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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: Grey out scrollbar button when border reached?
From:       "Steven D'Aprano" <dippy () cosmos ! net ! au>
Date:       2002-08-29 13:20:20
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On Thu, 29 Aug 2002 05:23, Friedrich W. H. Kossebau quoted Matt Bonyak 
who wrote:

> > I think the current "if you need to scroll, click.  if you're at
> > the bottom, nothing happens" method is fine.  Yours is certainly an
> > alternative, but I think the current system is simpler, which is
> > what we want.

You've never tried dealing with utter newbies then :-)

Seriously, I have watched many people keep clicking, and clicking, and 
clicking, because they are sure that if nothing is happening its 
because they've done something wrong.

Friedrich's enhancement is, in my opinion, a good one. For the sake of 
a very small complication in the code of a scroll bar, we increase 
consistancy with other UI widgets. And unlike many GUI enhancements, 
this is one that doesn't come at the expense of power-users. If you are 
an experience user or a power user, scroll bars will work exactly the 
same as they always did except for a minor visual change.



Earlier, Friedrich quoted me and replied:


> > I think traditionally the button doesn't grey out because developers
> > reason that the entire control should be in the same state -- either
> > the scroll bar is enabled, or it is disabled, but not half enabled 
> > and half disabled.
> 
> I see. Would make sense as I really can't imagine to be the first one
> with such an idea but all the UI I came across handled it in the same
> way. And I even think they may be right... Perhaps instead of greying
> the respective buttons might change the icon. To a square. 

On reflection I can see that, perhaps, some people might momentarily be 
confused and think the entire scrollbar is disabled. It seems unlikely 
to me, but its a possibility.

In that case, perhaps just make the arrow disappear. Excuse the ASCII 
art, but I see something like this:

Scrollbar with thumb at left (top):
    -------------------------------------
    |   |[***]                      | > |
    -------------------------------------


Scrollbar with thumb in middle:
    -------------------------------------
    | < |          [***]            | > |
    -------------------------------------


Scrollbar with thumb at right (bottom):
    -------------------------------------
    | < |                      [***]|   |
    -------------------------------------


That way, the scrollbar doesn't turn grey unless the entire control is 
disabled.



-- 
Steven D'Aprano

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