SKILL.md
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](references/menus.md) | General menu design | Item ordering, grouping, shortcuts |
| [context-menus.md](references/context-menus.md) | Context menus | Right-click, long press, secondary actions |
| [dock-menus.md](references/dock-menus.md) | Dock menus | macOS app-level actions, running state |
| [edit-menus.md](references/edit-menus.md) | Edit menus | Undo, copy, paste, standard items |
| [the-menu-bar.md](references/the-menu-bar.md) | Menu bar | macOS primary command interface, structure |
| [toolbars.md](references/toolbars.md) | Toolbars | Frequent actions, customization, placement |
| [buttons.md](references/buttons.md) | Buttons | System styles, sizing, affordance |
| [action-button.md](references/action-button.md) | Action button | Grouped secondary actions, toolbar use |
| [pop-up-buttons.md](references/pop-up-buttons.md) | Pop-up buttons | Mutually exclusive choice selection |
| [pull-down-buttons.md](references/pull-down-buttons.md) | Pull-down buttons | Action lists, no current selection |
| [disclosure-controls.md](references/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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