Menu (computing)
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In user interface design, a menu is a list of options presented to the user.
A user chooses an option from a menu by using an input device. Some input methods require linear navigation: the user must move a cursor or otherwise pass from one menu item to another until reaching the selection. On a computer terminal, a reverse video bar may serve as the cursor.
Touch user interfaces and menus that accept codes to select menu options without navigation are two examples of non-linear interfaces.
Some of the input devices used in menu interfaces are touchscreens, keyboards, mice, remote controls, and microphones. In a voice-activated system, such as interactive voice response, a microphone sends a recording of the user's voice to a speech recognition system, which translates it to a command.
A computer using a
A computer using a graphical user interface presents menus with a combination of text and symbols to represent choices. By clicking on one of the symbols or text, the operator is selecting the instruction that the symbol represents. A context menu is a menu in which the choices presented to the operator are automatically modified according to the current context in which the operator is working.
A common use of menus is to provide convenient access to various operations such as saving or opening a
According to traditional
Menus are now also seen in
Menus are sometimes hierarchically organized, allowing navigation through different levels of the menu structure. Selecting a menu entry with an arrow will expand it, showing a second menu (the submenu) with options related to the selected entry.
Usage of attached ellipses
In computer menu functions or buttons, an appended ellipsis ("…") means that upon selection, another dialog will follow, where the user can or must make a choice.[5] If the ellipse is missing, the function will be executed upon selection.
- "Save": the file will be overwritten without further input.
- "Save as ...": in the following dialog, the user can, for example, select another location or file name or other file format.
Touchscreens
Displays with touchscreen functionality, e.g. modern cameras and printers, also have menus: these are not drop-down menus but buttons.
See also
- Drop-down menu
- Federal Standard 1037C
- Hamburger button
- Pie menu
- Radio button
- WIMP (computing)
References
- ^ Apple Human Interface Guidelines – Menus
- ^ Jakob Nielsen. "Mega Drop-Down Navigation Menus Work Well".
- ^ Jakob Nielsen. "Mega-Menus Gone Wrong". Archived from the original on July 20, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-000-38195-5.
- ^ developer.apple.com: Menu and Menu Item Titles