C H A P T E R 1 3

Menus

Within each section, a checkmark () next to a menu item indicates that unless your application cannot support the item’s action or attribute, the item is required. The unmarked commands are ones that are not appropriate for all applications, but if they are appropriate in yours, you should implement and label them as discussed.

If there is an appropriate keyboard shortcut for a menu item, it is listed. Except for those items with a checkmark next to them, you should implement keyboard shortcuts only for those commands that will be frequently used. Unnecessary use of keyboard shortcuts can make your application confusing. For more discussion on assigning keyboard shortcuts for pull-down menu items, see “Keyboard Shortcuts” (page 103).

The Apple Menu

The Apple menu provides items that are available to users at all times, regardless of which application is active. The Apple menu’s contents are defined by the system and cannot be modified by users or developers.

Figure 13-14 The Apple menu

The Application Menu

The application menu contains items that apply to the application as a whole rather than to a specific document or other window.

Figure 13-15 The Mail application menu

2008-06-09 | © 1992, 2001-2003, 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.

C H A P T E R 1 3

Menus

The Application Menu Title

To help users identify the active application, the application menu title is in boldface.

In order to fit within the allotted menu bar space, the application menu title should be one word, if possible, and a maximum of 16 characters. Don’t include the application version number in the name; version information belongs in the About window. If the application name is too long, provide a short name (16 characters or fewer) as part of the application package. The Hide, Quit, and About items should also use the short application name. If you don’t provide a short name, the application name is truncated from the end (and an ellipsis is added), if necessary.

The Application Menu Contents

About ApplicationName. Opens your application’s About window, which contains copyright information and version number. (For more information, see “About Windows” (page 229). If you’ve specified a short name (see “The Application Menu Title” (page 174)), use it in the About menu item; use the full application name in the About window.

Preferences…(Command-,).Opensapreferencewindowforyourapplication. See MultipleUserEnvironments for more information on handling preferences in a multiple-user environment.

In the application menu, put all commands that provide access to your application’s preference dialogs first, followedbyapplication-specificitems. PutamenuseparatorbetweentheAboutcommandandthePreferences command. If your application provides document-specific preferences, make them available in the File menu (see “The File Menu” (page 175)). Most document-specific preferences should have a unique name, such as Page Setup, rather than Preferences.

Services. The Services submenu provides a way for one application to offer its capabilities to another application. See Mac OS X Technology Overview for more information on services.

Hide ApplicationName (Command-H). Hides all of the windows of the currently running application and brings the most recently used application to the foreground. If necessary, use the short application title (see “The Application Menu Title” (page 174)).

Hide Others (Command-Option-H). Hides the windows of all the other applications currently running.

Show All. Shows all windows of all currently running applications.

Quit ApplicationName (Command-Q). This last item in the application menu should be preceded by a separator. When a user chooses Quit and there are unsaved documents, present the necessary alerts (see “Dialogs for Saving, Closing, and Quitting” (page 241)). If necessary, use the short application name (see “The Application Menu Title” (page 174)).

You may include other application-specific menu items between the Preferences and Services menu items. Don’t include a Help menu item however, because this belongs in the Help menu (see “The Help Menu” (page 183)).

2008-06-09 | © 1992, 2001-2003, 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.