Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ptolemy!eos!shelby!neon!Pescadero.Stanford.EDU!philip
From: philip@Pescadero.Stanford.EDU (Philip Machanick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: System 7 talk: Hierarchial Apple Menus
Message-ID: <1990Jun9.211422.11407@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 9 Jun 90 21:14:22 GMT
References: <68207@cc.utah.edu>
Sender: news@Neon.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
Reply-To: philip@pescadero.stanford.edu
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Lines: 70

In article <68207@cc.utah.edu>, TJACOBS@cc.utah.edu writes:
> Hierarchial Apple Menus - In System 7 they have made the Apple menu
> configurable by having a special folder in the system folder called the
> "Apple Menu Folder". You can put DA's, applications, folders, control panel
> objects, and aliases. If you alias a folder it opens up the folder
upon select-
> ion. 
> 
> What I proposed to Apple is that the user be allowed to configure each folder
> that appears in the Apple Menu to appear either as a folder or as a
hierarchial
> menu that pops out to show the contents of the folder. Just like
HierDA/damenuz
> does. There are GOOD reasons for doing both.
>
> I would like to see my Apple Menu look like this:
> 
> -----------------
> About Macintosh  |
> Set aside Finder |
> Set aside Others |
> -----------------
> Finder           |
> TelnetNCSA       |
> Word             |
> ----------------- ------------
> Applications >>>>| Word       |
> Controls >       | Claris CAD |
> DA's >           | Excel      |
> Choose >         | Filemaker  |
> Quickmail        | MacProject |
> Vantage          | NCSAtelnet |
> MultiClip        | Stuffit    |
> General Controls | -----------
> My Work Folder   |
> -----------------
> 
> And not like this:
> 
> About Macintosh
> Word
> Claris CAD
> Excel
[...]
> etc.
> etc.
> etc.
[...]
> Apple seems to have a definite bias against hierarchial menus and so do I for
> many things. I don't like any more levels of hierarchial menus than 2.
[...]
Hierarchical menus are USUALLY a mistake - the only thing worse is menus with
more than the magic number 7 plus or minus 2 items. Mostly, too many/too long/
too hierarchical menus are a design mistake. But let's ignore that for purposes
of this discussion (i.e., maybe the Apple menu mechanism needs to be
rethought).
> It seems a simple matter to include a checkbox in the info window for folders
> to show as hierarchial menus in the Apple Menu.
I disagree with this strategy - it somehow doesn't seem intuitive, and it
requires yet another mechanism. My suggestion: another "Apple Menu
Folder" inside
the "Apple Menu Folder" indicates another level of hierarchy. Any folders
inside this folder would be treated as hierarchical menu items. Then you could
easily decide how many levels of hierarchy you wanted, and the menu would
clearly reflect the organization of the disk. You could change the menu
organization simply by moving things from one folder to another. No new
mechanisms, just a simple generalization.

Philip Machanick
philip@pescadero.stanford.edu