Pull-down menus on the statistical package SPSS

In the Windows XP graphical user interface, Music tasks and File and Folder tasks listed on the left side are a kind of menu

In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. They may be thought of as shortcuts to frequently used commands that avoid the operator having to have a detailed knowledge or recall of syntax. A menu is used in contrast to a command line interface where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands (or verbs). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (876x665, 29 KB) Screenshot of statisitcal software SPSS 13 Originally uploaded as SPSS.gif on 12 Jul 2005 by Chandler Savage. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (876x665, 29 KB) Screenshot of statisitcal software SPSS 13 Originally uploaded as SPSS.gif on 12 Jul 2005 by Chandler Savage. ... A statistical package is a kind of large computer program that is specialised for statistical analysis. ... The computer program SPSS (originally, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was released in its first version in 1968, and is among the most widely used programs for statistical analysis in social science. ... Image File history File links Italic textAn example of a graphical user interface used in Microsoft Windows XP. WELCOME TO MICROSOFT PROFESSIONAL File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Italic textAn example of a graphical user interface used in Microsoft Windows XP. WELCOME TO MICROSOFT PROFESSIONAL File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Originally, the word computing was synonymous with counting and calculating, and a science and technology that deals with the original sense of computing mathematical calculations. ... Copy of the original phone of Graham Bell at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris Telecommunication is the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... In telecommunication, a communications system is a collection of individual communications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and data terminal equipment (DTE) usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Command prompt. ...

Choices given from a menu may be selected by the operator by a number of methods (called interfaces): The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ...

• using an electromechanical pointer, such as a light pen
• touching the display screen with a finger
• speaking to a voice-recognition system
• positioning a cursor or reverse-video bar by using a keyboard or mouse
• depressing one or more keys on the keyboard or mouse.

A computer using a graphical user interface presents menus with a combination of text and symbols to represent choices. By clicking on one of the symbols, the operator is selecting the instruction that the symbol represents. A context menu is a menu in which the choices presented to the operator are automatically modified according to the current context in which the operator is working. It has been suggested that Software pointer be merged into this article or section. ... A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with the computers CRT monitor. ... A monitor is an interface between the computer and the operator. ... A typical arrow-like mouse cursor. ... Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images which represent scenes in motion. ... It has been suggested that IBM PC keyboard be merged into this article or section. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... A graphical user interface (or GUI, often pronounced gooey), is a particular case of user interface for interacting with a computer which employs graphical images and widgets in addition to text to represent the information and actions available to the user. ... An example for a context menu taken from the word processor Microsoft Word. ...

A common use of menus is to provide convenient access to various operations such as saving or opening a file, quitting a program, or manipulating data. Most widget toolkits provide some form of pull-down or pop-up menu. Pull-down menus are the type commonly used in menu bars (usually near the top of a window or screen), which are most often used for performing actions, whereas pop-up menus are more likely to be used for setting a value, and might appear anywhere in a window. In computer programming, widget toolkits (or GUI toolkits) are sets of basic building elements for graphical user interfaces. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

According to traditional human interface guidelines, menu names were always supposed to be verbs, such as "file" "edit" and so on.^{[citation needed]} This has been largely ignored in subsequent UI developments. A single word verb however is sometimes unclear, and so as to allow for multiple word menu names, the idea of a vertical menu was invented, as seen in NeXTSTEP. NEXTSTEP is the original object-oriented, multitasking operating system that NeXT Computer, Inc. ...

See also

• Context menu
• Federal Standard 1037C
• Pie menu
• Menu (food)