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| A status bar is an area at the bottom of a window that can be used to display brief information about the status of the application.
| | {{ Moved To Community | KDE_Visual_Design_Group/HIG/SOU Workspace/Status Bar }} |
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| === Guidelines ===
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| == Selecting the right information ==
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| Use statusbars for information that is
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| * Relevant to the current user in the current situation
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| * Not critical (i.e. information that does not need immediate response)
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| Examples:
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| * General information about the document or application. For example, current connection status in a network application, or the size of the current document in a text editor.
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| * Progress of a background operation. For example, "Sending to printer", "Printing page 10 of 20", "Printing Complete".
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| * Information about the task the user is currently performing. For example, while using the selection tool in a drawing application, "Hold Shift to extend the selection"
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| * A description of the control or area of the window under the mouse pointer. For example, "Drop files here to upload them"
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| Do ''not'' use status bars for
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| * Information that most users won't need while using the application. Put that information in a log file or display it in a dialog on demand.
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| * Critical information to which users need to respond in order to complete their task or avoid loosing any work. Display critical information in a dialog instead. Users may miss information displayed in a status bar and some novice users might not even notice the status bar at all.
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| Examples:
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| * Information about routine checks (unless something - non-critical - has happened)
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| * An error that occured while fetching a file from the internet that is needed for the task at hand
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| * An error that occured while trying to save a file
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| == Status bar layout ==
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| * Disply status messages on the left end of the status bar
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| == Providing contextual help ==
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