Menus

General Design Guidelines for Menus

The menu selection of a function follows the object-action approach: First, the user has to specify the object class, and then the corresponding action. Therefore, put the object to be processed in the menu bar and the actions that can be performed on it on the first level of the pull-down menu. If the object has for some reason to be placed in the pull-down menu and there are only few actions, write the action on the same level directly behind the object. If the action explicitly results from the context of the object selection you can omit the specification of an action.

Assigning Functions to Menu Levels

Arrange the functions for a menu bar option on as few menu levels as possible so that the users can view the alternatives in parallel. Furthermore, menus with a flat hierarchy speed up interaction if the users only work with the keyboard.

If possible, put the most important and most frequently used functions on the first level of the pull-down menu. Hide functions that are rarely used or complex on a second or third level.

In some cases, there will be many options in a menu so that some of them would have to be moved to the second or third level. If there is still space for further options in the menu bar, split the menu into two menus with less options on the first level. For the two new menu titles, choose terms that are typical for the subordinate menu options and can easily be distinguished.

Consistency of the Menu Bar and of the Pull-Down Menus

The menu bar should be consistent within a task. Include all menu bar options of the data screens on the initial screen as well. This avoids any inconsistency caused by the initial screen having an additional, unclear status between application level menu and task level menu.

As far as possible, the pull-down menus should have the same options within a task. This also applies to the entire application, if possible.

Status of the Menu Bar Options and of the Pull-Down Options

Display menu bar options that contain at least one selectable function in the pull-down menu as being active, otherwise, as being inactive. The pull-down menu can be opened anyway.

Display an option in the pull-down menu as being active if it initiates a function in the current dialogue state or if the subordinate level contains at least one active option. Otherwise, display it as being inactive. Display also options as being inactive if, in turn, there are only inactive options at the subordinate level of the pull-down menu. The pull-down menu subordinate to the inactive option can be opened anyway.

Display functions, that cannot be chosen in individual dialogue states of a task as being inactive and do not hide them, regardless of the user's authorization. This enables communication between users with different authorizations. Furthermore, changing an authorization does not require to change the menu.

If a pull-down option is displayed as being inactive, the function is neither displayed as function key nor as a pushbutton.

Additional Guidelines

Grouping of pull-down options: Combine the menu options to form useful groups. Separate the groups from each other by a horizontal line.
Following dialogue box: If selecting a menu option displays a dialogue box, indicate this by placing three periods after the menu option. Do not use blanks between the option name and the first period.
Menu selection with access characters: The user may select a menu bar option by entering an access character on the keyboard. These access characters are defined in the Menu Painter. For a number of standard functions, the characters are predefined. Otherwise use a character that is typical for the option. This is usually the first letter or a letter which uniquely distinguishes options with the same first letter.
Upper/lower case: Menu options can consist of several words. Write them in lowercase letter in English and according to the rules for upper/lowercase in other languages. The very first letter of the menu title is always capitalized.

R/3 Menus

The basic hierarchy of the menu bars reproduces the three levels of the R/3 System, the main menu level, the application level, and the task level. Structure the menu bar uniformly within a task to ensure consistency. Therefore, do not remove functions that are not used from the menu bar and the pull-down menus but set inactive only.

Note: The System and Help menus are always available in the R/3 System. They are appended automatically to the right of the individual menus at the respective level. The same applies to the Layout menu, which appears to the right of the menu bar as icon. It allows the user to change local settings like fonts or interface colors.

Main Menu Level

In the menu bar at the main menu level, the R/3 System displays all application areas available. The following application areas are currently available: Office, Logistics, Accounting, Human resources, Information systems, Tools.

Application Level

At the application level, object classes or tasks (= transactions of an application) area are listed in the menu bar.

Task Level

At the task level, the user edits data. The structure of the menu bar and the corresponding pull-down menus are largely standardized. The task level itself can have a hierarchical structure, too.

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