Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dino!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!apple!lsr
From: lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Menu items that change
Keywords: changing menus interface
Message-ID: <8997@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 5 Jul 90 20:49:51 GMT
References: <40218215MES@MSU> <42382@apple.Apple.COM> <42383@apple.Apple.COM> <1990Jun27.180718.3155@portia.Stanford.EDU> <1990Jul3.143206.940@acc.stolaf.edu> <886@mdavcr.UUCP> <23043@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 30

In article <23043@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> kurash@carr (Mark Valence) writes:
>
>By the way, menu items that change (like 'Clean Up Selection' versus 
>'Clean Up Window' [in the Finder]) are a bad idea (regardless of the

I disagree in this case.  There is no essential difference between the two
commands (both clean up some set of icons).  Adding the description of what
is being cleaned up simply clarifies the situation.  

Another example is the Undo menu item.  I think adding the same of the
command being undone, and changing the name of the item to Redo (when
appropriate) is useful for letting the user know what's going on.

>Also, notice that a menu item that changes does NOT have a key

The Undo item does have a key equivalent.  Provided that the essential
function of the command doesn't change, then there's no reason to prohibit a
command key equivalent.  

It would be a bad idea to change one command into another, unrelated
command.  One should judge the situation based on whether the menu
organization is good, rather than on whether the name of the item changes.
Changing the name of a menu item alone, doesn't turn a good menu
organization into a bad one.

-- 
		 Larry Rosenstein,  Object Specialist
 Apple Computer, Inc.  20525 Mariani Ave, MS 46-B  Cupertino, CA 95014
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