Menu

Usage

When to use

Use menus in the following cases:

• To display a preconfigured list of actions.
• If there are multiple actions in a limited space.

General construction

A menu consists of the following elements:

1. Menu control

• A menu control can be a button, tab or other control which has more than one action to choose from.

2. Menu

• The menu appears when a user interacts with a menu control.
• It contains the menu items.

3. Menu item

• The menu item includes a label and optionally an icon.

4. Icon

• The icon emphasizes the label and matches the action.
• The icon is optional.

5. Label

• The label is mandatory.

Behavior

Position and elevation

A menu appears in front of all other permanent UI elements and typically below the menu control. It behaves according to the window bounding. Make sure that it is placed in the visible area of the screen.

If it is in a position to be cut off by the browser or screen’s edge, the menu can instead appear to the left, right, or above the menu control.

Scrolling

If not all menu items fit into the visible area, a menu can be scrollable.

Label ellipsis

Use an ellipsis, if a label exceeds the maximum width of the menu.

Overflowing behavior

Use the overflowing behavior if there is a space restriction, for example in the content header.

Do’s & Don’ts

• Always place the menu next to the menu control in the visible area of the screen.
• Do not position and align the menu to be truncated or invisible.