NAME
Prefix Navigation — Reference
Description
Prefix navigation is an internal navigation technique used
in a combination text-list control in which entering a printing
character immediately moves the cursor in the associated list to
the next item whose textual label begins with a prefix.
When to Use
Use prefix completion in combination text-list controls for
index and topic searching.
Guidelines
Behavior
- Required
When the user types a character in the text-entry
field, move the cursor in the associated list to the next item whose
label matches the prefix, enter the character into the text-entry
field, and place the text cursor after the character. Keep the input
focus in the text-entry field.
- Required
When the user types a character in the text-entry
field and there is no item matching the prefix in the list, generate
a warning signal.
- Required
If focus is in a text-entry field that uses prefix
navigation, and the associated list box is not displayed, display
the list box when the user types a printing character.
- Recommended
By default, when focus is in the text field, select
the cursored list item and place its text in the text field.
- Required
When prefix navigation is used to move the cursor
in a list, do not automatically select the cursored item unless
required to do so by the selection model in use.
- Recommended
When focus is in a text-entry field that uses prefix
navigation, allow Ctrl ↓
and Ctrl ↑
to move the cursor and select the next or previous item that matches
the prefix. Do not place the matching text in the text field.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Combination
Text-List Control (Control Type),
List Box (Control),
Prefix Completion,
Text-Display
Field (Control), and Text-Entry Field (Control)
reference pages.
Printable version
