Implementing Option Menus in Android Activities

Option menus provide a standard pattern for exposing secondary actions in Android applications. Here is how to implement them.

Step 1: Define the Menu Resource

Create my_menu.xml in res/menu:



    
          android:title="Settings" />
    
          android:title="About" />

Step 2: Inflate and Handle Menu Events

Override the relevant lifecycle methods in your Activity:

@Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.my_menu, menu);
    return true;
}


@Override
public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
    switch (item.getItemId()) {
        case R.id.menu_settings:
            // handle settings action
            return true;
        case R.id.menu_about:
            // handle about action
            return true;
        default:
            return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item);
    }
}

This is a well-established Android pattern that provides users with a consistent, platform-standard interaction model for accessing secondary actions within your application.