What is drop-down menu in computer

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(n.) Also called a drop-down menu, a menu of commands or options that appears when you select an item with a mouse. The item you select is generally at the top of the display screen, and the menu appears just below it, as if you had pulled it down.

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A drop-down list (abbreviated drop-down, or DDL;[1] also known as a drop-down menu, drop menu, pull-down list, picklist) is a graphical control element, similar to a list box, that allows the user to choose one value from a list. When a drop-down list is inactive, it displays a single value. When activated, it displays (drops down) a list of values, from which the user may select one. When the user selects a new value, the control reverts to its inactive state, displaying the selected value. It is often used in the design of graphical user interfaces, including web design.

What is drop-down menu in computer

A drop-down list or drop-down menu or drop menu, with generic entries

 

A drop-down list of search suggestions

This type of control is called a "pop-up menu" on the Macintosh platform;[2] however, the term "popup menu" is used to refer to context menus in other GUI systems. The Macintosh also has the notion of "pull-down menus". The distinction is that, when the menu is closed, a pop-up menu's title shows the last-selected item while a pull-down menu shows a static title like a menu in the menu bar. Thus, the uses are different—popup menus are used to select a single option from a list while pull-down menus are used to issue commands or in cases where multiple options can be selected.

In web forms, the HTML elements <select> and <option> are used to display a drop-down menu:[3]

<select> <option>option1</option> <option>option2</option> <option>option3</option> </select>

  • Combo box
  • List box

  1. ^ "DDL stands for Drop-Down List (user interface)". Acronymfinder.
  2. ^ "Managing Pop-Up Buttons and Pull-Down Lists". Application Menu and Pop-up List Programming Topics. Mac Development Library. June 26, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  3. ^ "The SELECT, OPTGROUP, and OPTION elements". W3C.

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A drop-down menu is a list of items that appear whenever a piece of text or a button is clicked. This is a graphical approach presented to users from which they can choose a value from the list presented.

A drop-down menu is also known as a pull-down menu, pull-down list, drop-down list or drop-down box.

A drop-down menu is an easy option to display a range of choices. Initially, only one choice is displayed, such as "File," "Edit" or "View." When the user clicks on it, more choices within that category are presented. A drop-down list has two states: active and inactive. When the drop-down list is inactive, only one value is displayed. When the list is active, a set of options is presented. When the user chooses one value out of the list, the control is reverted to its inactive state wherein the selected value is displayed or enacted.

Drop-down lists are largely used to interact with graphical user interfaces.

Synonyms

Drop-Down List, Pop-Down Menu, Pop-Down List, Pull-Down Menu, Pull-Down List

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  • What is drop-down menu in computer
  • What is drop-down menu in computer
  • What is drop-down menu in computer

Updated: 11/30/2020 by Computer Hope

In a computer GUI, a drop-down menu is a menu that offers a list of options. The title of the menu, or the currently-selected item in the list, is always displayed. When the visible item is clicked, other items from the list "drop-down" in to view, and the user can choose from those options.

For example, many programs have a "File" drop-down menu at the top-left of their screen. Clicking the "File" text generates a new menu with additional options.

A drop-down menu is a clean method of showing a large list of choices since only one choice is displayed initially until the user activates the drop-down box. To add a drop-down menu to a web page, you would use a <select> element. The <option> element with attribute selected="selected" is the default option, displayed before the menu is opened.

Select a Choice: <select name="example"> <option selected="selected" value="one">Choice 1</option> <option value="two">Choice 2</option> <option value="three">Choice 3</option> </select>

In this example, we have also assigned a value to each of these options. These values can be passed to any server-side script for information to be logged or for actions to occur based on the values.

Example of the above code

Note

Nothing happens when selecting a choice using the above drop-down menu. If you want to submit data using a drop-down menu, you can use our customer service form.

Drop-down menus are used in all types of software. For example, in the Windows operating system, the list of possible display themes (shown below) is a drop-down menu.

What is drop-down menu in computer

How to select a drop-down menu using the keyboard

To select a drop-down menu using the keyboard, press Tab until the drop-down menu is selected. Once selected, you can use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the available options. For example, press Tab now until the following drop-down menu is selected and then use your down arrow key to scroll through the list. Once you're done selecting an option, press Tab again to move to the next item or press Enter.

Tip

You can also press the first letter of an option. For example, in the above drop-down menu, "Last" is the last item in the drop-down menu. If you press the "L" key on your keyboard once the drop-down menu is selected it would immediately scroll down to that option. This tip is helpful for large drop-down menus with several options (e.g., selecting a state or country).

What key do I press to close a drop-down menu?

You can press the Esc key to close the drop-down menu.

What happens when you click an item in a drop-down menu?

When an item in a drop-down menu is clicked, it becomes the selected option. For example, if you're filling out a form containing a drop-down menu with a list of countries, and you choose "United States," that becomes your selection. When you submit the form, "United States" will be the country you chose.

What icon do you click to activate a drop-down menu?

If a drop-down menu only has one option available (as seen below), you'd click the down arrow icon next to the first option.

Tip

Today, most programs also allow you to click anywhere in the drop-down menu to see the list of available options.

Should I use "drop-down menu" or "dropdown menu" in writing?

When writing documentation or describing a drop-down menu, use "drop-down menu" unless you're describing a function, option, or command with no hyphen.

Combo box, List box, Menu, Menu-driven, Operating system terms, Spin box