hig-components-menus
Skill153 starsChanged 9 months agoMITView on GitHub
Apple HIG guidance for menu and button components including menus, context menus, dock menus, edit menus, the menu bar, toolbars, action buttons, pop-up buttons, pull-down buttons, disclosure controls, and standard buttons. Use this skill when the user says "how should my buttons look," "what goes in the menu bar," "should I use a context menu or action sheet," "how do I design a toolbar," or asks about button design, menu design, context menu, toolbar, menu bar, action button, pop-up button, pull-down button, disclosure control, dock menu, edit menu, or any menu/button component layout and behavior. Cross-references: hig-components-search, hig-components-controls, hig-components-dialogs.
1 other project uses a version of this.
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Most recently taken up by
- ozgurakkaya90/claude-skillsword for word, first seen Aug 2, 2026
Other versions1 project uses a version of this.
Word for word · 1
- ozgurakkaya90/claude-skills★ 0100% same
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 0
None found.
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository14 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- hig-components-contentSkill
- hig-components-controlsSkill
- hig-components-dialogsSkill
- hig-components-layoutSkill
- hig-components-searchSkill
- hig-components-statusSkill
- hig-components-systemSkill
- hig-foundationsSkill
- hig-inputsSkill
- hig-patternsSkill
- hig-platformsSkill
- hig-project-contextSkill
- hig-technologiesSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
3 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈2
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Very specific: line 18
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions.
- Distinctive: line 28
Menu bar is the primary command interface on macOS: Every command reachable from the menu bar.
- Distinctive: line 34
Pull-down buttons for action lists: No current selection; they offer a set of commands.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Apple HIG: Menus and Buttons
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
- Menus should be contextual and predictable. Standard items in standard locations. Follow platform conventions for ordering and grouping.
- Use standard button styles. System-defined styles communicate affordance and maintain visual consistency. Prefer them over custom designs.
- Toolbars for frequent actions. Most commonly used commands in the toolbar. Rarely used actions belong in menus.
- Menu bar is the primary command interface on macOS. Every command reachable from the menu bar. Toolbars and context menus supplement, not replace.
- Context menus for secondary actions. Right-click or long-press, relevant to the item under the pointer. Never put a command only in a context menu.
- Pop-up buttons for mutually exclusive choices. Select exactly one option from a set.
- Pull-down buttons for action lists. No current selection; they offer a set of commands.
- Action buttons consolidate related actions behind a single icon in toolbars or title bars.
- Disclosure controls for progressive disclosure. Show or hide additional content.
- Dock menus: short and focused on the most useful actions when the app is running.
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content |
| menus.md | General menu design | Item ordering, grouping, shortcuts |
| context-menus.md | Context menus | Right-click, long press, secondary actions |
| dock-menus.md | Dock menus | macOS app-level actions, running state |
| edit-menus.md | Edit menus | Undo, copy, paste, standard items |
| the-menu-bar.md | Menu bar | macOS primary command interface, structure |
| toolbars.md | Toolbars | Frequent actions, customization, placement |
| buttons.md | Buttons | System styles, sizing, affordance |
| action-button.md | Action button | Grouped secondary actions, toolbar use |
| pop-up-buttons.md | Pop-up buttons | Mutually exclusive choice selection |
| pull-down-buttons.md | Pull-down buttons | Action lists, no current selection |
| disclosure-controls.md | Disclosure controls | Progressive disclosure, show/hide |
Output Format
- Component recommendation -- which menu or button type and why.
- Visual hierarchy -- placement, sizing, grouping within the interface.
- Platform-specific behavior across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS.
- Keyboard shortcuts (macOS) -- standard and custom shortcuts for menu items and toolbar actions.
Questions to Ask
- Which platforms?
- Primary or secondary action?
- How many actions need to be available?
- macOS menu bar app?
Related Skills
- hig-components-search -- Search fields, page controls alongside toolbars and menus
- hig-components-controls -- Toggles, pickers, segmented controls complementing buttons
- hig-components-dialogs -- Alerts, sheets, popovers triggered by menu items or buttons
- hig-inputs -- Keyboard shortcuts and pointer interactions with menus and toolbars
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