How do you folks handle designing menubars for both Mac and Windows?
As we've discussed here before, the ideal solution would be to have support
for Windows' MDI ("Multiple Document Interface"), so we could make one menu
bar and it would be at the top of the MDI parent window on Windows, and in
the menu bar on Mac OS.
But with MC as it is today, without MDI, we have two choices:
a) Replicate the menubar at the top of each window
Upside: More closely complies with the Win HIG
Downside: Requires a compromise to either the Mac HIG or
Win HIG, in that you either make complete copies
of the menu bar for all windows and then have things
look right on Mac but having irrelevant menu items
in Windows, or you tailor each menu bar group for
each window, and it feels more Windows-like but
breaks the Mac HIG (disabling menu items is
considered better than having the menu items
appear and disappear).
Another downside is that you have to be careful
that all your scripts which update menu items,
like a standard Windows menu, are all updated
needed; increases overall maintenance costs.
b) Detach the menubar into a separate window
Upside: Dirt simple to update; one menu bar lowers
maintenance costs
Downside: Not very Windows-like at all.
Given these trade-offs, which model do you folks use, and why do you prefer
it?
--
Richard Gaskin
Fourth World Media Corporation
Multimedia Design and Development for Mac, Windows, UNIX, and the Web
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