Some applications benefit from splitting a window into two separate views that can display different information about data objects. An example of this is the Windows Explorer, shown in Figure 1-6. These individual views within a window are referred to as panes.
Figure 1-6 Window with a split bar
Although you can split a window to view the contents of multiple data objects at the same time, it is better to use the MDI application architecture to display multiple file types simultaneously. This gives the user a clearer idea of the individual file types.
A window can be set up to be split into panes by default or as a
user-configurable option. If a window allows the user to configure a window into panes, it should contain a split box in the appropriate location (at the top of a vertical scroll bar or at the left of a horizontal scroll bar). A split box is a small rectangle (usually the size of the sizing border) placed adjacent to the end of a scroll bar that splits or adjusts the split of a window.
The user splits a window by dragging the split box to the desired position.
When the user positions the pointer over the hot spot of the split box or a split bar, the pointer’s image should change to provide feedback to the user. While the user drags the split box or split bar, move a representation of the split box and split bar with the pointer, as shown in Figure 1-7. When the drag is finished, display a split bar that extends from one side of the window to the other and defines the panes. The size of the split bar should be, at minimum, the current size of the sizing border.
Go!
Keyword
---Go!
FIgure 1-7 Moving a split bar
Provide a keyboard interface for splitting the window and include a Split command for the window or view’s menu. When the user selects the Split menu item, split the window in the middle and allow the user to position the split bar using the arrow keys. The key sets the split bar at the current location. The key aborts the split mode.
Menus
All applications have some sort of menu to interact with the user. At the very minimum, the primary window’s pop-up menu is always available. Other menus depend on the application and which options the user has when working with it. There are several types of menus an application can use, including drop-down, pop-up, and cascading menus. An application can use one or more of these.
One of the most common forms of a menu is the menu bar. The menu bar, shown in Figure 1-8, is a rectangular area across the top of a window just below the title bar. Most applications will include a menu bar on the primary window. It is not good practice to include a menu bar on any other windows within the application, because doing so can confuse the user. All applications that include a menu bar should have, at minimum, the File and Help menu titles.
Figure 1-8 Menu bar
Even if an application includes a menu bar, it should also include pop-up menus where appropriate, as shown in Figure 1-9. Pop-up menus give the user an efficient way to interact with objects on the screen because they include only those menu items related to the object under the pointer.
Figure 1-9 Pop-up menu
Applications should use the right mouse button exclusively for displaying pop-up menus within the application. Use the pointer location when the right
mouse button is pressed at the upper-left corner of the pop-up menu. Pop-up menus can include any menu items that are appropriate for the object.
However, instead of having a menu item for each object property, the menu should include a single Properties menu item, as shown on the menu in Figure 1-9. When the user selects the Properties menu item, a property sheet dialog is displayed with the properties for the object. Avoid making operations
accessible only through a pop-up menu. Note that a pop-up menu does not need to be limited to items that appear in a drop-down menu.
Use the following guidelines when ordering items in pop-up menus:
• Place the object’s primary commands first, such as Open, Play, and Print. Then put in the object’s transfer commands, other commands supported by the object, and the What’s This? command, when supported.
• The transfer commands should be in the order of Cut, Copy, Paste, and other specialized Paste commands.
• The Properties command, when appropriate, should be the last item on the menu.
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Menu Interface
Users can access menus with a pointer device, such as a mouse or pen, or the keyboard. Menu navigation with a pointer device is straightforward. The user selects the desired menu item by clicking the menu with the pointer device. If the selected menu item is a menu title with a drop-down menu, the drop-down menu is displayed. As the user moves the pointer device over the menu items, they are highlighted, showing the current menu selection. If the user holds down the mouse button used to select the menu, the menu item selected when the mouse button is released is the selected menu item. If the user selects the menu by releasing the mouse button, the next time the mouse button is pressed determines which menu item is selected.
The keyboard interface for drop-down menus uses the key to activate the menu bar. Once the menu bar is activated, the user navigates the menu with the arrow keys and selects a menu item by pressing the key. The key closes the drop-down menu if one is open; otherwise, it deactivates the menu bar. Pressing an alphanumeric key while holding down the key, or after pressing the key, displays the drop-down menu associated with the alphanumeric key (the underlined character in the menu item). Subsequently pressing alphanumeric keys brings up the associated menu item. All menu items should have an access character defined. See Chapter 6, Menus, for more information on defining access characters.
Shortcut keys or accelerators can be assigned to menu items in drop-down menus. Commands that are repetitively accessed should have a shortcut key associated with them. When the user presses a shortcut key, the menu
command is carried out immediately without the menu ever displaying. Table 1-3 lists the shortcut key and access character that should be used for some common menu items. The access character is the underlined character.
Go!
Keyword
---Go!
Table 1-3 Menu item shortcut keys and access characters
Menu Item Shortcut Key
New Ctrl+N
Open Ctrl+O
Save Ctrl+S
Save As
Print Ctrl+P
Print Preview Page Setup Send Exit
Undo Ctrl+Z
Cut Ctrl+X
Copy Ctrl+C
Paste Ctrl+V
Paste Special Paste Link
Clear Del
Select All Ctrl+A
Find Ctrl+F
Find Next F3
Replace Ctrl+H
Links
Object Properties Alt+Enter Object
Help Topics
About <Application Name>
Menu Titles
All drop-down and cascading menus have a menu title. The menu title for a drop-down menu is the entry that appears in the menu bar. The menu title for cascading menus is the name of the parent menu item. Choose menu titles that represent the entire contents of the menu and communicate clearly the purpose of all items in the menu. Do not use spaces in menu titles; Windows interprets a space as the end of one title and the beginning of another and will include two menu titles on the menu bar. Also, uncommon compound words should be avoided.
Menu Items
A menu contains individual choices known as menu items. Menu items can be words, graphics, or a combination of graphics and words. Menu items should provide the user with visual cues about the nature and effect of the menu item.
Figure 1-10 shows a menu with the different types of menu items.
Figure 1-10 Menu item types
Group menu items into related sets separated with a menu separator. A standard separator is a single line, as shown in Figure 1-10. Do not use menu items as separators; this isn’t standard and will present the user with a
confusing user interface. Menu items that are not available, or not appropriate in a particular context, should be disabled or removed. Leaving the menu item enabled and using a message box telling the user the item isn’t valid is clumsy and does not provide the user immediate feedback. It is better to disable a menu (as opposed to removing it), because this provides stability to the user interface. However, if the menu item is not applicable and no longer needed, remove it. If all menu items in a menu are disabled, disable the menu title. If the application includes feedback on the status bar, indicate that the command is unavailable and why. When disabling a custom menu item, follow the guidelines outlined later in this chapter under Visual Design.
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Windows NT Win32 API SuperBible
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing) Author(s): Richard Simon
ISBN: 1571690891 Publication Date: 03/01/98
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