Projects/Usability/HIG/SOU Workspace/menu Button

Split Menu Button

A split menu button is a button that provides a user with a default action and a drop down menu of additional variations of that action.

Split menu buttons have two separate click areas:

• The primary click area to the left displays an icon and/or text label and performs an action immediately
• The click area to the right is an arrow that opens a drop down menu with appropriate variations of the default action.

Guidelines

• All options in a split menu button should initiate an action.

• Do not use submenus.

Example:

Example of a split menu button.

I've change this from what was written so far in the wiki

from wiki -- Menu buttons are buttons that open a drop-down menu on click. They differ from normal buttons by a small arrow that is displayed next to the button's text label or icon (toolbar button).

I think this is wrong - you need an additional button to then initiate the action, it doesn't make sense - it's a drop down...I think it's only a split button however, some drop downs look like text fields, and some like buttons (but it's not a button issue, it's a drop down issue, due to definition of button...)