Scripting right side of menubar?

I'm wondering if this is possible. Can Applescript be used to add a new item to the right side of the menubar that when selected drops down a menu to start (launch/activate) or stop (quit) a particular application? I know I could write scripts to do that and put them in the Applescripts folder, but I want them to show up as a separate item with just those two scripts to pick from -- ideally with a custom icon. Why? Because the particular application manages a 3rd-party wifi card and I'd like it to behave more like (in fact, replace) the Airport menu than as a stand-alone app. (And, while we're at it, would there be a way so that when it's running it doesn't show up in the Dock?) The app was written as a stand-alone app, but all it does as far as a user interface is concerned is display a window that has a couple of tabs and places to make entries and selections -- no menu items of interest. (yes, this is related to another recent question of mine, but almost independent -- the wake/sleep behavior is a separate issue.)
Ted Lee
Minnetonka, MN

The application with its window, controls is easy enough to do in AppleScript, even though it violates Apple's Human Interface guidelines.
The problem is that, as a window, the user would be able to close the window, yet there is no other (stated) way of re-activating the application should you want/need to change it in some way (e.g. click another button).
Your menu contains options to 'start' and 'stop' the application, neither of which are conducive to opening the control window. Maybe 'start' could be renamed 'open' to make it a little more intuitive, but there are still other issues with this approach.
You might want to start by reading Apple's Human Interface Guidelines on the menu bar, especially the second on 'Menu Extras' which states:
If there is not enough room in the menu bar to display all menus, menu bar extras are removed automatically by Mac OS X to make room for application menus, which take precedence. Because of this, and because users can choose to hide menu bar extras, you should not rely on their presence.
Therefore your approach of making this the sole interface to your application needs a rethink.
Once you solve the UI issues, though, you still cannot write a menu extra in AppleScript. You'll need to write any menu extra in another language, even if your main application is AppleScript-based.

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