Standard Menus

Most applications have many functions in common, such as Cut, Copy, Paste and Quit. To aid learning and memorability, these menu items, and the menus on which they appear, must appear with the same labels and in the same order in every application. The same commands must also behave the same way in different applications, to avoid surprising the user.

This section details the most common menus, menu items and their behaviors. You will not need all of these menus or menu items in every application you write, but do preserve the order of the menu titles and of the menu items that you do use.

Guidelines
  • Place application-specific menus after the Format menu and before the Go menu
  • Place application-specific menu items towards the middle of a standard menu, unless they logically fit with one of the standard groups already on the menu.
Figure 4-9 A menubar showing all the standard menu titles in their correct order

4.4.1. File

The File menu contains commands that operate on the current document. It is the left-most item in the menubar because of its importance and frequency of use, and because it is a relevant menu in many applications. Historically, because most applications already had this menu, and because the distinction between closing documents and closing windows became blurred over time, the File menu has also become the standard location for Quit.

The items on the File menu are generally ordered by locality, closest first. That is, items to save or load from file, followed by printing, followed by sending to a remote user. Try to maintain this ordering if you have to add new items to the menu.

If your application does not operate on documents, name this item for the type of object it displays. For example, many games should have a Game instead of a File menu. However, place the Quit menu item last on this menu nonetheless.

Figure 4-10 A generic File menu

4.4.1.1. Creation and Opening Operations

Table 4-1 Creation and Opening operation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
New Ctrl+N Creates a new document. Open a new primary window, with the title Document name, containing a blank document. How this window is displayed, e.g. as a tab or a separate window, is up to the window manager.

If your application can create a number of different types of document, you can make the New item a submenu, containing a menu item for each type. Label these items New document type, make the first entry in the submenu the most commonly used document type, and give it the Ctrl+N shortcut.

Note: A blank document will not necessarily be completely blank. For example, a document created from a template may already contain some data.
Open... Ctrl+O Opens an existing document in a new window. Present the user with a standard Open File dialog from which they can choose an existing file. If the chosen file is already open in the application, raise that window instead of opening a new one.

4.4.1.2. Saved State Operations

Table 4-2 Saved State Operation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Save Ctrl+S Saves the document with its current filename. If the document already has a filename associated with it, save the document immediately without any further interaction from the user. If there are any additional options involved in saving a file (eg. DOS or UNIX-style line endings in a text file), prompt for these first time the document is saved, but subsequently use the same values each time until the user changes them. If the document has no current filename or is read-only, selecting this item should be the same as selecting Save As.
Save As... Shift+Ctrl+S Saves the document with a new filename. Present the user with the standard Save As dialog, and save the file with the chosen file name.
Save a Copy... None Prompts the user to enter a filename, with which a copy of the document is then saved. Do not alter either the view or the filename of the original document. All subsequent changes are still made to the original document until the user specifies otherwise, for example by choosing the Save As command.

Like the Save As dialog, the Save a Copy dialog may present different ways to save the data. For example, an image may be saved in a native format or as a PNG.
Revert None Reverts the document to the last saved state. Present the user with a warning that all changes will be lost, and offer the option of cancelling before reloading the file.
Save Version... None An alternative to the Save a Copy command. Only use this item in conjunction with the Restore Version. command.
Restore Version... None Prompts the user for a version of the current document to be restored. Present the user with with a warning that all changes will be lost, and offer the option of cancelling before restoring the version. Only use this item in conjunction with the Save Version command.
Versions... None An alternative to the Save Version and Restore Version commands. Use this when more utilities, such as a diff, are available.

4.4.1.3. Export Operations

Table 4-3 Export Operation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Page Setup None Allows the user to control print-related settings. Present the user with a dialog allowing the user to set such options as portrait or landscape format, margins, and so on.
Print Preview Shift+Ctrl+P Shows the user what the printed document will look like. Present a new window containing an accruate represenation of the appearance of the document as it would be printed. The libgnomeprintui library provides a standard Print Preview window that you should use if possible.
Print... Ctrl+P Prints the current document. Present the user with a dialog allowing them to set options like the page range to be printed, the printer to be used, and so on. The dialog must contain a button labelled Print that starts printing and closes the dialog. The libgnomeprintui library provides a standard Print dialog that you should use if possible.
Send To... Ctrl+M Provides the user a means to attach or send the current document as an email or email attachment, depending on its format. You may provide more than one Send item depending on which options are available. If there are more than two such items, move them into a submenu. For example, if only Send by Email and Send by Fax are available, leave them on the top-level menu If there is a third option, such as Send by FTP, place all the options in a Send submenu.

4.4.1.4. File Properties

Table 4-4 Properties menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Properties Alt+Return Opens the document's Properties window. This may contain editable information, such as the document author's name, or read-only information, such as the number of words in the document, or a combination of both. The Alt+Return shortcut should not be provided where Return is most frequently used to insert a new line.

4.4.1.5. Closing Operations

Table 4-5 Closing Operation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Close Ctrl+W Closes the current document. If it has unsaved changes, present the user with a confirmation alert giving the option to save changes, discard them, or cancel the action without closing or saving the document.

If the window you are closing is the last open document in the application, the correct action depends on your application type:

  • Single document interface: close the application
  • Controlled single document interface: leave only the control window open
  • Multiple document interface: close the current document and create a new blank document
Quit Ctrl+Q

Closes the application. If there are unsaved changes in any open documents, present the user with a confirmation alert for each affected document, giving the option to save the changes, discard them, or cancel. If there are no unsaved changes, close the application immediately without presenting any further messages or dialogs.

In particular, non-document based applications, for example a game or a calculator, should save their state and exit immediately. This state should be restored the next time the application is started.

4.4.2. Edit

The Edit menu contains items relating to editing both the document (clipboard handling, search and replace, and inserting special objects) and the user's preferences. Preferences are edited here rather than on a Settings menu, because:

  • most applications' preferences windows are accessed via a single menu item, and single-item menus offer poor usability
  • most applications already contain a suitable Edit menu.
Figure 4-11 A generic Edit menu

4.4.2.1. Modification History

Document-based applications should maintain a history of modifications to a document and the state of the document between each action. The Undo and Redo commands move backwards and forwards through this history.

Table 4-6 Modification History menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Undo action Ctrl+Z Undoes the effect of the previous action in the undo history list. Revert the document to its state before the previous action was performed. If your application supports undo, and the user undoes all changes since it was last saved, treat the document as unmodified. Note: provide a separate Undo and Redo menu item even if your application only supports one level of undo.
Redo action Shift+Ctrl+Z Performs the next action in the undo history list, after the user has moved backwards through the list with the Undo command. Move the user one step forwards again, restoring the document to the state it was in after that action was originally performed.

Note: provide a separate Undo and Redo menu item even if your application only supports one level of undo.

4.4.2.2. Manipulating Selected Data

Table 4-7 Selected Data Manipulation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Cut Ctrl+X Removes the selected content and places it onto the clipboard. Visually, remove the content from the document in the same manner as Delete.
Copy Ctrl+C Copies the selected content onto the clipboard.
Paste Ctrl+V Inserts the contents of the clipboard into the document. If there is no current selection, use the caret as the insertion point. If there is a current selection, replace it with the clipboard contents.
Paste Special... Shift+Ctrl+V Inserts a non-default representation of the clipboard contents into the document. Open a dialog presenting a list of the available formats from which the user can select. For example, if the clipboard contains a PNG file copied from a file manager, the image may be embedded in the document, or a link to the file inserted so that changes to the image on disk are always reflected in the document.
Duplicate Ctrl+U Creates a duplicate copy of the selected object. Do not prompt for a name for the duplicate object, but give it a sensible default (for example, Copy of ShoppingList.abw) and allow the user to change it later. Place the duplicate copy as near the original as possible without overlapping it, even if this means breaking the current sort order within the container, so the user sees it immediately.
Delete Delete Removes the selected content without placing it on the clipboard.
Select All Ctrl+A Selects all content in the current document.
Deselect All Shift+Ctrl+A Deselects all content in the current document. Only provide this item in situations when no other method of undoing selection is possible or apparent to the user. For example, in complex graphics applications where selection and deselection is not usually possible simply by using the cursor keys. Note: Do not provide Deselect All in text entry fields, as Shift+Ctrl+hex digit is used to enter unicode characters so its shortcut will not work.

4.4.2.3. Searching and Replacing

Table 4-8 Search and Replace menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Find... Ctrl+F Opens a window or dialog allowing the user to search for specific content in the current document. Highlight each match in-place. If the command allows the user to search for content in places other than the current document, for example other open documents, other documents on disk, or a remote network location, label this item Search instead of Find.
Find Next Ctrl+G Selects the next instance of the last Find term in the current document.
Find Previous Shift+Ctrl+G Selects the previous instance of the last Find term in the current document.
Replace... Ctrl+H Opens a window or dialog allowing the user to search for specific content in the current document, and replace each occurrence with new content.

4.4.2.4. Inserting Special Objects

Where applicable, provide items on the Edit menu that insert special objects such as images, links, GUI controls or the current date and time.

If you have up to three types of object that can be inserted, add them as individual items to this menu, for example Insert Image, or Insert External Link. If you have between three and six types, place them on an Edit ▸ Insert submenu. If you have more than six, add a separate Insert menu to the menubar.

4.4.2.5. User Preferences

Table 4-9 User Preferences menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Preferences None Opens a preferences window allowing the user to change preferences for the whole application. Changes will apply to all running and subsequent instances of the application.

4.4.3. View

The View menu contains only items that affect the user's view of the current document. Do not place any items on the View menu that affect the the content of the current document. (Exception: View ▸ Reload may change the current contents if, for example, the document is a webpage that has been recently updated on the server).

Figure 4-12 A generic View menu

4.4.3.1. Toolbar and Statusbar

Table 4-10 Toolbar and Statusbar menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Toolbar None Shows or hides the application's toolbar. This is a check box menu item. Include this item in every application that has a single toolbar. See Section 5.2 ― Controlling Display and Appearance for information on how to deal with multiple toolbars.

4.4.3.2. Content Presentation

Table 4-11 Content Presentation menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Icons None Shows the contents of the selected container as rows and columns of large icons, each with its name underneath. This is a radio button menu item.
List None Shows the contents of the selected container as a list of small icons, possibly in multiple columns, each with its name on its right-hand side. This is a radio button menu item.
Details None Shows the contents of the selected container as single column of small icons, each with its name on its right-hand side. Additional columns give extra information about the object each icon represents, for example the size and modification date of files in a file manager. This is a radio button menu item.

If your application has no need for both List and Details modes, use the List item for whichever of the two modes you support.
Sort By... None Sorts the contents of an container by user-specified criteria. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose from pre-defined sort keys (for example, Name, Size, or Modification Date in a file manager), or to specify their own if applicable.
Filter... None Hides objects that are not of interest to the user. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose from a list of types of object they want to display, or to enter their own criteria (for example, a regular expression matched against a particular property of the objects).
Zoom In Ctrl++ Zooms into the document. Make the center of the new view the same as the center of the previous view.
Zoom Out Ctrl+- Zooms out of the document. Make the center of the new view the same as the center of the previous view.
Normal Size Ctrl+0 Resets the zoom level back to the default value, normally 100%. Make the center of the new view the same as the center of the previous view.
Best Fit None Makes the document fill the window. Show the document, or the current page of the document, at as high a zoom level as will fit in the window whilst allowing the whole document or page to be visible without scrolling.
Refresh Ctrl+R Redraws the current view of the document from local storage. For example, in a web browser application, this would redraw the page from the browser page cache.
Reload Ctrl+R Redraws the current view of the document, checking the data source for changes first. For example, checks the web server for updates to the page before redrawing it. If your application requires both Reload and Refresh, use Shift+Ctrl+R as the shortcut for Reload.

4.4.4. Insert

The Insert menu lists the type of special objects that can be inserted into the document at the current caret position, for example images, links, page breaks or GUI objects. Only provide this menu if you have more than about six types of object that can be inserted, otherwise place individual items for each type on the Edit menu.

Figure 4-13 A generic Insert menu

The types of object will vary between applications, but the table below shows some common types that may be applicable.

Table 4-12 Insert menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Page Break None Inserts a page break at the caret position. Show the page break visually, for example as a dotted line across the page, unless the user has specifically requested not to see them.
Date and Time... None Inserts the current date and/or time at the caret position. Open a dialog giving a choice of date and time formats. If applicable, also offer the choice to insert either as plain text, so the specified date and time will always appear in the document, or as a special field that will updated every time the document is opened, refreshed or printed.
Symbol... None Inserts a special symbol, such as a mathematical symbol or foreign character, at the caret position. Open a dialog showing all the available symbols as a table, from which the user can choose. The user must be able to add multiple symbols to the document at one time without having to close and re-open the dialog.
Sheet... None Adds a new sheet to the current workbook. Do not prompt for a name, but choose a sensible default (such as Sheet-2) and allow the user to change it later.
Rows... None Adds new rows to a table in which one or more rows or cells are currently selected. Open a dialog asking whether to insert rows above or below the current selection, and for any other required information. Copy the row format from the last or first row of the current selection respectively, unless the user specifies otherwise.
Columns... None Adds new columns to a table in which one or more columns or cells are currently selected. Open a dialog asking whether to insert columns to the left or right of the current selection, and for any other required information. Copy the column format from the right- or left-most column of the current selection respectively, unless the user specifies otherwise.
Image... None Inserts an image into the document from a file. Present a standard Open File dialog filtered on acceptable file types, from which the user can choose an image file to insert.
Graph... None Inserts a graph into the document. Open a dialog or assistant that allows the user to build (or open from a file) a graph of their choice, using the current selection as an indication of which values, axis labels and data labels to use.
From FIle... None Inserts an object from any acceptable file type, for example plain text, formatted text, or an image. Present a standard Open File dialog filtered on acceptable file types, from which the user can choose a file to insert.
External Link... None Inserts a link to an object stored in a different file, or on a remote system. The object is not embedded in or saved with the document, only a link to it. Open a dialog in which the user can type or choose the name of the object, for example a filename or a webpage URL. Show the link in the document in as informative way as possible. For example, show a link to an image as a thumbnail of that image, unless the user specifies otherwise.

4.4.5. Format

A Format menu contains commands to change the visual appearance of the document. For example, changing the font, color, or line spacing of a text selection.

The difference between these commands and those on the View menu is that changes made with Format commands are persistent and saved as part of the document, for example as HTML or RTF tags.

Figure 4-14 A generic Format menu

Items found on the Format will be very application-specific, but some common items are listed in the table below.

Table 4-13 Format menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Style... None Sets the style attributes of the selected text or objects either individually or to a named, predefined style. Open a dialog allowing the user to set attributes such as bold, italic, size and spacing individually, and to create their own named styles where applicable.
Font... None Sets the font properties of the selected text or objects. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose font, size, style, color, or whatever other attributes are applicable.
Paragraph... None Sets the properties of the selected paragraph. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose style, line spacing, tabulation, or whatever other attributes are applicable.
Bold Ctrl+B Toggles the boldness of the current text selection on or off. If some of the selection is currently bold and some is not, this command should bolden the selected text.
Italic Ctrl+I Toggles the italicisation of the current text selection on or off. If some of the selection is currently italicised and some is not, this command should italicise the selected text.
Underline Ctrl+U Toggles underlining of the current text selection. If some of the selection is currently underlined and some is not, this command should underline the selected text.
Cells... None Sets the properties of the selected table cells. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose alignment, borders, shading, text style, number format, or whatever other attributes are applicable.
List... None Sets the properties of the selected list, or turns the selected paragraphs into a list if they are not already formatted as such. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose number or bullet style, spacing, tabulation, or whatever other attributes are applicable.
Layer... None Sets the properties of all or selected layers of a multi-layered document. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose name, size, visibility, opacity, z-ordering, or whatever other attributes are applicable.
Page... None Sets the properties of all or selected pages of the document. Open a dialog allowing the user to choose paper size, orientation, columns, margins, or whatever other attributes are applicable.

4.4.6. Bookmarks

Provide a Bookmarks menu in any application that allows the user to browse files and folders, help documents, web pages or any other large information space.

Icons

Show icons for bookmark entries on the Bookmarks menu that indicate the type of the bookmark, even if the user has globally turned off icons for other menu items on the desktop.

Figure 4-15 A generic Bookmarks menu
Table 4-14 Bookmark menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Add Bookmark Ctrl+D Adds a bookmark for the current document to the default bookmark list. Do not pop up a dialog asking for a title or location for the bookmark, instead choose sensible defaults (such as the document's title or filename as the bookmark name) and allow the user to change them later using the Edit Bookmarks feature.
Edit Bookmarks Ctrl+B Allows the user to edit the application's bookmark list. Open a window in which the user can arrange bookmarks into a hierarchy, move, copy, and delete bookmarks, and change their properties.
Bookmark List None The user's current list of bookmarks for the application.

4.4.7. Go

A Go menu provides commands for quickly navigating around a document or collection of documents, or an information space such as a directory structure or the web.

The contents of the menu will vary depending on the type of application. Different standard menus are presented here for browser-based and document-based applications , but your application may require a combination of both.

Figure 4-16 A generic Go menu for a browser application
Table 4-15 Go menu items for a browser application
Label Shortcut Description
Back Alt+Left Navigates to the previous document in the browser's history list.
Forward Alt+Right Navigates to the next document in the browser's history list.
Up Alt+Up Navigates to the current document's (or folder's) parent document (or folder). For a document browser, such as an online help viewer, this usually means navigating to the enclosing sub-section, section, chapter or contents page.
Home Alt+Home Navigates to a starting page defined by the user or the application.
Location... Ctrl+L Navigates to a user-specified URI. Open a dialog into which the user can type a suitable URI, or select one from a list where applicable (for example, a file selection dialog for applications that can handle file:// URIs).
Figure 4-17 A generic Go menu for document-based applications
Table 4-16 Go menu items for a document-based application
Label Shortcut Description
Previous Page PageUp Navigates to the previous page in the document.
Next Page PageDown Navigates to the next page in the document.
Go to Page... None Navigates to a user-specified page number. Open a dialog into which the user can type a page number. Text-based applications may also include a Go to Line... menu item, which allows the user to jump to a specified line number.
First Page Ctrl+Home Navigates to the first page in the document.
Last Page Ctrl+End Navigates to the last page in the document.

4.4.8. Windows

The Windows menu contains commands that apply to all of the application's open windows. Only use a Windows menu in multiple document interface (MDI) applications.

MDI Applications

The use of MDI is discouraged, as they have a number of inherent usability problems.

You may also label this menu Documents, Buffers, or similar according to the type of document handled by your application.

The last items on this menu are a numbered list of the application's primary windows, for example 1shoppinglist.abw. Selecting one of these items raises the corresponding window.

Figure 4-18 A generic Windows menu
Table 4-17 Windows menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Save All None Saves all open documents. If any documents have no current filename, prompt for a filename for each one in turn using the standard Save dialog.
Close All None Closes all open documents. If there are any unsaved changes in any documents, post a confirmation alert for each one in turn.
1. first open window title

2. second open window title

etc.

 None Raises the corresponding window to the top of the window stack.

4.4.9. Help

The Help menu provides access to all online documentation for your application. This includes both the user guide, and the About window which includes a brief description of your application's functionality.

Figure 4-19 A generic Help menu
Table 4-18 Help menu items
Label Shortcut Description
Contents F1 Opens the default help browser on the contents page for the application.
About None Opens the About dialog for the application. Use the standard dialog provided by the GNOME libraries, which contains the name and version number of the application, a short description of the application's functionality, author contact details, copyright message and a pointer to the licence under which the application is made available.
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