Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!alphalpha.com!nazgul
From: nazgul@alphalpha.com (Kee Hinckley)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x.motif
Subject: Re: Style question: does 3D indicate "accepts input"?
Message-ID: <901106115950.6404@alphalpha>
Date: 6 Nov 90 15:59:50 GMT
References: <9011061745.AA00841@avalon.coral.com>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
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Lines: 18

> 
> Our team is developing an application with a large number of
> BulletinBoard dialogs which display attributes of network objects to
> the user.  We're trying to decide how best to present read-only
> information (i.e. serial number, state of the power supply).
...
> I could set the stipple pattern so that lack of sensitivity does not
> make the widget unreadable and I could fool around with shadow
> resources so that the widget is recognizable, but not 3D.  I can't
> find any useful discussion of this problem in the Style Guide or

I guess I would tend towards setting the shadow width to zero,
so long as it doesn't distort things too much.  My gut feeling when
I look at a Motif interface is that if it sticks out I can push it.  So
I think turning off the shadow would send the right message.
Another possibility (which may not be available to you) would be
to play with color.  I don't know if it would work, but it might be
interesting to experiment with active/inactive colors.