Interface which uses key words (usually at the top of the screen) to identify menus which the user can make appear below (the key word).
Vertical list of choices to the user. This is available once the user selects a choice from a menu bar. The choices are organized from top to bottom according to the frequency in which they are chosen.
Using either a keyboard command or mouse click, exposes a list of commands, usually from the top toolbar, from which you can select the specific action you wish to perform.
developed from Xerox research (like just about everything else we take for granted in desktop publishing) these are a method of providing user control over software without cluttering up the screen with text. Using the mouse or cursor keys the user points to the main heading of the menu he or she wants and the menu pulls (Windows) or drops (GEM) from the heading. When the required function has been selected the menu rolls back up into the menu bar leaving the screen clear.
Menus that drop down from the menu bar at the top of the screen (Mac interface) or top of the window (Windows interface). Menu selection usually initiates some action directly. Menu items that open a dialog box for further information are indicated by placing an ellipsis after the item name (for example, "Print..." opens a dialog box that solicits further information before printing actually takes place). Dividers are used to logically group menu items, or may simply provide visual relief in long menus. Submenus (such as the "Modify" submenu shown at the left) are a means of multiplying the number of menu items available. However, multiple submenus, or triple-layered submenus require too much dexterity for most users and most interface guidelines discourage nested submenus.
Menus in a program that you use by clicking a menu title, holding down the mouse, and releasing it over the item you want.
Developed from Xerox research, they are a method of providing user control over software without cluttering up the screen. Accessed by point and click with the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
