Projects/Usability/HIG/Buttons: Difference between revisions

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{{ Moved To Community | KDE_Visual_Design_Group/HIG/Buttons }}
 
== Push Button ==
A ''push button'' initiates an action when the user clicks it.
 
[[File:Button-HIG.png]]
 
Buttons have the benefit of affordance, i.e. their visual properties (they look like they can be pushed) suggest how they are used.
 
== Guidelines ==
=== Is this the right control ===
Buttons are available in several flavors:
* Command button
** Use a command button to initiate an immediate action.
** Do not use a command button for navigation to another page (prefer a [[Projects/Usability/HIG/Links|link]] in this case).
** Do not use a command button embedded in a body of text.
** Do not use command buttons for a group of actions. Consider to use radio buttons with one 'Apply' option or a menu button.
* Menu button
** Use a menu button when you need to execute one action out of a small set of related functions.
** Indicate the menu by a single downward-pointing triangle.
** Clicking the button will drop down the menu only.
** Do not use the delayed menu button pattern.
* Split button
** Apply a split button when one of the commands is used by default.
** Clicking the left part (or right in case of RTL alignment) of a split button starts the default action; clicking the split area opens the menu.
** Change the default item to the last action when the user is likely to repeat the command.
* Toggle button
** A toggle button is not a push button. Guidelines can be found [[Projects/Usability/HIG/Toggle_Buttons|here]].
 
===  Behavior ===
* Buttons are not dynamic: their icon and label should not change depending on the context (except special split buttons).
* Do not initiate an action on right-click or double-click.
* Provide feedback when user is not aware to results or when results are not available instantaneous. Display a busy pointer or present a progress bar to users (see [[Projects/Usability/HIG/ProgressIndicator|progress indicator]]).
* Denote the relationship between buttons with other controls by placing them logically together.
* Do not use the delayed (menu) button pattern.
 
===  Appearance ===
* Indicate a command that needs additional information (including confirmation) by adding an ellipsis at the end of the button label.
* Buttons have an elevated appearance; do not make buttons flat (except in [[../Toolbar|toolbars]]).
* Do not use icons for confirmation buttons like OK, Apply, or Cancel.
* Passive actions like those in the "System Settings => Application Appearance => Fonts" do not have icons.
* If icons are applied (or not), this style should be used consistently for a group of buttons.
* For buttons with text labels, use a minimum button width of 96px and the standard button height. Don't use narrow, short, or tall buttons with text labels.
* If the same button appears in more than one window, use the same label and access key. Locate them in approximately the same place in each window.
* Use [[Projects/Usability/HIG/Capitalization|title style capitalization]] for the label.
* Use a verb or verb phrase for the title of a push button.
 
==  Implementation ==
* [http://api.kde.org/4.10-api/kdelibs-apidocs/kdeui/html/classKPushButton.html KPushButton]
 
[[Category:Usability]][[Category:Behavior]][[Category:Viewing_and_Navigation]][[Category:Access_functions]]

Latest revision as of 11:26, 4 August 2016

This page is now on the community wiki.