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I'd agree with Sean. If having a CANCEL option gives a different
outcome than either YES or NO, then it's needed. [E. g., "Have you
stopped beating your spouse yet?" YES (I've stopped); NO (I haven't
stopped); CANCEL (I refuse to answer that!).] A more realistic example
would be the box that comes up when you close a document you've been
working on: Save DOCUMENT_XYZ before closing? YES (Save it, then
close) NO (Don't save, but close anyway) CANCEL (Never mind--forget
I told you to close!)
On the other hand, if YES and NO cover all possible outcomes, there's no
need for a third option.
SRH
> From: Brierley, Sean [SMTP:Brierley -at- QUODATA -dot- COM]
>
> If you can write a purpose for the cancel button that is different
> than the
> Yes and No buttons, then I'd say you have a case. Offhand, I'd say
> that not
> all message boxes need a Cancel button and, at most, this needs be
> determined case-by-case.
>
>