Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!unify!magpie!grp From: grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: XWarpPointer Message-ID: Date: 18 Jul 90 16:24:55 GMT References: Sender: news@Unify.Com (news admin) Reply-To: grp@unify.com Organization: Unify Corporation, Sacramento, California Lines: 37 In-Reply-To: lear@turbo.bio.net's message of 17 Jul 90 06:47:26 GMT In article lear@turbo.bio.net (Eliot) writes: > > Path: unify!csusac!ucdavis!ucbvax!ucsd!usc!apple!bionet!turbo.bio.net!lear > From: lear@turbo.bio.net (Eliot) > Newsgroups: comp.windows.x > Date: 17 Jul 90 06:47:26 GMT > Organization: GenBank Computing Resource for Mol. Biology > Lines: 12 > > > Is it considered a bad thing to use such a function as an action? > Basically, I'm using it to move the user from field to field in a > form-like application. One could argue that it's a bit disconcerting > to the user for the pointer to be jumping all over the place, or that > it would actually guide the user along. Which do you believe, and > why? > > Thanks for your responses, > -- > Eliot Lear > [lear@turbo.bio.net] It is not only disconcerting, it is downright irritating. Plus the fact that, even if you do warp the pointer, once the user moves it, the original intent of input guidance is lost. I think that a better solution is to mark the active fields with a different color, border width, background pixmap or something like that, and move keyboard focus to the active field. We do just that kind of thing in Accell, and the results are very good. The user's attention is directed toward the correct field, the pointer is where they left it (often on a frequently used button), and they have the freedom to use the mouse without having to keep track of where it _should_ be. -- -Greg Pasquariello grp@unify.com