Apple Hig Menus And Actions

---
name: apple-hig-menus-and-actions
description: Use when designing Apple-platform commands, buttons, toolbars, menus, sharing activities, Home Screen shortcuts, or visionOS ornaments.
---

# Apple HIG: Commands, roles and discoverable surfaces

Use this family to select and compose topic procedures. Infer the platform and
requested work from the supplied project; preserve its framework and constraints.

## Work through the decision

1. Inventory each command’s outcome, scope, availability and reversibility. Distinguish immediate commands from persistent selection before entering Buttons, Toggles, or the appropriate menu procedure.
2. Choose a discoverable primary surface plus contextual shortcuts. On Mac, consider the menu bar’s command catalog and keyboard access even when a toolbar or context menu also exposes the action.
3. Use consequence and current task to decide role/default, confirmation and recovery. Consult Alerts and Undo and redo when that decision depends on destructive behavior; preserve documented exceptions.
4. Deliver an action contract naming labels, roles, surfaces, shortcuts, availability and relevant pending/resolved behavior. Verify the action and its recovery rather than color alone.

## Enter the topic procedure

Read the selected topic’s SKILL.md before its supporting guidance. For a review,
inspect actual evidence and return findings; for an implementation request, make
the authorized change; for design or adaptation, produce a usable specification
or patch. Load related topics only when the chosen procedure calls for them.

- [Activity views](.topics/apple-hig-activity-views/SKILL.md)
- [Buttons](.topics/apple-hig-buttons/SKILL.md)
- [Context menus](.topics/apple-hig-context-menus/SKILL.md)
- [Dock menus](.topics/apple-hig-dock-menus/SKILL.md)
- [Edit menus](.topics/apple-hig-edit-menus/SKILL.md)
- [Home Screen quick actions](.topics/apple-hig-home-screen-quick-actions/SKILL.md)
- [Menus](.topics/apple-hig-menus/SKILL.md)
- [Ornaments](.topics/apple-hig-ornaments/SKILL.md)
- [Pop-up buttons](.topics/apple-hig-pop-up-buttons/SKILL.md)
- [Pull-down buttons](.topics/apple-hig-pull-down-buttons/SKILL.md)
- [The menu bar](.topics/apple-hig-the-menu-bar/SKILL.md)
- [Toolbars](.topics/apple-hig-toolbars/SKILL.md)

## Completion evidence

Report the concrete decisions or changes, their source support, and which checks
passed, failed or were not executed. A source citation or a list of links is not
the requested work product. Retain platform exceptions and unresolved source
conflicts; the absence of a platform subsection does not establish support.