Apple HIG: Menus and Buttons
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
- Menus should be contextual and predictable. Standard items in standard locations. Follow platform conventions for ordering and grouping.
- Use standard button styles. System-defined styles communicate affordance and maintain visual consistency. Prefer them over custom designs.
- Toolbars for frequent actions. Most commonly used commands in the toolbar. Rarely used actions belong in menus.
- Menu bar is the primary command interface on macOS. Every command reachable from the menu bar. Toolbars and context menus supplement, not replace.
- Context menus for secondary actions. Right-click or long-press, relevant to the item under the pointer. Never put a command only in a context menu.
- Pop-up buttons for mutually exclusive choices. Select exactly one option from a set.
- Pull-down buttons for action lists. No current selection; they offer a set of commands.
- Action buttons consolidate related actions behind a single icon in toolbars or title bars.
- Disclosure controls for progressive disclosure. Show or hide additional content.
- Dock menus: short and focused on the most useful actions when the app is running.
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content |
|---|---|---|
| menus.md | General menu design | Item ordering, grouping, shortcuts |
| context-menus.md | Context menus | Right-click, long press, secondary actions |
| dock-menus.md | Dock menus | macOS app-level actions, running state |
| edit-menus.md | Edit menus | Undo, copy, paste, standard items |
| the-menu-bar.md | Menu bar | macOS primary command interface, structure |
| toolbars.md | Toolbars | Frequent actions, customization, placement |
| buttons.md | Buttons | System styles, sizing, affordance |
| action-button.md | Action button | Grouped secondary actions, toolbar use |
| pop-up-buttons.md | Pop-up buttons | Mutually exclusive choice selection |
| pull-down-buttons.md | Pull-down buttons | Action lists, no current selection |
| disclosure-controls.md | Disclosure controls | Progressive disclosure, show/hide |
Output Format
- Component recommendation -- which menu or button type and why.
- Visual hierarchy -- placement, sizing, grouping within the interface.
- Platform-specific behavior across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS.
- Keyboard shortcuts (macOS) -- standard and custom shortcuts for menu items and toolbar actions.
Questions to Ask
- Which platforms?
- Primary or secondary action?
- How many actions need to be available?
- macOS menu bar app?
Related Skills
- hig-components-search -- Search fields, page controls alongside toolbars and menus
- hig-components-controls -- Toggles, pickers, segmented controls complementing buttons
- hig-components-dialogs -- Alerts, sheets, popovers triggered by menu items or buttons
- hig-inputs -- Keyboard shortcuts and pointer interactions with menus and toolbars
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