rdd@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett) (05/25/90)
In article <7402@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> lim@iris.ucdavis.edu (Lloyd Lim) writes: >In article <9444@tank.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >>1) In my dialog, when the user has blanked out certain editable text fields, or >>hasn't filled anything in, I deactivate the default button (gray it out). Is >>the standard user interface guidelines to gray out the 3 pixel border >>surrounding the default button also? I thought it was, but lots of apps, >>including some from Apple, seem to leave it black. > >Yes, this is desirable but most people either never thought of it or are too >lazy. Actually, there are two, more preferable, alternatives: (1) don't draw the outline circle at all, or erase it. Doesn't make sense to have it, if the item isn't available. (2) reassign the default button to something else (i.e., cancel). Novice users would be better served by (1); those who are terminally keyboard- bound would prefer (2). Personally, I just leave it black. I'm not lazy: I just don't care. :-)
mxmora@unix.SRI.COM (Matt Mora) (05/25/90)
In article <9444@tank.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >I have two questions regarding the default button in modal dialogs: >Any suggestions appreciated! If you are in your dialog filter you can test the control for its state. So on return key test your control (button) if it is active then return the item number of the button as an itemhit. If not don't return anything. >Robert -- ___________________________________________________________ Matthew Mora SRI International mxmora@unix.sri.com ___________________________________________________________
dawyd@gargoyle.uchicago.edu (David Walton) (05/27/90)
In article <9444@tank.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes: >1) In my dialog, when the user has blanked out certain editable text fields, or hasn't filled anything in, I deactivate the default button (gray it out). Is >the standard user interface guidelines to gray out the 3 pixel border >surrounding the default button also? I thought it was, but lots of apps, >including some from Apple, seem to leave it black. In article <30451@ut-emx.UUCP> rdd@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett) writes:> >Actually, there are two, more preferable, alternatives: > >(1) don't draw the outline circle at all, or erase it. Doesn't make sense to >have it, if the item isn't available. > >(2) reassign the default button to something else (i.e., cancel). > >Novice users would be better served by (1); those who are terminally keyboard- >bound would prefer (2). I disagree with your conclusion. If there _is_ a default action, it should be made known to the user at all times. A real novice user, in fact, might be more confused if the button were to be hilited by something he or she did ('Why did it do that? Did I break it?'). The second suggestion makes more sense to me. If there's a default action, it should remain available at all times (at least in my off-the-cuff estimation). The default may change, ala Word 4.0's Spelling dialog box, but the default action should always be available. The only case I can think of offhand where this isn't true is where there's only one action available, and completing that action requires input from the user. An example would be the dialog boxes that programs like MacWrite put up when run for the first time, asking the using to personalize the copy. Clearly, you want some response from the user before going on. I don't recall what Robert said the dialog box was for originally. Depending on what he was doing with it, he might want to consider changing the default button, as suggested in 2 above. -- David Walton Internet: dwal@tank.uchicago.edu University of Chicago { Any opinions found herein are mine, not } Computing Organizations { those of my employers (or anybody else). }
gt0228b@prism.gatech.EDU (FALCO,VINNIE) (05/30/90)
Definitely grey out the border around the button. It looks very
slick, first of all, and secondly, it is a noticable change in the
button, so it will be more obvious to users. Also, since the meaning of
the border is that the button is the default when RETURN is pressed,,
the meaning is lost when RETURN cannot be pressed, therefore, the
border should not be active..right?
--
Vinnie Falco
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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