I am starting to prefer comboboxes than textboxes
in [Visual Basic]
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From: Eduardo on 25 Feb 2010 13:10 MM escribi�: > On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:27:46 -0300, Eduardo <mm(a)mm.com> wrote: > >> MM escribi�: >> >>>>> So, are you saying the vast majority of users do not know what to do >>>>> when confronted with a text field? >>>> No, he's saying that some users don't know that they can type in a >>>> combobox, and they think they must click the dropdown and select an item >>>> in the list. >>> "Some users" - I would suggest a disappearingly small number. >> I don't know how much. I think it's something between 2% and 80% >> Sorry not to have more precission. >> >> Sometimes some friends or relatives or clients ask me for some help >> about the computer or a program by phone, and I say "go to the Start >> button" and some ask "where is that????" (it happened a couple of times >> at least) > > Everyone had to go to the Start button once. Yes, but when you say "Start button" they don't know it's that button, even when it says "Start".
From: MM on 25 Feb 2010 16:54 On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:25:12 -0000, "Dave O." <nobody(a)nowhere.com> wrote: > >"MM" <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message >news:terao51m3dioieqkkf8v00atom3bt06863(a)4ax.com... > >> So, are you saying the vast majority of users do not know what to do >> when confronted with a text field? > >A style 2 combo box does not present a "Text field" it is not something most >people would consider typing directly into. >Do this with a style 0 then they probably would type into it and certainly >into a style 1 where the drop down bit is hidden. > >The normal way that an experienced user would use a type 2 combo with the >keyboard is to enter the first letter of what they want then keep hitting >that key to cycle through all entries starting with that letter. Anything >that forces the combo box to work differently from the norm will annoy >experienced users and confuse the less experienced ones and as such is a >dumb idea. You haven't tried the Access typomatic, then! MM
From: MM on 25 Feb 2010 16:56 On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:40:13 -0600, "Daryl Muellenberg" <dmuellenberg(a)comcast.net> wrote: > >"Dave O." <nobody(a)nowhere.com> wrote in message >news:%23EySWZitKHA.4752(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >> >> "MM" <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message >> news:terao51m3dioieqkkf8v00atom3bt06863(a)4ax.com... >> >>> So, are you saying the vast majority of users do not know what to do >>> when confronted with a text field? >> >> A style 2 combo box does not present a "Text field" it is not something >> most people would consider typing directly into. >> Do this with a style 0 then they probably would type into it and certainly >> into a style 1 where the drop down bit is hidden. >> >> The normal way that an experienced user would use a type 2 combo with the >> keyboard is to enter the first letter of what they want then keep hitting >> that key to cycle through all entries starting with that letter. Anything >> that forces the combo box to work differently from the norm will annoy >> experienced users and confuse the less experienced ones and as such is a >> dumb idea. > >I disagree. Yes, originally combo boxes worked that way, but it has been >improved on with the auto-complete feature (which is way better IMO). Just >because it is the default behavior doesn't make it better. I would say most >application now days use the auto-complete feature and if I see a combo box, >the first thing I try is the auto-complete feature and get annoyed if it >doesn't use it. As far as the less experienced users, why would you think it >would confuse them? To me, it more confusing for a novice user to have to >hit the same letter to cycle through the entries than to just key in what >they are looking for. BTW, I have also been around since the punch cards and >paper tape days :) Correct. Totally. What I think is happening in this thread with some respondents is that they took up an original stance and will now not back down for fear of losing the argument. MM
From: MM on 25 Feb 2010 16:57 On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:01:49 -0600, DanS <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t(a)r.o.a.d.r.u.n.n.e.r.c.o.m> wrote: >MM <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in >news:u85co5l26n37o5q8qgkp2b9eji6gmtbals(a)4ax.com: > >> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:41:14 -0600, DanS >> <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t(a)r.o.a.d.r.u.n.n.e.r.c.o.m> wrote: >> >>>MM <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in >>>news:ihrao513afl1n98psuje3vs1ct3pd28dpo(a)4ax.com: >>> >>>> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:26:35 -0600, DanS >>>> <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t(a)r.o.a.d.r.u.n.n.e.r.c.o.m> wrote: >>>> >>>>>MM <kylix_is(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote in >>>>>news:prjao5t8g9ht9qnhsltatkveqsev5enpma(a)4ax.com: >>>>> >>>>>> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:50:58 -0600, DanS >>>>>> <t.h.i.s.n.t.h.a.t(a)r.o.a.d.r.u.n.n.e.r.c.o.m> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>><SNIP> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>Poorly designed ? That's not up to me to decide. That is the >>>>>>>>>official list of accepted timezone names according to whatever >>>>>>>>>body that controls them.... >>>>>>>>>http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So I have a numeric dropdown list with the range 0 to 127 yet >>>>>>>> you are coming at me with "the official list of accepted >>>>>>>> timezone names", as if the poor design of the latter is >>>>>>>> automatically assumed for the former. >>>>>>> >>>>>>>No, that was to show how bad of an idea a long drop-down box is. >>>>>> >>>>>> Ah, so it was as I thought: You took one particular *poor* >>>>>> implementation and attribute badness to all other implementations. >>>>> >>>>>Actually, no. I took the example I had just coded in an application >>>>>two days ago because I still had the text file sitting right on my >>>>>desktop, and, the only one I knew was a very long list. (And I'm not >>>>>going to start searching the internet for a program that had long >>>>>drop-down lists in it, becasue this thread nowhere near worth that >>>>>kind of effort.) >>>>> >>>>><SNIP> >>>>>> >>>>>> Stop Press: I've just taken that Linux list, reversed it so that >>>>>> the city name precedes the continent, and whacked it into a new >>>>>> Access database. I've created a form with a combobox, specifying >>>>>> the 'Cities' table. Bingo! Typomatic out of the box. >>>>>> >>>>>> Type in Lon and it completes with London - Europe. Type in Ne and >>>>>> it completes with New York - America. Press Enter and the correct >>>>>> entry is confirmed (in the correct letter case, too). Couldn't be >>>>>> simpler. >>>>> >>>>>Except that New York - America is not a valid entry. >>>> >>>> I didn't create the list, I just used it. >>>> >>>>>Now after you select that, you need to format it back to >>>>>America/New_York before you can use it, which is also code that >>>>>needs to be debugged, documented, and maintained. >>>> >>>> Why does it need to be formatted back? >>> >>>Because that is what Linux is expecting to see. Those are the defacto >>>standardized time zone names. It will not accept 'New York - America', >>>it is expecting 'America/New_York'. >>> >>>> In any case, I really think >>>> you're splitting hairs now. This was merely an example, not a study >>>> into geographical locations. >>> >>>Yes, it was merely an example....and geographic locations had nothing >>>to do with this, that just happens to be what the data was. >>> >>>Let me explain everything then...... >>> >>>It was an example showing a really long drop-down list that you don't >>>know what the hell your looking for, and how bad that can be, which >>>was what I was trying to say..... >>> >>>......but I wasn't really aware that you were just validating a string >>>a number in a specified range..... >>> >>>......and how you didn't want to write code that needed to be >>>maintained, debugged, and documented.......although, if you've got to >>>spend more than 2 minutes writing a function to verify that a string >>>is a valid number between 1 and whatever........ >>> >>>I guess it all comes down to is that I'm just not 'worthy' of your >>>software. >> >> Now that my application has finally become clear to you, do you agree >> with my use of a combobox with typomatic that obviates any need for >> extra checking code? > >Sorry, but no. > >I've got a value in my current project is a numerical choice between (and >inclusive of) 0 and 30. > >I chose a slider control. I use a scrollbar for that! >I also don't want to talk about this any longer. Fair enough. MM
From: MM on 25 Feb 2010 16:58
On Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:25:22 -0000, "Dave O." <nobody(a)nowhere.com> wrote: > >"duke" <nospama(a)3web.net> wrote in message >news:8e4e9973-9a85-457f-84c4-e336850b0f60(a)15g2000yqi.googlegroups.com... >>I usually like to follow up on threads where I have commented to see >> if there is anything else that I might suggest. >> In this case I was the second person to express my opinion and have >> read all 56 other responses. >> >> My question to MM is: "What have you concluded after all the >> comments on this matter?" >> >> Duke > >I suspect he will conclude that he is right and everybody else is wrong. No, not EVERYbody else! MM |