In some cases, the application is suspended until the user provides a response. Dialogs are similar to menus. Both seek input from the user. Like PopupMenus and PulldownMenus, dialogs appear in top-level windows and are more or less transient. Making a selection typically unposts a PopupMenu or PulldownMenu and often pops down a dialog.
Dialogs can be either modal or modeless .
In a modeless dialog, the user can interact with other parts of the application before returning to the dialog. Menu components are limited to buttons, labels, and separators. Dialogs can contain other, sometimes arbitrary, kinds of widgets, such as List and Text. Dialogs permit more complex interaction with the user and allow the application to solicit a broader range of information. Menus are well suited to allowing the user to make a single choice from a constrained set.