> In a GUI under development, I want to give the user three buttons to
> represent a set of states from which the user can only select one.
> i.e.
> All
> Defaults
> Somewhere in between
> If the user picks "All", I want to provide them with a way to get a list
> of All the things.
> If the user picks "Defaults" I also want to provide them with a way to
> get a list of the Default things.
> If the user picks "Somewhere in between", they MUST select the things
> they want from a list.
> Using Motif, I considered using three radio buttons labeled All
> Selections, Default Selections, and Custom Selections, with a "List..."
> button next to All Selections and Default Selections. This seems to be
> okay.
> The problem is on the Custom Selections radio button. Should just
> hitting this button bring up a dialog in which the user makes
> selections? Should it be labeled "Custom Selections..." (since it pops
> up a dialog)? Is it Style Guide compliant to have a dialog pop up on the
> pressing of a radio button?
below or beside the radio buttons. Presumably, when the radio buttons are
first displayed, one of them is already selected -- the items in the list
corresponding to that selection should be highlighted, checked or otherwise
have a visual cue. The list highlighting would "follow" any change in
which radio button is selected. That way you don't need the "list" buttons,
you don't need a separate dialog, and you maintain the context of what the
user is doing and the ramifications of selecting one radio button vs.
another.
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Hawley's Second Law of Organization Charts:
"Equivalent Oversight is equal to one divided by the
number of names in the box on the organization chart."
Hal Hawley, Boeing Defense & Space Group (206) 773-8602