I am starting to prefer comboboxes than textboxes
in [Visual Basic]
|
Prev: VB6 application with manifest file
Next: Asking Advice
From: Jeff Johnson on 23 Feb 2010 16:39 "MM" <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message news:5gf8o5hluv3fgb020ghinkontto2m7ld25(a)4ax.com... >>I admit it will be easier if the items are sorted, but it still becomes >>unmanageable very quickly if the user doesn't know to type and tries to >>scroll (required for freeform values) > > "doesn't know how to type" - how did they manage to boot the PC and > sign on? Not "doesn't know HOW to type," but rather "doesn't know TO type," i.e., "doesn't know he MAY type." Many people think the mouse is REQUIRED to use certain controls, sadly.
From: MM on 24 Feb 2010 01:51 On Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:39:32 -0500, "Jeff Johnson" <i.get(a)enough.spam> wrote: >"MM" <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message >news:5gf8o5hluv3fgb020ghinkontto2m7ld25(a)4ax.com... > >>>I admit it will be easier if the items are sorted, but it still becomes >>>unmanageable very quickly if the user doesn't know to type and tries to >>>scroll (required for freeform values) >> >> "doesn't know how to type" - how did they manage to boot the PC and >> sign on? > >Not "doesn't know HOW to type," but rather "doesn't know TO type," i.e., >"doesn't know he MAY type." Many people think the mouse is REQUIRED to use >certain controls, sadly. "doesn't know TO type" - how does the user become a PC user, then? Or do you envisage many thousands of PCs across the world sitting there idling away while users sit in front of them, going: "Goodness me, I really don't know what to do next!" MM
From: MM on 24 Feb 2010 01:57 On Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:31:23 -0600, DanS <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t(a)r.o.a.d.r.u.n.n.e.r.c.o.m> wrote: >>>> I didn't say anything about performance :) >>>> Just the users perception. >>>> If I see a list with thousands of scrollbars, I'll think the >developer >>>> just doesn't have a clue about UI design. >>> >>>Thousands of scrollbars? >>>Of course I meant thousands of items (using an extreme) with a tiny >>>scrollbar.. :) >> >> Okay, but my last point still holds. I think maybe you're thinking >> that the user has to drop down the list every time and click on the >> value required, but this is not how it works with typomatic. With >> typomatic you type into the textbox portion exactly as if it were a >> real textbox. There are added benefits: you can hit End or Home and >> immediately jump to the highest or lowest permissible value. > >The problem I always have with a big dropdown box is what if I don't know >what I'm looking for ? If you don't know, how could you type it into to a textbox instead? >Even if I know I can enter text and it will autocomplete, I may have no >idea what's in there. Er, the range is clearly explained: 0 to 127, for example. It could hardly be more obvious. Mind you, I expect there are SOME people who, confronted with such an input requirement in software, would be typing things like: "Must buy some milk today" and then puzzling why the program keeps warning them. >Have you ever tried to set the timezone on a Linux box ? No. >Here's the latest drop-down list for that: [snipped] That is your example? Did it not occur to you that that list is poorly designed? MM
From: Dave O. on 24 Feb 2010 06:41 "MM" <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message news:9af8o55p11vim37jegvipr8b180hn0aus1(a)4ax.com... > I'll bet y'all are now secretly trying my typomatic idea! (Innovators > always have a hard time of it to begin with.... ;) > You arrogant twit, there has been variations of auto-complete (the correct term) on combo boxes for pretty much as long as conbo boxes have existed. An Innovator is not the same as a plagiarist. There's no issue with using old ideas but don't pretend you invented it (unless you work for Apple where such behaviour seems to be mandatory) Dave O.
From: DanS on 24 Feb 2010 08:28
>>> Okay, but my last point still holds. I think maybe you're thinking >>> that the user has to drop down the list every time and click on the >>> value required, but this is not how it works with typomatic. With >>> typomatic you type into the textbox portion exactly as if it were a >>> real textbox. There are added benefits: you can hit End or Home and >>> immediately jump to the highest or lowest permissible value. >> >>The problem I always have with a big dropdown box is what if I don't >>know what I'm looking for ? > > If you don't know, how could you type it into to a textbox instead? That isn't the point, the point was very long drop-down boxes, not extering text. Scrolling through 1000+ entries of which I'm not sure what I need is a problem. > >>Even if I know I can enter text and it will autocomplete, I may have >>no idea what's in there. > > Er, the range is clearly explained: 0 to 127, for example. It could > hardly be more obvious. Mind you, I expect there are SOME people who, > confronted with such an input requirement in software, would be typing > things like: "Must buy some milk today" and then puzzling why the > program keeps warning them. > >>Have you ever tried to set the timezone on a Linux box ? > > No. > >>Here's the latest drop-down list for that: > > [snipped] > > That is your example? Did it not occur to you that that list is poorly > designed? My example ? Yes. That is one example. Poorly designed ? That's not up to me to decide. That is the official list of accepted timezone names according to whatever body that controls them.... http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm And....what the time zone selection combo box looks like in every Linux distro. |