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The original version of the DsTool toolkit was written to conform to the
SUN Open Look
conventions.
This version was written using the Tcl/Tk toolkit, but adheres to the
Open Look conventions whenever possible. For example,
a menu entry with trailing ellipses implies
the entry will generate a pop-up window if selected.
We will also use the Open Look nomenclature SELECT,
ADJUST, and MENU when referencing the
mouse buttons. (If your mouse has three
buttons then these are usually the left, middle and right buttons,
respectively.)
Many of the functions of DsTool can be executed by using the keyboard
instead of the mouse. In general, pressing Tab
while the cursor points into a window will cause a panel item to be
highlighted with a black outline. Pressing Tab again will cause the
outline to switch to the next exclusive or non-exclusive setting, listbox,
scrollbar, button, or read-write text field. (See below for descriptions of
these panel items.) Pressing Return or Space in one of these
items will have different effects depending upon the type of button.
The following conventions and notation are used throughout:
- Window title:
- The text located in the window header.
- Function:
- A brief summary of the window's main purpose within DsTool.
- Description:
- Instructions on how to open the window and a
detailed account of the window's behavior when the user
interacts with it.
- Panel items:
- A complete listing of all items located on the window's
control panel, along with a brief description of each item's characteristics.
The terms used in this document are:
- Button: There are five types of buttons used in DsTool.
The first type of button is the command
button, which initiates an action when selected. Some actions are
potentially dangerous (e.g., writing data to a file which already
exists) and such actions are accompanied by a notifier which
requests confirmation. A command button has the command it will execute designated on its face.
The second type of button is the
window button which opens a pop-up
window when selected. A window button has the name of the pop-up window it will open
followed by ellipsis (...) marks designated on its face.
A third type of button is the command-window
button, which when selected first initiates an action, and then opens a pop-up window.
A command-window button has the command it will execute followed by ellipsis marks designated on its face.
The fourth type of button is the menu button, which
displays a menu of options
when SELECT is pressed while the pointer is on it.
A menu button is a flat button whose label has its first letter underlined.
The fifth type of button is the popup menu
button, which functions just like a menu button. A popup menu button
is a raised button with a thin rectangle at the far
right of its face. Popup menu buttons are usually used for stack settings.
Of these types of buttons, only command, command-window, and window buttons respond to
keyboard input. Pressing Space in one of these buttons is equivalent to
pressing the SELECT button. Pressing Return does nothing.
Figure 2.1:
Five types of buttons.
 |
- Text Fields: A text field is an area where numerical
or alphabetic information may be stored and displayed.
Most text fields are read-write, meaning that the
user may input information into them, but some text fields
are read-only. A text field which accepts only integer values is called a numeric field. Read-write and numeric text fields can obtain
the focus of the cursor by using the Tab key. Pressing Return
while the focus is on a read-write text field will generally cause an update procedure
to be executed. Usually, this saves the appropriate variables for that window to
the Postmaster. In some cases, other window items will be updated to reflect new information.
- Message: A message is similar to a text field. The
program uses messages to display information to the user. A message is always read-only.
- Settings: A setting is a list of choices.
A non-exclusive
setting presents options which
may be chosen independently, such as selecting data to be saved into a file.
An exclusive
setting is a set of options which are mutually
exclusive, such as the choices ``on'' and ``off.''
Both exclusive and non-exclusive settings function the same way with respect to
keyboard input. Pressing Return or Space while the focus is
on a setting of these types will select the appropriate choice.
A third type of setting is called a stack
setting. It is
related to the exclusive setting in that only one option may be
selected from among the choices, but unlike the exclusive setting,
not all options are displayed at one time.
The currently selected option is displayed on the popup menu
button; all options may be viewed by clicking the button with SELECT.
Stack settings do not respond to keyboard input.
- Listbox: A listbox is a box with a list of entries in it,
one or more of which may be selected by the user. Listboxes differ from exclusive
and non-exclusive settings by the fact that the choices may not be
completely independent or exclusive.
For example, a listbox may allow only two of its entries to be selected. Also,
the number of entries that can be selected in a listbox might change with the
value of another variable. Selected entries will appear
differently, usually with a raised gray background.
Pressing SELECT or Space will (de)select the entry that the mouse is pointing
to or the underlined entry, respectively. The underlined entry may be moved up or down with
the arrow keys. Pressing Return
will do nothing.
- Text Pane: A text pane is a region in which the user may
read, write, and edit text. Some text panes are read-only.
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1998-11-02