When people want to use menus on the Macintosh, they usually select an object and then choose a menu item. This behavior follows the paradigm of identifying what the user wants to act on and then specifying the action by choosing a menu item. To use a menu, the user first positions the pointer on a menu title and then presses the mouse button. While the mouse button is down, the application highlights the menu title and displays the menu.
Nothing actually happens until the user chooses a menu item.
Figure 4-6 shows an example of an open menu. Figure 4-6 Opening a menu People can look at menus without having to complete any action. Sometimes people scan menus to find out what features are available. Other times, people look for a certain command by some context, such as looking for the third item with an ellipsis character in a menu. To close a pull-down menu, the user returns the pointer to the menu bar, or moves the pointer away from the menu and releases the mouse button.