And if you're using a Photoshop layered file, save a template of that, too. Keep all the text stuff as text layers so you can edit it later. Then make a copy for a specific DVD, modify any text, etc. All the images should be in the right place, and assuming the text is in the same position and you have your buttons set up right in DVDSP, everything should still line up, even after you change the text (1-8, 9-16, etc.).
I've found it saves me a lot of time since I don't have to remember to set the end-jumps, the custom "menu" remote option (when they hit "menu" on the remote while in the middle of watching a track), etc. All I do is drop the assets in, drop the right asset onto each empty track, and put in the text on the menus describing each track.
I don't know of an automated way for it to figure out how many submenus you have, either. Which is why I put the maximum that I'll have on each menu for the template. It's much faster and easier to delete the extras on each new DVD than to try to line up new buttons and/or images consistently each time.