windows 11 Menus & Help opitons

​Using the Interface

Has something like this ever happened to you? Have you used something on your computer once, only to have it

disappear the next time you wanted to use it? There are several reasons why this might have occurred. Some of these will be revealed in today's lesson.

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• Explain the reasons why Windows® menus change.

• Describe the significance of symbols found in Windows menus. 

• Discuss the role of dialog boxes.

• Identify places you can go in Windows to get help.

​Objectives:

​Vocabulary:

​Interface: The way users interact with their computers

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Intuitive: Automatic, something you do without thinking about it​

Multiple Choice

The way users interact with their computers

• Interface

• Intuitive

Multiple Choice

Automatic, something you do without thinking about it

• Interface

• Intuitive

Menus

The Windows operating system (OS) provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that makes it easy for you to tell your

computer what to do. In today's lesson, you will learn about several GUI features menus, dialog boxes, and Help. The lesson discusses the GUI of the Windows OS because this is the OS most commonly used in the workplace. If your computer uses a different OS, your GUI may be a bit different, but you will likely also notice a number of similarities.

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Menus

The menus provided by the Windows OS are similar to menus you find in restaurants. They provide you with a list of items from which you can make choices based upon what you want to do. Just as restaurant menus vary depending on your location and the type of restaurant you are in, so too do the menus you find in Windows. The menu choices will change depending on the application you are using.

For example, if you open the Start menu, you will see a list of different programs. You can launch one of these programs by clicking on its name or its icon. On the Start menu below, notice the options you can choose from.

​Your Start menu may be a bit different from the one pictured here. That's because Windows is able to modify its menus based on the way you use your computer. If you use an application or a command often, it may appear at the top of the start menu.

Multiple Choice

The Start menu on Windows computers changes based on actions performed by the users.

• True

• False

Did you notice that some of the items in the Start menu had an arrow next to them? Clicking on these items will open up a submenu, a menu beneath the main menu–that will provide you with more commands to choose from. The submenu beneath All Programs displays the different programs that are available to you. Notice that some of the items on this submenu have submenus of their own.

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Submenus

Multiple Choice

The arrow next to some programs or commands indicates __________?

• that this was the most recently used

• item cannot be selected

• the importance of the item

• the presence of a submenu

As mentioned earlier, menus vary depending on where you are in Windows. In the example above, you viewed the Windows Start menu. This is the menu that you use to start programs you want to work in. One program commonly found in computers running Windows is the Notepad program. When you double-click on Notepad in the Accessories submenu, the program opens.

View the demonstration below. Notice the words written in a horizontal bar near the top of the screen. These words represent menus. Clicking on the words displays the menus associated with them.

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Gray & Black Menu Options

​Did you notice that when you looked at the menus in the demonstration on the right side that some of the items listed in the menu were black and some were gray? The items that are black represent actions that are currently available to be selected from the menu. The items that are gray represent items that are disabled; they are not presently available. The options available from the menu depend upon what you are doing at the time.

For example, in the demonstration above, some of the choices in the Edit menu are grayed out except for Select All and  Paste From. This is because no work has been done in the file. However, as soon as something is drawn, the Undo command becomes available, making it possible for you to undo your last action.

Multiple Choice

The commands available from a menu change depending on what you are doing.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

When an item in a menu is gray, it means that ________.

• the item has been deleted

• the item only works with another application 

• the item has been selected

• the item is unavailable

In some menus, you will notice that a check mark appears next to certain items. When a check mark appears next to an item, it means that that feature is present. If the item is unchecked (i.e., if the check mark does not appear), it means that the feature is not present. This comes in handy when you are working with word-processing programs.

Check Marks

​You can use this feature to display or hide certain toolbars to help you work more productively. If you are reading a document and making no changes to it, you may want to hide some of the toolbars to increase the amount of text that can be viewed on the screen. In this way, you can read more of the text in the document without needing to scroll. This will help you read the material faster and make you more efficient.

Multiple Select

Use the image to determine which toolbars will be displayed in the program you are using

• Formatting

• Forms

• Reviewing

• Drawing

• Standard

Another feature you may notice in a menu is the radio button. Radio buttons are different from check marks. In the example above, you may have noticed that several items in the menu could be checked or selected at one time. When radio buttons appear, only one of the options in that section of the menu can be selected.

In some menus, menu items are separated into groups. Groups are separated from other groups within the menu by horizontal lines. A dot next to one item in the group means that the item is selected.

​Radio Buttons

Multiple Choice

Which of these statements are true?

•       In the center section of the menu, only one item can be selected at a time.

• You can select all the items in this section of the menu.

• Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, and List are selected.

• Details is selected.

​Dialog Boxes

Did you notice when you looked at the menus that some items had three dots–an ellipse–behind them? When you click  on these items, a screen will be displayed where you will need to provide additional information or make additional  selections.

Let's take a look at the Paste From... command in the Edit menu in the demonstration below. This command is used  when you want to paste an image into the file you are working in. Double-clicking on this command will open up a dialog  box.

From the Paste From... dialog box, you can navigate to the place where the file you want is saved on your computer.  Selecting the file will place it in your document.

Multiple Choice

An ellipse (three dots) following a menu item indicates that _______.

• you don't have permission to open the item

• the item cannot be selected

• clicking on the item will display a dialog box

• it will open the program

Although Windows provides an intuitive GUI that is relatively user-friendly, you're bound to get stuck once in a while.

When this happens, you can generally use the Help feature to find the answers you need.

If you have a question about the Windows OS you are using, you can access Help and Support from the Start menu.  Clicking on this menu item will display a screen containing lots of topics related to your OS. You can also get assistance from other individuals or newsgroups.

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​Help

​The Start menu is not the only place where help is available. In most applications, a Help icon is usually located to the far

right of the menu bar. Clicking on it will open up the Help menu. Generally, the first item in the list will open up the help  screen for the program you're using. From here, you can get help in several ways depending on the application you're  using.

Multiple Choice

If you want help using drawing, word processing, and e-mail program, or any other app or program, the best place for you to find it is through the Start Menu.

• True

• False

Let's Review !

In this lesson, you learned about the various menus, dialog boxes, and help features available in the Windows interface.  Use the table below to review the significance of features commonly found in menus.