| JavaTM Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics > Part I: General Topics > 3: Menus > Typical File Menu | |
An application's leftmost menu, typically titled "File," contains the following types of menu items:
Although the title of the leftmost menu is usually "File," you can instead name it after the window's top-level object type--for example, "Console," "Mailbox," or "Computer."
Place a menu item in the File menu if that item enables users to interact with an external resource, such as a printer.
Ensure that the File menu is always the leftmost menu of the menu bar.
In addition, ensure that the File menu's title is either "File" or the name of the
object type that the window represents.
The New item, shown in Figure 26, enables users to create an object of the type that the window represents. (In contrast, the Open item, described on page 45, reopens an existing object of that type.)
Figure 26 New Menu Item
The New item has several variants, each for a different type of application. Some frequently used variants are:
To determine which variant of the New item to use, decide whether your application will enable users to create objects in the current primary window, in a new primary window, or in either. A task analysis can help you make this decision. (To learn about task analysis, see a book such as User and Task Analysis for Interface Design, described in "Related Books" on page 4.) Window Management and the File Menu can also help you decide which variant of the New item fits your application.
If users can create more than one type of object, the File menu can list more than one variant of the New item. For example, the File menu might list a New Mailbox item and a New Message item. If users can create 10 or more types of objects, consider using a New... menu item to display a dialog box where users can choose a type of object.
Include the New item in a window's File menu if users can create objects
in that window.
If users can create at least three types of objects--but fewer than ten
types--ensure that the File menu's New item activates a submenu showing the
types of objects that users can create.
In a File menu, ensure that the New item (or any one of its variants,
New..., New File, or New File...) creates an object either in the current
primary window or in a new primary window.
In a File menu, ensure that the New Window item (if present) creates a
primary window--typically one containing a new view of the same objects
displayed in the current primary window. If a menu item behaves in this way,
label it New Window.
If users can set parameters of a new object, include a New... or New
File... item in the File menu. Display a dialog box to help users set the new
object's parameters before the application creates the object. For example, an
email application might display a dialog box to let users name a mailbox before
the application creates it.
In the File menu, if the New item has a submenu, assign the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl-N to the most frequently used submenu item.
The Open item opens an existing object in the current primary window or a new primary window. Typically, users choose the object in a dialog box for choosing files or other objects.
The Open item has the following variants:
The correct form to use in your application depends on whether the application can open objects in:
For help in deciding which variant of the Open item fits your application, see Window Management and the File Menu.
A File menu's New and Open items must manage windows in the same way. For example, if the New item creates objects in the current window, the Open item must also create objects in the current window.
If users can open at least three types of objects--but fewer than ten
types--ensure that the File menu's Open item activates a submenu showing the
types of objects that users can open.
In a File menu, if the Open item has a submenu, assign the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl-O to the most frequently used submenu item.
If your application needs a dialog box for choosing files, use the file-
chooser dialog box in the Swing API of the Java Foundation Classes.
The Close item closes the current primary window. Include the Close item only if your application can display more than one primary window. Group the Close item with the New item and the Open item.
If your application supports more than one primary window, ensure that
each File menu includes a Close menu item.
In a File menu, ensure that the Close item closes an application's current
primary window and only that window.
If only one primary window remains open, ensure that the File menu's
Close item behaves like that menu's Exit item. For a description of the
Exit item, see Exit Item.
If closing a window will discard a user's unsaved changes, warn the user
by displaying an alert box.
The Print item prints the current object. The Print item ends in an ellipsis if it will display a Print Options dialog box. Display a Print Options dialog box if users can set print options.
If your application needs a Print Options dialog box, use the print-
chooser dialog box in the Swing API of the JFC (Java Foundation Classes).
The Preferences item displays a property sheet that lists preference settings for an entire application.
If your application's users can set preferences, include a Preferences item
in the File menu.
The File Properties item sets properties of the application window's top-level object (for example, a mailbox).
If a window's leftmost menu is named for the window's top-level object
type (referred to here as File), and that object type has properties that users can
display, ensure that the File menu includes an item labeled File Properties.
Many applications provide a Most Recently Used (MRU) list so that users can reopen objects. The MRU list is a dynamic list of a user's most recently opened objects. The first object on the list is the one most recently used. If your application has an MRU list, assign mnemonics to the MRU numbers in the list, as shown in Figure 28.
Figure 28 Most Recently Used (MRU) List in a File Menu
If a File menu has a Most Recently Used list, place that list just above
the menu's Exit item. Place one separator above the list and another separator
below the list.
If a File menu has a Most Recently Used list, ensure that the list displays
no more than 10 objects.
The Exit item terminates an application, closing all its windows--no matter how many primary windows are open. In applications that can display multiple primary windows, the File menu includes an Exit item and a Close item. The Close item closes only the current primary window and then terminates the application if no other primary window is open. If just one primary window is open, the Exit item and the Close item have the same effect. (For more information on the Close item, see page46.)
In applications that can display only a single primary window, the Exit item is the only way to close that window from the File menu. In such applications, the File menu does not include a Close item.
Ensure that the Exit item is the final item in the File menu.
Ensure that the Exit item closes all associated windows and terminates
the application.
If terminating the application will discard a user's unsaved changes, warn
the user by displaying an alert box.
| Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics.
Copyright 2001. Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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