Android Question updating menu items

Activity.AddMenuItem3("", "btnmail", LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "empty.png"), True)
Activity.AddMenuItem3("", "btnmenu", LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets, "empty.png"), True)
Dim jo As JavaObject = bar
dim alternateMenu As Panel
alternateMenu.Initialize("altMenu")
alternateMenu.LoadLayout("alternateMenuMain")
jo = jo.GetField("bar")
jo.RunMethod("setDisplayShowCustomEnabled", Array As Object(True))
jo.RunMethod("setCustomView", Array As Object(alternateMenu))
btnMail.SetBackgroundImage(LoadBitmap(File.DirAssets,"730-envelope-selected.png"))

Sub btnmail_click
    StartActivity(MessagesList)
End Sub

alternateMenu.Width=100dip

(Main, 87) Panel.LoadLayout should only be called after the panel was added to its parent. (warning #1001)
java.lang.NullPointerException

    at anywheresoftware.b4a.objects.ViewWrapper.setWidth(ViewWrapper.java:124)
    at com.wurzelkraut.Stash2Go.main._activity_create(main.java:809)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
    at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:174)
    at com.wurzelkraut.Stash2Go.main.afterFirstLayout(main.java:98)
    at com.wurzelkraut.Stash2Go.main.access$100(main.java:16)
    at com.wurzelkraut.Stash2Go.main$WaitForLayout.run(main.java:76)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:733)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:95)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5001)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:785)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:601)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
sending message to waiting queue of uninitialized activity (submitjob)