Re: Windows 95 terminology (help!)

Subject: Re: Windows 95 terminology (help!)
From: David Locke <locke -at- SUGAR-LAND -dot- ANADRILL -dot- SLB -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 08:52:21 +0000

At 03:08 PM 9/12/96 GMT, Beth Baxter wrote:
>Windows? Dialogs? Dialog boxes?

Dialogs are modal windows. Modal means that focus cannot be changed to
another window (or dialog) until the window (dialog) with focus is closed.

Tabs are placed on panels. A tab panel holds a window (not modal) and
provides the tab control. Tabs are controls not dialogs or windows.

Of course, panels lead to a discussion of panes vs. panels. Panels have a
fixed size. Panes can be dynamically resized. I might have it backwards.
Which leads to the only advise I can offer -- be consistent.

Realize that MS did not invent the names of these things. These things have
been around for a long time (i.e. Macintosh). A consortium with IBM
underwriting it created an ISO standard. Try to find a reference to those
standards in Human Factors or Interface Design books. I don't have any
references on hand. GUI's usually support this standard.

David Locke
David Locke Locke -at- sugar-land -dot- anadrill -dot- slb -dot- com
Engineering - Drilling Information Products
200 Gillingham Ln. Voice: 713 275 4722
Sugar Land, TX 77487 Fax: 713 275 8098

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