Visual QuickStart Guide [Electronic resources] : Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

Dialogs

Mac OS applications use

dialogs to tell you things and get information from you. Think of them as the way your computer has a conversationor dialogwith you.

Mac OS X has three main types of dialogs:

Modeless dialogs enable you to work with the dialog while interacting with document windows. These dialogs usually have their own window controls to close and move them (Figure 40 ).

Figure 40. This Spelling dialog in TextEdit is an example of a modeless dialogyou can interact with the document while the dialog is displayed.

Document modal dialogs usually appear as dialog

sheets attached to a document window (Figure 41 ). You must address and dismiss these dialogs before you can continue working with the window, although you can switch to another window or application while the dialog is displayed.

Figure 41. A standard Save Location dialog sheet is an example of a document modal dialogyou must address and dismiss it before you can continue working with the document it is attached to.

Application modal dialogs appear as movable dialogs (Figure 42 ). These dialogs must be addressed and dismissed before you can continue working with the application, although you can switch to another application while the dialog is displayed.

Figure 42. An application modal dialog like this Quit dialog requires your attention before you can continue working with the application.

Figure 21 ), Save Location (Figures 25, 26 , and Figures 16 and Figure 31 ). Two more standard dialogsPage Setup and Printare covered in Chapter 12 .

To use dialog parts

Click a

tab control to view a

pane full of related options (Figure 43 ).

Figure 43. The Screen Saver pane of Desktop & Screen Saver preferences.

Use

scroll bars to view the contents of

scrolling lists (Figure 44 ). Click a list item once to select it or to enter it in a

combination box (Figure 44 ).

Figure 44. The Font panel.

Enter text or numbers into

entry fields (Figure 45 ), including those that are part of combination boxes (Figure 44 ).

Figure 45. The dialog for adding buddy information to iChat.

Click a

pop-up menu (Figures 44 and

45 ) to display its options. Click a menu option to choose it.

Click a

check box (Figure 46 ) to toggle it on or off. (A check box is turned on when a check mark or X appears inside it.)

Figure 46. Dock preferences.

[View full size image]

Click a

radio button (Figure 46 ) to choose its option. (A radio button is chosen when a bullet appears inside it.)

Drag a

slider control (Figures 44 and 46 ) to change a setting.

Consult a preview area (Figure 43 ) to see the effects of your changes.

Drag an image file into an image well (Figure 45 ).

Click a push button (Figures 43 and 45 ) to activate it.

Tips

An entry field with a dark border around it is the active field (