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From: rdd@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Handling default button disable/hiliting in modal dialogs
Message-ID: <30451@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 25 May 90 05:04:41 GMT
References: <9444@tank.uchicago.edu> <7402@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>
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Reply-To: rdd@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett)
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Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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In article <7402@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> lim@iris.ucdavis.edu (Lloyd Lim) writes:
>In article <9444@tank.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes:
>>1) In my dialog, when the user has blanked out certain editable text fields, or
>>hasn't filled anything in, I deactivate the default button (gray it out).  Is
>>the standard user interface guidelines to gray out the 3 pixel border
>>surrounding the default button also?  I thought it was, but lots of apps,
>>including some from Apple, seem to leave it black.
>
>Yes, this is desirable but most people either never thought of it or are too
>lazy.

Actually, there are two, more preferable, alternatives:

(1) don't draw the outline circle at all, or erase it.  Doesn't make sense to
have it, if the item isn't available.

(2) reassign the default button to something else (i.e., cancel).

Novice users would be better served by (1); those who are terminally keyboard-
bound would prefer (2).  

Personally, I just leave it black.  I'm not lazy: I just don't care. :-)