Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site wateng.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!wateng!ksbszabo
From: ksbszabo@wateng.UUCP (Kevin Szabo)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: default menu item selection
Message-ID: <1928@wateng.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 02:27:28 EST
Article-I.D.: wateng.1928
Posted: Wed Jan 30 02:27:28 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 31-Jan-85 00:34:47 EST
References: <722@ihuxa.UUCP>
Reply-To: ksbszabo@wateng.UUCP (Kevin Szabo)
Organization: VLSI Group, U of Waterloo
Lines: 28
Summary: 

In article <722@ihuxa.UUCP> steffen@ihuxa.UUCP (Joe Steffen) writes:
>When you press a mouse button to pop-up a menu, should the top item be the
>default selection, or the last item you selected on the menu?  The latter
>has the advantage that clicking the menu button repeats the last operation,
>but 
>	1) is error prone because you have to remember the last operation
>	and if you forget you will select the wrong one,
>	
>	2) you have to decide whether to move the mouse up or down to get
>	to the correct item if you don't want the last item you selected.

I don't know what other systems do, but if you have a Menu based system
the underlying motivation is that you NEVER have to remember. Thus if
you pick (1) and use the last operation you should highlight the
operation as if you had manually selected the light-button. Same goes
if the default is the first item in the menu; that item should be
highlighted so the user knows what is coming.

My personal feeling is that the user should be able to define the menu
contents and the default case. They should also be able to chose whether
the default case is the last operation chosen. If they haven't altered
the menu the default should be the operation that is used the most. The
user should have the choice to tailor their environment. Of course, if
there is a standard way for your system to do things by all means stay
consistent.
				Kevin
-- 
Kevin Szabo  watmath!wateng!ksbszabo (U of Waterloo VLSI Group, Waterloo Ont.)