NAME
Default Action — Reference
Description
The default action is the action associated with a window
that the user would most likely want to invoke in a given situation
when focus is in that window. The default action may change as the
focus and state of the window changes. The default action is generally
activated when a user double-clicks the SELECT button, presses Enter
(except when either operation is used for other purposes), or presses
Ctrl Enter
or keypadEnter.
When to Use
- Recommended
If a user will want to perform a specific action
at a specific time, make it the default action.
- Recommended
If you use a secondary window for some interaction,
provide a default action in that window.
Guidelines
- Required
To support new users and keyboard-only users, provide
default actions as shortcuts only for application features that
are available by some other method.
- Required
When a window has focus, show default emphasis on
the push button in the window, if any, that performs the current
default action for that window.
- Required
Except when focus is on a tool or object or in a
menu, if the default action of a window varies, provide a push button
that corresponds to each default action.
- Recommended
Except when focus is on a tool or object or in a
menu, provide a push button that corresponds to each default action.
- Recommended
When an explicit focus policy is in use and the
focus is outside the window, use default emphasis to indicate the
push button that would perform the default action if focus were
moved to the window by using window navigation.
Default Activation
- Required
When the focus is on a push button, make its action
the default action.
- Required
When the focus is on a choice in a menu other than
a tear-off menu, make the default action activate or toggle that
choice.
- Required
When focus is on an object icon, the default action
should present data of the corresponding object; for a window icon
display the corresponding window.
Default Action Behavior
- Required
When the user presses keypadEnter,
Ctrl Enter,
or Enter (except in text), invoke
the default action. Except possibly when on an element that is both
activatable and selectable, it should have no other effect.
- Required
When the user double-clicks the SELECT button and
focus is on a value choice that is part of a mutually exclusive
group of value choices (for example, on a radio button, a tool,
or in a value set), invoke the default action.
- Optional
When the user double-clicks the SELECT button on
a cascading choice that leads to a menu (but does not press Enter
or keypadEnter), you may invoke
the action of the menu's default choice. In particular, double-clicking
the SELECT button on the window menu button can be used to close
the window.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Push Button (Control)
and Push Button
(Predefined) reference pages.
Supplemental Related Topics
For more information, see the Emphasis
(Cue) and Window
Menu reference pages.
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