[kde-guidelines] Styleguide: Context menu

[Heiko Tietze]

Viewing and Navigation > Access functions 
* Provide a context menu for controls with implicit functions. 

http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/Usability/HIG/ContextMenu

== Purpose ==
A ''context menu'' is a list of functions or options (respectively menu items) 
available to users in the current context. A submenu or cascading menu is a 
secondary menu displayed on demand from within a menu. 

Menus are normally hidden from view (except [[Projects/Usability/HIG/Menu_Bar|
menu bars]]) and drop down when users right-click an object or window region 
that supports a context menu. They are an efficient means of conserving screen 
space, therefore.

== Examples ==

== Guidelines ==
=== Is this the right control ===
* Provide a context menu for implicit function, e.g. operations with list 
items.
* Use context menus for well known functions only.
* Do not use context menus as the only way to start a function. Always have a 
redundant access.

===  Behavior ===
* Do not put more than 10 items within a single level of a menu. Add 
separators between logical groups within a menu. Organize the menu items into 
groups of seven or fewer strongly related items.
* If appropriate, use an access button to make contextual menu functionality 
easier to access.
* Place the most frequently used items at the top of the menu.
* Avoid combining actions and attributes in the same group.
* Use submenus cautiously. Submenus add complexity to the interface and are 
physically more difficult to use, so you should take care not to overuse them.
* Do not change labels of menu item dynamically. 

===  Appearance ===
* Choose single word names for menu categories. Using multiple words makes the 
separation between categories confusing.
* Disable menu items that don't apply to the current context, instead of 
removing them. 
* Hide menu items that not apply at all.
* Assign [[Projects/Usability/HIG/Keyboard_Shortcuts|shortcut keys]] to the 
most frequently used menu items (Ctrl+<Key>). For well-known shortcut keys, 
use standard assignments. Use function keys for commands that have a small-
scale effect (F2 = Rename) and ctrl key for large-scale effect (Ctrl+S = Save).
* Indicate a function that needs additional information (including a 
confirmation) by adding an ellipsis at the end of the label (e.g. Save as…).
* Provide menu item icons for the most commonly used menu items.
* Turning on an item in the menu should always enable the option. Negative 
options create a double negative which can be confusing. For example, use 
'Show hidden files' instead of 'Hide hidden files'.
* Do not use compound words (e.g. ToolOptions), and hyphens (e.g. Tool-
Options) in label names; they make words harder to read and recognize.

==  Implementation ==