Common Desktop Environment: Style Guide and Certification Checklist

File Menu Contents


Note -

These requirements apply only in a left-to-right language environment in an English-language locale. You need to make the appropriate changes for other locales.


Required 

6-7: 

If your application uses a File menu, it contains the following choices, with the specified functionality, when the actions are actually supported by your application. 

Items should be presented to the user in the order listed below. In all cases where a dialog is recommended to be displayed to the user, and the dialog has functionality outlined in Chapter 7, "Common Dialogs", your application should use a dialog box. 

  • New [REQUIRED]

    Creates a new file. If the current client area will be used to display the new file, your application clears the existing data from the client area. If changes made to the current file will be lost, your application displays a dialog, asking the user about saving changes. The mnemonic is N.

  • Open... [REQUIRED]

    Opens an existing file by prompting the user for a file name with a dialog box. If changes made to the current file will be lost, your application displays a dialog asking the user about saving changes. The mnemonic is O.

  • Save [REQUIRED]

    Saves the currently opened file without removing the existing contents of the client area. If the file has no name, your application displays a dialog prompting the user to enter a file name. The mnemonic is S.

  • Save As... [REQUIRED]

    Saves the currently opened file under a new name by prompting the user for a file name with a dialog box. If the user tries to save the file using an existing name, your application displays a dialog that warns the user about a possible loss of data. Does not remove the existing contents of the client area. The mnemonic is A.

 

 

  • Print [RECOMMENDED]

    Schedules a file for printing. If your application needs specific information in order to print, it displays a dialog, requesting the information from the user. In this case, the menu entry is followed by an ellipsis (Print...). The mnemonic is P.

  • Close [RECOMMENDED]

    Closes the current primary window and its associated secondary windows. This action does not terminate the application - Exit should be used for that purpose. If changes made to the current primary window will be lost, your application displays a dialog, asking the user about saving those changes. If your application uses only a single primary window or multiple dependent primary windows, this action is not supplied. The mnemonic is C.

 

 

  • Exit [REQUIRED]

    Ends the current application and all windows associated with it. If changes made to the current file will be lost, your application displays a dialog, asking the user about saving changes. The mnemonic is x.

Required 

bq: 

If the user chooses Exit, or in any other manner indicates that the application should be terminated, but there are changes to the current file that have not been saved, your application displays a dialog box asking whether the changes should be saved before exiting. 

The user must always be given the opportunity to explicitly state whether unsaved changes should be saved or discarded. A dialog box similar to the one described should also be displayed if the user chooses Open from the File menu, but has not saved changes to the current file.