Menu (computing)

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Menu (computing)

In computing

Computing

Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and developing computer technology, computer hardware and computer software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology....
and telecommunication

Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the assisted Transmission of Signal over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, Drum , Semaphore line, flag signals or heliograph....
s, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer

Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
or communications system

Communications system

In telecommunication, a communications system is a collection of individual information transfer networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and data terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole....
. They may be thought of as shortcuts to frequently used commands that avoid the operator having to have a detailed knowledge or recall of syntax. A menu is used in contrast to a command line interface

Command line interface

A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks....
where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands (or verbs).

Choices given from a menu may be selected by the operator by a number of methods (called interfaces

User interface

The user interface is the aggregate of means by which people—the User s—Interaction with the system—a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tools....
):

A computer using a graphical user interface

Graphical user interface

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Menu (computing)'

Start a new discussion about 'Menu (computing)'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

In computing

Computing

Telecommunication

Computer

Communications system

Command line interface

User interface

The user interface is the aggregate of means by which people—the User s—Interaction with the system—a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tools....
):

depressing one or more keys on the keyboard or mouse.
positioning a cursor
Cursor (computers)

In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device....
or reverse video bar by using a keyboard or mouse
using an electromechanical pointer, such as a light pen
Light pen

A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's cathode ray tube TV set or Computer display....
touching the display screen
Computer display

A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays images generated from the video output of devices such as computers, without producing a permanent record....
with a finger
speaking to a voice-recognition system

A computer using a graphical user interface

Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to human-computer interaction such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment....
presents menus with a combination of text and symbols to represent choices. By clicking on one of the symbols, the operator is selecting the instruction that the symbol represents. A context menu
Context menu

A context menu is a menu in a graphical user interface that appears upon user interaction, such as a Right click#Common mouse operations. A context menu offers a limited set of choices that are available in the current state, or context, of the operating system or application....
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 file, quitting a program, or manipulating data. Most widget toolkit

Widget toolkit

A widget toolkit, widget library, or GUI toolkit is a set of GUI widget for use in designing applications with graphical user interfaces ....
s provide some form of pull-down or pop-up menu. Pull-down menus are the type commonly used in menu bar

Menu bar

A menu bar is a region where Menu are housed. Its purpose is to house window- or application-specific menus which provide access to such functions as opening files, interacting with an application, or help....
s (usually near the top of a window or screen), which are most often used for performing actions, whereas pop-up (or 'fly-out') menus are more likely to be used for setting a value, and might appear anywhere in a window.

According to traditional human interface guidelines, menu names were always supposed to be verbs, such as "file" "edit" and so on. This has been largely ignored in subsequent UI developments. A single word verb however is sometimes unclear, and so as to allow for multiple word menu names, the idea of a vertical menu was invented, as seen in NeXTSTEP

NEXTSTEP

Nextstep was the original Object-oriented operating system, computer multitasking operating system that NeXT developed to run on its range of proprietary computers, such as the NeXTcube....
.

Menu (computing)

See also