NAME
Margin Selection Techniques — Reference
Description
Margin selection techniques are variants of other group techniques
in which the user selects or deselects a group of elements by acting
on elements in the margin of the control managing the selection
scope. For example, selecting elements in the margin of a spreadsheet
might select an area consisting of all elements in the corresponding
rows or columns.
You can use any of the standard techniques (including adjustment)
as a margin technique. For example:
A margin area point technique could
involve clicking on a single margin element to select or toggle
elements in a single row or column of a spreadsheet.
A margin area swipe technique (for example, pressing
the SELECT button and moving it through a range of margin elements)
could be used to select a range of rows or columns.
You can also apply margin techniques to margin elements. For
example, if margin elements are used with text, then clicking the
SELECT button in the margin (a margin range point technique) might
select a line, but double-clicking SELECT in the margin (a multilevel
margin range point technique) might select an entire paragraph.
When to Use
- Required
If margin elements can take focus, place them in
a separate selection scope and a separate tab group from the selection
scope they control.
Guidelines
- Required
After using a margin point technique, do the following:
Define the selection region to consist
of the elements corresponding to the margin element that was used.
Place the anchor point at the point in the region
nearest to the margin element.
Identify the anchor element to be the element, if
any, within the selection region nearest to the anchor point.
Define the anchor region to be the selection region.
If the margin element cannot take focus, place the
active cursor at one of the following:
The anchor point, if it can be placed
there
If an element cursor, on the anchor element
If there is no anchor element, where the cursor
previously was in the scope
- Required
When using the margin click or swipe techniques:
Define the selection region to consist
of all the elements that correspond to the region of margin elements
identified by the technique.
Place the anchor point at the point in the region
nearest to the position in the margin at which the technique was
initiated.
Define the anchor element to be the element in the
selection region nearest to the anchor point.
Define the anchor region to consist of the elements
corresponding to the anchor element of the margin's selection region.
If the margin elements cannot take focus, place
the active cursor at one of the following:
The pointer position or element farthest
from the margin's anchor element, if it can be placed there
Where the cursor previously was in the scope
- Required
When using the margin point, swipe, or click techniques
in select mode:
Select all the elements in the selection
region.
Deselect all other elements in the scope.
- Required
When using the margin point, swipe, or click techniques
in toggle mode, toggle all elements in the selection region, based
on the toggling policy.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Multilevel Selection Technique,
Selection Modes, and
Selection Techniques
reference pages.
Supplemental Related Topics
For more information, see the Selection Models and
Selection Policies
reference pages.
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