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Important: This document is part of the Legacy section of the ADC Reference Library. This information should not be used for new development.

Current information on this Reference Library topic can be found here:

Adding Color Icons to Menu Items


Q: Is there a way to display color icons in menus?

A: Absolutely. Here are two ways:

  • If SetMenuItemIconHandle is available, use it. It affords you a great deal of flexibility.

  • If not, then simply make a 'cicn' resource with the proper ID for the relevant menu item, and the system will use the 'cicn' instead of a 1-bit icon ('ICON'). This trick works on any system with color QuickDraw. To support systems both with and without color QuickDraw, simply provide both 1-bit ('ICON') and color ('cicn') icon resources with the same ID.

Further Reference:

Inside Macintosh: Menu Manager
Inside Macintosh: Icon Services and Icon Utilities

[Dec 22 1998]


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