Order of Menu Items

On macOS, certain menu items are designated to appear under the “AppleMenu” at the far LEFT side of the menubar
where those same items for Windows would appear under a “Help” menu at the Right end of the menu bar…

But as I don’t usually do much Windows work, I’m unsure what the accepted order should be

  • Webbased Help
  • About …
  • Preferences
  • Buy Program
  • Check for update

the top one will be under “Help” for both macOS and Windows, the next four will move to the “AppleMenu” automatically if compiled for macOS

On Windows, Preferences are usually called Options, and take place at the end of Edit.

But the design guidelines don’t go in enough details for the other items.

The other items are usually found in the Help menu.

Generally help would be first. It seems like About is either at end or the middle. In some apps upgrade /purchase options are after the about in others it’s before the about. I personally prefer the about to be at the bottom.

Preferences is usually under File or Edit or sometimes a Tools menu, rather than help. But is seems like for every rule there is at least one app that breaks it. :slight_smile:

UPDATE: It Looks like Michel beat me to it.

I think Preferences / Settings / Options is supposed to be under Edit in Windows.
I would order your Windows Help menu like this:

[code]
About MyApp
Online Manual

Buy MyApp
Check for Updates[/code]
Windows will turn the line into a separator, or you can just add a separator in the IDE. The Buy menu item would be removed when licensed.

This app doesn’t have a “file” menu as it would have no purpose…
Moving Preference to the end of Edit can be done… but that seems an odd place
changing “Preferences” to “Options” is doable :slight_smile:

Buy is removed once purchased… and updates is not availble until AFTER purchase

Thanks this gives me a direction :slight_smile:

Well…Windows :stuck_out_tongue:

It probably would seem odd to a Mac user!

It depends if you’re used to Editing your Options, or getting Helped by your preferences! :wink:

Microsoft has been following themselves and teaching Windows developers a consistent application menu configuration for years in order to keep things “easy” for end-users. More details can be found at this site including menu items and hierarchy.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn742392.aspx

[quote=327878:@Neil Burkholder]It probably would seem odd to a Mac user!
It depends if you’re used to Editing your Options, or getting Helped by your preferences! ;)[/quote]

I believe Preferences was originally an Edit menu item before Mac OS X

No, Shao. Preferences were actually called Control Panels, like in Windows today, and were part of the Apple Menu.

What has considerably changed with OS X is that the application menu was added, and most items were moved from the Apple Menu to that new item.

In the process, the Album disappeared, and it was a great loss.

Quit was in the File menu, and was moved to the application menu.

Shut down, sleep, were in a Special menu that all but disappeared in favor of the apple menu.

[quote=327886:@Robert Boice]Microsoft has been following themselves and teaching Windows developers a consistent application menu configuration for years in order to keep things “easy” for end-users. More details can be found at this site including menu items and hierarchy.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn742392.aspx[/quote]
Very helpful. +1

You’re thinking of System Preferences, those used to be called Control Panels, but each application had their own Preferences and that was located under the Edit menu and then moved under the Application menu in OS X

You are right indeed. I just verified with Claris Works. And they were called Preferences.