Speaking of stupid icons, why does every program have the toolbar for the file actions open by default? For all the time I spend watching experienced power users use computers, I’ve *NEVER* seen anyone use those icons. Nor have I seen an inexperienced user use them.

It follows, therefore, that the only icons that should appear in a menu are the ones that appear on a toolbar. And since the ones that appear on a (properly designed) toolbar are likely only the frequent-by-many tasks, this means that on the menu only the frequently-used commands would have an icon.

That’s the theory. Of course, then there’s the Microsoft Office ribbon, wihch has thrown a wrench into that whole theory.

i am lifetime artist -> graphic designer -> web designer/developer. when i look at those little abstract icons, especially in a group, my mind is overwhelmed by the visual data. they do not give me instant recognition of an action whatsoever — it’s like static.

as a visual person, the most important thing to me is visual consistency — so that i can scan a list quickly and smoothly. in seeming contradiction, when i’m working, and i’m thinking of my next action, i think of the words instead of some mostly-arbitrary little picture (pictures match objects, words match verbs).

icons in menus break that ‘consistent left-side scanability’, no longer allowing: “The eye [to] scan straight down the left hand side looking for the item it wants” — agreed!

additionally, in applications such as firefox with disparate contributors, the icons are very dissimilar — and that, for me, is a jarring inconsistency that breaks the smooth flow of my menu usage to the point of frustration.

i agree that the Gimp screenshot above is a good example of a satisfactory use of menu items with and without icons — but i still prefer zero icons in menus.

in fact, i came across this blog during a somewhat frantic/determined search to see how to rid my menus of such good-for-nothing visual garbage.

“But really, icons don’t belong in menus and never have. Menus are for text. Toolbars are for icons, and you shouldn’t mix the two.” — i wish i said that…

final note: icons on a desktop are great for object/program recognition. and some are even attractive little pieces of art in themselves…

now… on to learn how to get of those pesky little…

Thanks
alexp

There is the code, which creates the menu:

Action[] actions = {leftAction, middleAction, rightAction};
for (int i = 0; i < actions.length; i++) {
    menuItem = new JMenuItem(actions[i]);
    menuItem.setIcon(null); //arbitrarily chose not to use icon
    mainMenu.add(menuItem);
}

menuItem.setIcon(null) is sufficient to disable icons.