[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: DialogBoxes (was: Cookie window popup)
From:       dhennig () altavista ! de
Date:       2000-09-12 5:16:09
[Download RAW message or body]

on Sun, 10 September 2000,  "Steven D'Aprano" wrote:

> Firstly, I'd like to check that we are agreeing on terminology. By
> blocking, do you mean that a modal dialog prevents the user from
> clicking on the original and giving it focus or bringing it to the front
> layer?
Right.
 
> I think that is pretty much unavoidable for modal dialogs, which is an
> excellent reason for not using modal dialogs unless neccessary.
Of course. IMHO you should never use modal dialogs for dialogs of the normal \
workflow, like dialogs for fonts, opening files etc. A modal dialog is only necessary \
as an alert message box, when something happens, e.g. when you want to quit the \
program while there are unsaved files.

> This isn't a fault of the modal dialog itself, but of poor design of the
> application. If a modal dialog needs to refer to a particular part of a
> document window (eg to report an error in Line 300), then the app should
> either duplicate this information in the dialog, or scroll to the
> correct line and position the dialog so it *doesn't* cover the
> information it refers to.
Agree. IMHO it is best to duplicate necessary information. And if you do so, there is \
no problem with a message BOX (not window), that stays inside the original window and \
covers it. For the user it would be totally clear, that he has to get rid of this box \
by answering it. If just a window pops up, he might click somewhere else (by \
intention or unfortunately) and then forget to answer the message and is the \
wondering later, that the original window don't work. So again I call for a modal \
message box (inside the window) instead of modal message dialog windows.

Dirk 


[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]