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.