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Unit 4 Select The Proper Kinds of Windows

This document discusses different types of windows and their proper usage. It describes primary windows, which represent independent functions or applications and contain menu bars and controls used by dependent windows. Secondary windows are used for more complex or ancillary tasks related to objects in primary windows. The document also discusses single-document and multiple-document interfaces, noting advantages and disadvantages of each for presenting an application's collection of related tasks.

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Sai Venkat Gudla
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179 views16 pages

Unit 4 Select The Proper Kinds of Windows

This document discusses different types of windows and their proper usage. It describes primary windows, which represent independent functions or applications and contain menu bars and controls used by dependent windows. Secondary windows are used for more complex or ancillary tasks related to objects in primary windows. The document also discusses single-document and multiple-document interfaces, noting advantages and disadvantages of each for presenting an application's collection of related tasks.

Uploaded by

Sai Venkat Gudla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNIT 4

Select the Proper Kinds of Windows


A window is an area of the screen, usually rectangular in shape,
defined by a border that contains a particular view of some area of
the computer.

A window’s characteristics.
A window’s components.
A window’s presentation styles.
The types of windows available.
Organizing window system functions.
A window’s operations.
Web system frames and pop-up windows.
Window Characteristics
A window is seen to possess the following characteristics:

A name or title, allowing it to be identified.


A size in height and width (which can vary).
A state, accessible or active, or not accessible.
Visibility—the portion that can be seen.
A location, relative to the display boundary.
Presentation, that is, its arrangement in relation to other
windows. It may be tiled, overlapping, or cascading.
Management capabilities, methods for manipulation of the
window on the screen.
Its highlight, that is, the part that is selected.
The function, task, or application to which it is dedicated.
Components of a Window

A typical window may be composed of up to a dozen or so


elements. For consistency purposes, these elements should always
be located in the same position within a window.
Frame
A window will have a frame or border, usually rectangular in shape,
to define its boundaries and distinguish it from other windows.

Title Bar
The title bar is the top edge of the window, inside its border and
extending its entire width. This title bar is also referred to by some
platforms as the caption, caption bar, or title area. The title bar
contains a descriptive title identifying the purpose or content of the
window

Title Bar Icon


Located at the left corner of the title bar in a primary window, this
button is used in Windows to retrieve a pull-down menu of
commands that apply to the object in the window.
Menu Bar
A menu bar is used to organize and provide access to actions. It is
located horizontally at the top of the window, just below the title bar.

Status Bar
Information of use to the user can be displayed in a designated
screen area or areas. They may be located at the top of the screen in
some platforms and called a status area, or at the screen’s bottom.

Scroll Bars
When all display information cannot be presented in a window, the
additional information must be found and made visible. This is
accomplished by scrolling the display’s contents through use of a
scroll bar.
Toolbar
Toolbars are permanently displayed panels or arrays of choices
or commands that must be accessed quickly. They are sometimes
called command bars. Toolbars are designed to provide quick
access to specific commands or options.
Window presentation styles
There are two basic styles, commonly called tiled and overlapping.

Tiled Windows
Overlapping Windows
Cascading Windows
Types of Windows
People’s tasks must be structured into a series of windows. The
type of window used will depend on the nature and flow of the
task. Defining standard window types is again difficult across
platforms
1. Primary Window
Proper usage:
Should represent an independent function or application.
Use to present constantly used window components and
controls.
Menu bar items that are:
Used frequently.
Used by most, or all, primary or secondary windows.
• Controls used by dependent windows
• Use for presenting information that is continually updated.
• For example, date and time.
— Use for providing context for dependent windows
to be created.
2. Secondary Windows
Proper usage:
For performing subordinate, supplemental, or ancillary actions
that are:
Extended or more complex in nature.
Related to objects in the primary window.
Window Management
• Microsoft Windows also provides several window management schemes, a single
document interface, a multiple-document interface, workbooks, and projects. To
choose the right scheme to present an application’s collection of related tasks or
processes, consider a number of design factors
Single-Document Interface
Description:
— A single primary window with a set of secondary windows.
Proper usage:
— Where object and window have a simple, one-to-one relationship.
— Where the object’s primary presentation or use is as a single unit.
— To support alternate views with a control that allows the view to be changed.
— To support simultaneous views by splitting the window into panes.
Advantages:
— Most common usage.
— Window manipulation is easier and less confusing.
— Data-centered approach.
Disadvantage:
— Information is displayed or edited in separate window
Multiple-Document Interface
Description:
— A technique for managing a set of windows where documents are opened into windows.
— Contains:
• A single primary window, called the parent.
• A set of related document or child windows, each also essentially a primary window.
— Each child window is constrained to appear only within the parent window.
— The child windows share the parent window’s operational elements.
— The parent window’s elements can be dynamically changed to reflect the requirements of the
active child window. ■ Proper usage: — To present multiple occurrences of an object. — To compare data
within two or more windows. — To present multiple parts of an application. — Best suited for viewing
homogeneous object types. — To clearly segregate the objects and their windows used in a task. ■
Advantages: — The child windows share the parent window’s interface components (menus, toolbars,
and status bars), making it a very space-efficient interface. — Useful for managing a set of objects. —
Provides a grouping and focus for a set of activities within the larger environment of the desktop. ■
Disadvantages: — Reinforces an application as the primary focus. — Containment for secondary windows
within child windows does not exist, obscuring window relationships and possibly creating confusion. —
Because the parent window does not actually contain objects, context cannot always be maintained on
closing and opening. — The relationship between files and their windows is abstract, making an MDI
application more challenging for beginning users to learn. — Confining child windows to the parent
window can be inconvenient or inappropriate for some tasks. — The nested nature of child windows may
make it difficult for the user to distinguish a child window in a parent window from a primary window
that is a peer with the parent window but is positioned on top.

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