NAME
Dialog (Window) — Reference
Description
A dialog includes the following:
- Dialog
An interaction between user and application conducted
by using one or more secondary windows, and that allows a user to
specify or review parameters for an action to be performed.
- Dialog window
A secondary window used for a dialog.
When to Use
- Required
Use a dialog to allow the user to specify parameters
to an action that is to be performed.
- Required
Use a dialog to allow the user to review the parameters
to an action before finally approving its invocation.
- Recommended
Use a dialog with multiple secondary windows to
allow the user to review and approve the results of intermediate
steps of a complex action.
Guidelines
- Required
Provide one or both of the following push-button
choices in a dialog:
- OK
Invokes the action and closes the dialog window.
- Apply
Invokes the action and leaves the dialog window
open.
You can replace the labels of these choices with ones that
are descriptive of the action to be performed.
- Required
Provide a Cancel choice in a dialog window that
closes the dialog without performing the effects of the action.
- Optional
If a task analysis shows that the user will fill
the fields of a form-filling dialog in order, then when using explicit
focus and focus is in any field but the final one, make the default
action move focus to the next field. When focus is in the final
field, the default action submits the form and closes the window
that contains the dialog.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Secondary Window reference
page.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Choice
reference page.
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