Menu Resource

A menu resource defines an application menu (Options Menu, Context Menu, or Sub Menu) that can be inflated with MenuInflater.

file location:

res/menu/filename.xml
The filename will be used as the resource ID.

compiled resource datatype:

Resource pointer to a Menu (or subclass) resource.

resource reference:

In Java: R.menu.filename
In XML: @[package:]menu.filename

syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:id="@+id/id_name"
          android:menuCategory=["container" | "system" | "secondary" | "alternative"]
          android:orderInCategory="integer"
          android:title="string"
          android:titleCondensed="string"
          android:icon="@[package:]drawable/drawable_resource_name"
          android:alphabeticShortcut="string"
          android:numericShortcut="string"
          android:checkable=["true" | "false"]
          android:visible=["visible" | "invisible" | "gone"]
          android:enabled=["enabled" | "disabled"] />
    <group android:id="resource ID"
           android:menuCategory=["container" | "system" | "secondary" | "alternative"]
           android:orderInCategory="integer"
           android:checkableBehavior=["none" | "all" | "single"]
           android:visible=["visible" | "invisible" | "gone"]
           android:enabled=["enabled" | "disabled"] >
        <item />
    </group>
    <item >
        <menu>
          <item />
        </menu>
    </item>
</menu>

elements:

<menu>

Required. This must be the root node. Contains <item> and/or <group> elements.

attributes:

xmlns:android

String. Required. Defines the XML namespace, which must be "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android".

<group>

A menu group (to create a collection of items that share traits, such as whether they are visible, enabled, or checkable). Contains one or more <item> elements. Must be a child of a <menu> element.

attributes:

android:id

Resource name. A unique resource name. The value takes the form: "@+id/name".

android:menuCategory

Keyword. Value corresponding to Menu CATEGORY_* constants, which define the group's priority. Valid values:

Value	Description
container	For groups that are part of a container.
system	For groups that are provided by the system.
secondary	For groups that are user-supplied secondary (infrequently used) options.
alternative	For groups that are alternative actions on the data that is currently displayed.

android:orderInCategory

Integer. The default order of the items within the category.

android:checkableBehavior

Keyword. The type of checkable behavior for the group. Valid values:

Value	Description
none	Not checkable
all	All items can be checked (use checkboxes)
single	Only one item can be checked (use radio buttons)

android:visible

Boolean. "true" if the group is visible.

android:enabled

Boolean. "true" if the group is enabled.

<item>

A menu item. May contain a <menu> element (for a Sub Menu). Must be a child of a <menu> or <group> element.

attributes:

android:id

Resource name. A unique resource name. The value takes the form: "@+id/name".

android:menuCategory

Keyword. Value corresponding to Menu CATEGORY_* constants, which define the item's priority. Valid values:

Value	Description
container	For items that are part of a container.
system	For items that are provided by the system.
secondary	For items that are user-supplied secondary (infrequently used) options.
alternative	For items that are alternative actions on the data that is currently displayed.

android:orderInCategory

Integer. The order of "importance" of the item, within a group.

android:title

String. The menu title.

android:titleCondensed

String. A condensed title, for situations in which the normal title is too long.

android:icon

Drawable resource. An image to be used as the menu item icon.

android:alphabeticShortcut

Char. A character for the alphabetic shortcut key.

android:numericShortcut

Integer. A number for the numeric shortcut key.

android:checkable

Boolean. "true" if the item is checkable.

android:checked

Boolean. "true" if the item is checked by default.

android:visible

Boolean. "true" if the item is visible by default.

android:enabled

Boolean. "true" if the item is enabled by default.

example:

XML file saved at res/menu/example_menu.xml:

<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <item android:id="@+id/item1"
          android:title="@string/item1"
          android:icon="@drawable/group_item1_icon" />
    <group android:id="@+id/group">
        <item android:id="@+id/group_item1"
              android:title="@string/group_item1"
              android:icon="@drawable/group_item1_icon" />
        <item android:id="@+id/group_item2"
              android:title="G@string/group_item2"
              android:icon="@drawable/group_item2_icon" />
    </group>
    <item android:id="@+id/submenu"
          android:title="@string/submenu_title" >
        <menu>
            <item android:id="@+id/submenu_item1"
                  android:title="@string/submenu_item1" />
        </menu>
    </item>
</menu>

This application code will inflate the menu from the onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu) callback:

public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
  MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
  inflater.inflate(R.menu.example_menu, menu);
  return true;
}