Standard Application Menus

Apple's Human Interface Guidelines provide basic recommendations to software developers to ensure consistency from one application to another. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the standard menus that appear in most applications: the application, File, Edit, Window, and Help menus. You'll see these menus with the same kinds of commands over and over in most of the applications you use. This consistency makes it easier to learn Mac OS applications.

The next few pages provide a closer look at the standard menus you'll find in most applications.

Tips

• The Finder, which is covered in Chapters 2 through 6, has standard menus similar to the ones discussed here.

• The Finder rules regarding the ellipsis character (…) and keyboard shortcuts displayed on menus also apply to applications. Chapter 2 explains these rules.