Menus at the Task Level

The task level is the third level of the three-level system hierarchy. Within the task level of the R/3 System, the user can call a large number of individual tasks. Each of these tasks is used for processing objects of a certain object class. The menu bar is structured in the same way across all tasks so that the user can easily find his or her way around in the different tasks.

The menu bar and the pull-down menus of the SAP application functions consist of obligatory and optional entries. Optional entries are to be used and arranged in the specified form, if required. Variable entries are indicated by angle brackets.

The standard menu bar contains the following options in the specified order:

<Object>  Edit  Goto  Extras  Environment  <Application area>   System  Help

The options <Object>, Edit, and Goto are required, System and Help are added automatically; all other options are optional.

In addition, you can include the menu titles View, Settings and Utilities, if required. Position them between Extras and Environment in the specified order. Further menus for special features of individual tasks are possible. Keep in mind, however, that in addition to menus automatically added by the system, you can freely define only 6 entries.

In the following we present the definition for each individual menu bar entry in the order in which they are to be placed in the menu bar, together with a short definition and obligatory or typical pull-down menus.

Keys

Bold = pull-down option: obligatory

Normal = pull-down option: optional

--- = here you should insert separator lines

<Object>

The <Object> menu (obligatory) contains actions the user can choose to manipulate an object as a whole. It receive the name of the object that has been selected at the next higher level This includes the functions for requesting, saving, printing, and deleting objects. Exit is always the last menu option.

Put actions which affect the entire object here; they -- obligatory

1) Initial Screens:

• Actions for choosing another object- Aktionen zur Auswahl eines anderen Objekts

  Other <object>

  Create

  Change

  Display

  Copy from...

• Backup actions ------

  Save

  Hold

  Generate

• Other actions (for example import/export functions) ------

  Print

• Closing actions ------

  Delete

  Exit

2) Data Screens:

• Actions for choosing another object (Aktionen zur Auswahl eines anderen Objekts)

  Other <object>

  Copy from...

• Backup action

  Save (or Post)

• Other actions (for example import/export functions)

  Print

• Closing actions

  Exit

Edit

The Edit menu (obligatory) contains actions the user can choose to edit the current object component. This includes the functions for selecting, editing, canceling, clipboard and application-specific functions. Cancel is always the last option.

• Select actions

  Select all

  Deselect all

  Select block

  Choose

• Editing action ------

  Cut

  Copy

  Paste

  Move

• Other actions ------

  Insert line

  Delete line

  Sort

  Delete

• Reset actions ------

  Cancel (Abbrechen)

Note: If the selection actions appears in a cascading menu at the second level, use the term "Selections" on the first level:

Menu Functions "Other Actions"

You may place here functions which affect an object component of the entire object, for example, the functions Delete and Print. However, if these functions refer to the object as a whole, include them in the menu <Object>.

Note: Functions related to table controls do not need to appear in the Edit Menu. They should appear as pushbuttons directly below the table.

Goto

The processing of an object consists of a sequence of object component processing. The Goto menu (obligatory) contains all object components or all screens of the current object the user can navigate to by choosing the option. It is the navigation menu within the individual object components of an object. If there are two many object components, you may split the Goto menu into several menus (if there is room in the menu bar). They have to be named accordingly.

Back is the last option of the pull-down menu at first level. If the Goto menu is split into several menus, then include Back in the first menu from the left as the bottom option of the pull-down menu at first level.

Overview (Übersicht)

Header (Kopf)

------

Next <object component>

Previous <object component>

Other <object component>...

------

Back

Only the function "Back" is an obligatory entry, all other entries are examples.

Extras

The Extras menu (optional) contains functions to complete the current object or object component by supplying additional data or options and which are not constantly needed. They generally initiate the display of a dialogue box that contains additional information or options.

Goto menu vs. Extras menu

The Goto menu contains the main screens of the transaction that the user generally has to pass during the object processing but that are relatively independent from each other. The Extras menu, on the other hand, often contains the secondary screens of a main screen that are only occasionally processed or displayed. The information of the secondary screen depends directly on the main screen.

To make this dependency structure clear on the user interface, do not arrange the calls of the secondary screens under Goto and display additional information in a dialogue box.

Environment

The Environment menu (optional) contains functions the user can choose to call transactions or reports of other applications.

This menu serves two functions. The first group of functions in this menu should provide the user with information occasionally needed for the processing of the current object. They either call a display transaction of another application or start a report without exiting or canceling the current processing. Separate this group of display functions visually from the second group of maintenance transactions of other applications that the user occasionally needs for the processing of the objects. This integration allows an integral work process. In this case, the current object processing is also only interrupted.

From the called task, the user should always be able to return to the interrupted task by using a constant function key (or Back).

<Application Area>

The <Application area> menu (optional) contains the menu options of the higher-level application area menu. This menu allows the user to alternate between the application functions of the current application. The current application function is exited or canceled. A safety prompt must therefore be issued to avoid a possible data loss.

This menu replaces the explicit exiting of the current application function and the selection of a new application function at application level. Display the current object class as being inactive, because the same functionality is already available in the menu <Object>.

View

The View menu (optional) contains the functions the user can choose to display the current object or object component in different views (for example, when switching between a one-line and two-line display of a table). The functions do not change the data of the object or the object component.

Settings

The Settings menu (optional) contains functions that allow the user to set user-specific transaction parameters.

Utilities

The Utilities menu (optional) contains functions that allow not only the processing of the current object but also cross-object processing. This includes general functions, such as Delete, Copy, and Print.

Help, System, Layout

The Help and the System menu are always available in the system. They are added automatically to the menu bar, and you cannot change them.

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Source:  SAP R/3 Style Guide