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Pie MenuA pie menu (also known as "radial menu") consists of several labeled "pie slices" around an inactive center. A slice can lead to another pie menu; selecting this may center the mouse cursor in the new menu. Pie menus are often context sensitive, showing different options depending on what the mouse cursor was pointing at when the menu was requested. Don Hopkins is the main pie menu proponent. Usage Beginner: - click and release mouse button, causing the pie menu to display
- move the mouse into the desired slice
- click the desired action
Exit by clicking the center. Expert: - click and hold down the mouse button
- move mouse onto the desired action
- release mouse button
Implementations Advantages - faster and more reliable selection than linear menus due to:
- size and proximity of menu items (Fitts' law)
- muscle memory utilization
- selection depending on direction instead of distance
- Shows available options, as opposed to the invisible mouse gestures.
- Delayed appearance until mouse button release equalizes intrusiveness between mouse gestures and pie menus for experienced people.
- Nested pie menus efficiently display many options
Disadvantages - Pie menus take up more screen space than linear menus
- Number of slices in an individual menu must be kept low for effectiveness (use submenus)
Why are pie menus so rare? - Games often require custom widget development, lowering pie menu cost, as opposed to applications which rely on standard widgets.
- Difficulty of adding new widgets to popular user interface toolkits
See also References
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