Projects/Usability/HIG/Slider: Difference between revisions
(New page: __NOTOC__ A slider allows the user to quickly select a value from a fixed, ordered range, or to increase or decrease the current value. The control looks like the type of slider that you m...) |
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* Use a slider when | == Purpose == | ||
A ''slider'' is a widget with which a user may set a value by moving an indicator, usually in a horizontal fashion. The user may also click on a point on the slider to change the setting. It is different from a scrollbar in that it is typically used to adjust a value without changing the format of the display or the other information on the screen. A slider is used to set defined, contiguous values or a range of discrete values. It is a good choice when values have a relative quantity, not a numeric value. Usually, changes made on the slider are shown immediately. That instant feedback supports input that is not necessarily precise. Compared with spin controls a slider provides faster changes within a larger range but with lower accuracy. Sliders are almost solely operable by mouse. | |||
* | |||
== Guidelines == | |||
* Use a slider when adjusting the value relative to its current value is more important than choosing an absolute value. | |||
* Use a slider when it is useful for the user to control the rate of change of the value in real time. | |||
* If the value is open-ended on one or both ends, consider using a [[../Spin_Box|Spin Box]] instead. | |||
* Label the slider with a text label above it or to its left, using sentence capitalization. Provide an access key in the label that allows the user to give focus directly to the slider. | * Label the slider with a text label above it or to its left, using sentence capitalization. Provide an access key in the label that allows the user to give focus directly to the slider. | ||
* Mark significant values along the length of the slider with text or tick marks. | * Mark significant values along the length of the slider with text or tick marks. | ||
* | * Give immediate feedback while user makes a selection. | ||
* Size the control so that a user can easily set the desired value. | |||
* Do not use a non-linear scale, e.g. logarithmic. | |||
== Implementation == | |||
* [http://qt-project.org/doc/qt-4.8/qslider.html QSlider] | |||
== Related Patterns == | |||
[[../Spin_Box|Spin Box]]; [[../Slider_and_Spin_Box|Slider and Spin Box]] |
Revision as of 12:27, 4 July 2013
Purpose
A slider is a widget with which a user may set a value by moving an indicator, usually in a horizontal fashion. The user may also click on a point on the slider to change the setting. It is different from a scrollbar in that it is typically used to adjust a value without changing the format of the display or the other information on the screen. A slider is used to set defined, contiguous values or a range of discrete values. It is a good choice when values have a relative quantity, not a numeric value. Usually, changes made on the slider are shown immediately. That instant feedback supports input that is not necessarily precise. Compared with spin controls a slider provides faster changes within a larger range but with lower accuracy. Sliders are almost solely operable by mouse.
Guidelines
- Use a slider when adjusting the value relative to its current value is more important than choosing an absolute value.
- Use a slider when it is useful for the user to control the rate of change of the value in real time.
- If the value is open-ended on one or both ends, consider using a Spin Box instead.
- Label the slider with a text label above it or to its left, using sentence capitalization. Provide an access key in the label that allows the user to give focus directly to the slider.
- Mark significant values along the length of the slider with text or tick marks.
- Give immediate feedback while user makes a selection.
- Size the control so that a user can easily set the desired value.
- Do not use a non-linear scale, e.g. logarithmic.