[vip_students] Understanding Windows!
- From: "Paul Traynor" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 12:33:14 -0000
Hi All,
Below is a good article that explains what windows are and how they are made
up on your screens.
Microsoft Windows uses an interactive Graphical User Interface (or GUI)
method of communication that sits between the applications you command, and
the
nuts and bolts of the operating system. Windows gets its name from the fact
that it uses rectangular boxes (called windows) to display information on
the
screen. Windows, in combination with controls, are the guts of all programs.
Windows
Windows are rectangular areas on the screen, commonly consisting of a title
bar at the top, menu bar area, client area in the middle, and some sort of
status
area at the bottom. Applications windows are highly customizable, and may
contain a combination of these elements.
Title Bar - Title bars are used to provide textual information that
describes the purpose of a window. The Window-Eyes title bar includes the
text "Window-Eyes"
to easily identify the Window-Eyes control panel window. Title bars often
contain a set of three buttons: minimize, maximize/restore, and close. The
minimize
button hides the window visually. The maximize button causes the window size
to be expanded to the same size as the display if it is not already
maximized.
If the window is already maximized, then the button becomes a restore
button. The restore button reverts a maximized window to its original size,
before
it was maximized. The close button causes the window to stop being
displayed.
Menu Bar - Menu bars are often located below an applications title bar (if a
title bar exists), and stretch across the entire width of the containing
window.
Menu bars contain individual menu titles, which expand to provide access to
an application's features. Menu items can contain additional menu items
called
pull downs. Pull downs can even contain additional pull-downs, or lead to
dialogs, allowing for complex organization of an application's features. A
few
common titles for individual menu items are File, Edit, and View. The
Window-Eyes menu bar contains items like, File, Screen, Keyboard, Mouse, and
so on.
Client Area - The client area of an application is usually considered the
area where most of the input and output will take place. Client areas can be
simple
content containers, or complex containers that hold multiple elements. In
the default text editor for Windows (Notepad), for example, the client area
is
where all the text is written, and reviewed. Notepad contains a simple
client area. The client area of an editor that allows you to open multiple
files
at the same time would be complex. Earlier web browsers contained client
areas that only allowed for one web page per window. Newer web browsers
contain
complex areas that allow for multiple web pages to open in the same client
area.
Status Area - The status area of a window often contains a status bar which
contains information about the progress of a specific task, or information
relevant
to the task taking place in the client area. Microsoft Word uses the status
bar to indicate, among other things, the position of the cursor (or
insertion
point) in a document. Web browsers use the status bar to indicate the
download progress of the current web page.
A window that contains another window is called the parent window. The
windows being contained by a parent window are called child windows. Child
windows
can be closed without affecting the parent window. When a parent window is
closed, however, any contained child windows will also be closed.
Dialogs and message boxes are types of windows that do not contain client
areas. Dialogs, or dialog boxes, are used by the application for gathering
information.
Dialog boxes often consist of multiple controls for gathering input. Message
boxes are used to obtain responses to prompts. Message boxes usually consist
of prompt text, and a small number of buttons (such as Yes and No, or OK and
Cancel).
Terminology
Before we begin discussing individual controls, it's important to understand
some common terminology often used when talking about the functions, or
actions
a particular control has.
Focus - When you navigate to a control, say with the TAB key, you are
performing an action called focusing. When a control has focus, it is ready
to receive
input. For example, when an edit box has focus, text can be entered into it.
If an edit box does not have focus, it will not accept any input. A control
does not, however, have to be focused in order for it to display output. A
program can choose to display text in an edit box regardless of whether that
edit box has focus or not.
Activate - When you press ENTER or SPACE BAR on a button that contains
focus, you are activating it. Activating means telling the application to
perform
whatever action is associated with that button. You can only activate a
control that has focus. A common rule is that controls that do not have
focus can
not be activated directly with the ENTER key or SPACE BAR. There are,
however, some exceptions. For example, if no control in a dialog box has
focus, but
a default button has been assigned, the ENTER key will cause the default
button to be activated. Window-Eyes can tell you the name of the default
button
in a dialog box, or message box, by pressing NUMPAD-DELETE.
Selection - When you activate a control such as a list, and then use the
arrow keys to choose an item (or when an item is clicked with the mouse),
that
item becomes selected. Selected items are typically colored using the system
highlight color, by default, a dark blue background with white text. This
contrasts with unselected items which are typically black text on a white
background. Applications use selected items to complete specific tasks.
Mouse Actions - When using the mouse, either via hot keys, or with physical
movement, focus and activation can go hand in hand. In some applications,
moving
the mouse pointer over a control can cause that control to gain focus.
Clicking a control with mouse buttons, either physically, or via hot keys,
causes
the control to be focused and gain activation at the same time.
Controls
Windows controls are the basis for interacting with an application.
Technically speaking, they are child windows of a parent window, and are
used to perform
input/output tasks. In more common terms, controls allow you to communicate
with an application, and receive information back from an application.
No matter what task you are performing on your computer, you are interacting
with controls. Whether you are entering information into an online form,
typing
an email, chatting with friends or co-workers, navigating a spreadsheet, or
doing anything else, controls are being used.
If an application is designed well, controls will be accessible with the TAB
and SHIFT-TAB keys (or another documented keyboard method). Application
developers
can provide a tab "index" to each control so that keyboard accessibility
will be abundant. Applications that are not designed well may not allow
keyboard
navigation among controls. In such cases, you can use the Window-Eyes mouse
keys to navigate through the application window.
The following information provides a quick overview of many of the most
commonly used controls used in Windows XP. This list is not comprehensive,
and some
controls may not be available in previous versions of Windows. Activation
information is presented relative to the keyboard, although all controls are
also accessible with the mouse, either physically, or with Window-Eyes mouse
hot keys.
Button
Buttons are rectangular areas that contain a description (via text or image)
describing what will happen when activated. Buttons can also be graphical,
and appear much different than rectangular boxes. Graphical buttons,
however, have the same function as non-graphical buttons: an action is
executed when
activated. Buttons can be activated by using the SPACE BAR or ENTER key to
activate a button. You can also use Window-Eyes mouse hot keys to click on a
button, using the NUMPAD-SLASH key. The Run dialog in the Start Menu
(accessible by pressing WINDOWS-R) contains three buttons: OK (executes the
specified
action), Cancel (closes the window without performing any action), and
Browse (opens a standard Windows browse dialog used to select files).
Check Box
Check boxes are small, square areas used to accept or decline an option
which is described by the associated label. When a check box is set to
accept an
option, it will contain a check mark (either standard or graphical),
sometimes referred to as a tic mark. If the check box is set to decline an
option,
it will either be blank, or include a graphic negating the option, such as a
red X. Check boxes can be checked, or unchecked, by pressing the SPACE BAR,
or by clicking the check box with the left mouse button. The Taskbar
Properties dialog contains several check boxes, including: Lock the Taskbar,
Group
Similar Taskbar Buttons, and Show Quick Launch. These items can either be
checked, or unchecked to affect the behavior of the Taskbar.
Window-Eyes also supports tri-state check boxes (also referred to as
three-state check boxes). Tri-state check boxes include a checked option,
and unchecked
option, and an intermediate option, often indicated by a shaded gray
background inside the check box square. Window-Eyes will say, "partially
checked"
when a tri-state check box is set to the intermediate option.
Combo Box
A combo box is a list of selectable items. You can press the UP ARROW or
DOWN ARROW to move a selection through the available items in a combo box.
ALT-DOWN
ARROW often expands the list, allowing you to maneuver through the list
items without activating the control until you press ENTER. ALT-UP ARROW
collapses
the list, displaying the selected item. Combo boxes display only one
selected item at a time, and contain a graphical arrow to the right of the
container
list that can be clicked on with the mouse to expand the list items. The
ALT-UP and ALT-DOWN arrows perform the same function as clicking on the
graphical
arrow. List items can then be selected by clicking the left mouse button.
The Themes tab in the Display control panel contains a combo box that lists
all
available Windows themes.
Combo Edit Box
A combo edit box is a list of selectable items with an edit box used to
manipulate a selected item, or to enter new input. You can press the UP
ARROW or
DOWN ARROW to move a selection through the available items. Use the keyboard
to input text. ALT-DOWN ARROW often expands the list, allowing you to
maneuver
through the list items without activating the control until you press ENTER.
ALT-UP ARROW collapses the list, displaying the selected item. Combo edit
boxes display only one selected item at a time, and contain a graphical
arrow to the right of the container list that can be clicked on with the
mouse
to expand the list items. The ALT-UP and ALT-DOWN arrows perform the same
function as clicking on the graphical arrow. List items can then be selected
by clicking the left mouse button. The Run dialog in the Start Menu
(accessible by pressing WINDOWS-R) contains a combo edit box which lists a
history
of recent commands.
Edit Box
An edit box is a rectangular area that contains an insertion point, or
cursor, designated for inputting and reviewing text. Once an edit box has
focus,
text can be entered using standard alpha-numeric keystrokes, the cursor can
be moved to review existing text using the ARROW keys, and text can be
selected
using a combination of SHIFT/CTRL-SHIFT, and the ARROW keys. Edit boxes can
be single line (meaning only one line of text is visible), or multiple line
(meaning multiple lines of text are visible). The edit area of Notepad, the
default text editor for Windows, is a multiple line edit box.
Window-Eyes can indicate when an edit box has been programmatically designed
for password entry. Password edit boxes are designed to replace characters
with asterisks, or stars, in order to provide a security level by masking
the actual text of a password. When you enter any character into a password
edit
box, Window-Eyes will say "star."
Edit boxes can also be read-only. Read-only edit boxes allow the reviewing
of text, but do not allow existing text to be modified or new text to be
entered.
Group Box
Group boxes are used to group controls into common categories. Although they
do not have the ability to be interacted with, Window-Eyes announces group
box names before reading the control information of items inside group
boxes. Examples of group boxes can be found in the Accessibility control
panel.
Hot Key
A Hot Key control is similar to an edit box in that it contains an insertion
point, and allows input. It differs, however, in that it will only accept
modifiers
in conjunction with alpha-numeric keys as input. In other words, these
controls are used to define a hot key for a specific task. The most common
place
to find hot key controls are in the properties of a Windows shortcut icon.
Window-Eyes announces, "Hot Key field," and will speak the hot keys entered
as they are pressed. CTRL, SHIFT, ALT, and WINDOWS modifier keys in
combination with alpha-numeric keys are all accepted in hot key controls.
IP Address
An Internet Protocol (or IP) Address control is similar to an edit box in
that it contains an insertion point, and allows input. It differs, however,
in
that it will only accept numerical input. IP Address controls are divided
into four fields (separated by periods, or dots), each field accepting a
maximum
of three digits, ranging from 0 to 255 (by default). Once you enter three
digits into a field, the insertion point automatically jumps to the next
field.
If fewer than three numbers are entered, the next field can be accessed by
pressing the period (or dot) key on the keyboard. The LEFT and RIGHT ARROW
keys
will also move the insertion point from field to field. Examples of the IP
Address control can be found in the TCP/IP properties of most Windows
network
connections.
List Box
A list box is a list of selectable text or graphical items. Unlike combo
boxes, more than one item can be displayed visually. You can press the UP
ARROW
or DOWN ARROW to move a selection through the available items in a list box.
List items can also be selected by clicking the left mouse button on an
item.
Multi-selection list boxes allow for more than one item to be selected at a
time. SHIFT-ARROW keys will often select items in succession, one after
another
with each key press. CTRL-ARROW keys often move an outlined selection
through the item list without causing any selection to happen. The SPACE BAR
can
be used in conjunction with the CTRL-ARROW keys to select an item, allowing
for the selection of items that may not be listed in a specific order. The
CTRL key can also be used in conjunction with the left mouse button to
perform the same alternative selection. SHIFT-F8 may also enable
multi-selection
mode in list boxes where multi-selection mode is not on by default. In
multi-selection mode, the arrow keys move the outlined selection through the
items,
and SPACE BAR selects and unselects items. Pressing SHIFT-F8 a second time
disables multi-selection mode when enabled.
List boxes also allow the selection of an item by typing the first letter of
the item name, making the selection of a single item a quick and easy task.
Additional presses of the same letter will move the selection through each
item beginning with that letter.
The background selection under the Desktop portion of the Display Properties
control panel is a good example of a list box.
List View
A list view is similar to a list box in that it is a list of selectable
items. Each item in a list view contains both text and graphical elements.
You can
press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to move a selection through the available
items in a list view. List items can also be selected by clicking the left
mouse
button on an item. List views often allow for more than one item to be
selected at a time. SHIFT-ARROW keys will often select items in succession,
one
after another with each key press. CTRL-ARROW keys often move an outlined
selection through the item list without causing any selection to happen. The
SPACE BAR can be used in conjunction with the CTRL-ARROW keys to select an
item, allowing for the selection of items that may not be listed in a
specific
order. The CTRL key can also be used in conjunction with the left mouse
button to perform the same alternative selection.
List views provide various display options called views, including icon
view, small icon view, list view, report view (often referred to as details
view),
and tile view. In icon view, or small icon view, each list item appears as
an icon (either small or large, depending on the view) with a text label
beneath
it. The icons can be placed in any position within the list view window by
using the mouse drag and drop functions. In list view, each list item
appears
as a small icon with a text label to the right of it; the items are arranged
in columns, and they can not be position manually. In report view, or
details
view, each item appears on a separate line, with multiple columns of
information. The leftmost or first column always contains the item's small
icon, and
text label. Subsequent columns contain information specified by the
application (for example, size, type, and date modified). Columns usually
contain headers,
unless programmatically disabled. In thumbnail view, a very large icon is
used to display a small image of an item, useful for visually scanning
folders
containing image files. In tile view, the textual information used in
details view is included with a large icon in each item. Items in tile view
can be
position manually.
List views can also be styled to include elements such as check boxes,
scroll bars, grid lines, and more. When a list view includes check boxes,
the SPACE
BAR is often used to check and uncheck a selected list view item.
The files and folders portion of a Windows Explorer window provides a good
example of a list view.
Progress Bar
Progress bars are rectangular windows that gradually fill with a graphic, or
color, to indicate the status of a particular operation. Window-Eyes will
announce
the status of standard progress bars, if they exist, with the Progress or
Scroll Bar hot key, CTRL-INS-B. Internet Explorer download dialog boxes
provide
good examples of progress bars.
Property Sheet
A property sheet is a window used to view and edit the properties of an
item. Property sheets differ from dialogs in that they contain tab controls
(discussed
below) which allow switching between several groups of options in one
window. The Accessibility Options control panel is an example of a property
sheet.
Radio Button
Radio buttons are small circular areas with associated text labels, often
existing in groups of two or more, with all items being related to a
specific
option. Unlike check boxes, you can only select one of the items in a radio
button group. The ARROW keys move focus between radio button group items.
When
a radio button receives focus via an ARROW key, it will automatically be
selected. When a radio button is selected, the circular area is filled in,
while
all other radio buttons belonging to the same group remain unfilled. The
Taskbar Properties dialog contains an example of a radio button group.
Rich Edit
A rich edit control is similar to an edit box in that it is a rectangular
area that contains an insertion point, or cursor, designated for inputting
and
reviewing text. Unlike edit boxes, text inside rich edits can be formatted
with font styles such as font name, size, color, and effects such as bold,
italic,
and underline, and paragraph style information, such as alignment, tabs,
indents, numbering, and simple tables. Once a rich edit box has focus, text
can
be entered using standard alpha-numeric keystrokes, the cursor can be moved
to review existing text using the ARROW keys, and text can be selected using
a combination of SHIFT/CTRL-SHIFT, and the ARROW keys. The edit area of
WordPad, the default rich text editor for Windows, is an example of a rich
edit
control.
Rich edit boxes can also be read-only. Read-only rich edit boxes allow the
reviewing of text, but do not allow existing text to be modified or new text
to be entered.
Scroll Bar
Scroll bars are used to position data that extends beyond a client window's
area into view. Scroll bars can be position vertically, or horizontally,
along
the edge of a client window. Vertical scroll bars typically reside along the
right side of a client window, and allow content to be scrolled up and down
within the client window. Horizontal scroll bars typically reside along the
bottom edge of a client window, and allow content to be scrolled left and
right
within a client window. Each scroll bar, regardless of its orientation or
position consists of two directional arrow buttons (one at each end of the
scroll
bar), and a scroll box (often referred to as the thumb) which sits in
between the arrow buttons. The position of the scroll box changes when data
is scrolled
inside the client window.
When data is scrolled up, the scroll box will move down, indicating the
position of the data is toward the bottom of the client window. When data is
scrolled
down, the scroll box will move up, indicating the position of the data is
toward the top of the client window. When data is scroll to the left, the
scroll
box will move to the right, indicating the position of the data is near the
right edge of the client window. When data is scrolled to the right, the
scroll
box will move to the left, indicating the position of the data is near the
left edge of the client window.
Window-Eyes can tell you the position of the scroll bars, if they exist,
with the Progress or Scroll Bar hot key, CTRL-INS-B.
Static Text
Static text windows are used to display text, or draw lines separating other
controls. Static text controls can be styled with font information, but do
not accept input. Static text is most often used for control labels inside a
window, or to describe the function of a window. The Run dialog in the Start
Menu contains static text in two places: the definition of the window ("Type
the name of a program, folder, document, or Internet resource, and Windows
will open it for you."), and the field label for the combo edit box
("Open:").
Tab
Tab controls can be thought of like dividers in a notebook, or file folder
labels in a file cabinet. Tabs allow applications to define multiple
collections
of information in a single window. CTRL-TAB and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB are
frequently used to rotor forward and backward through the tabs. When a new
tab gets
activated, the first control of that tab usually gains focus. Tab controls
can also be tabbed to using the TAB key. Once a tab control has focus, the
ARROW
keys can be used to activate different tabs. Once a tab has been activated,
the TAB key will move focus through the tabs options.
The properties dialog for the Start Menu contains an example of tab
controls.
Tooltip
Tooltips are small rectangular windows of unformatted text that pop up near
the mouse pointer, and are used to describe the function of the item beneath
the mouse pointer. Tooltips usually display for only a few seconds before
disappearing. By default, tooltips are used strictly for notification, and
can
not be interacted with. Some tooltips, however, can accept mouse input.
Balloon tooltips, programmed to pop up in specific locations such as the
system
tray, can be clicked on using the left mouse button. Window-Eyes will
automatically route the mouse pointer to a balloon tooltip when pressing
INS-NUMPAD-PLUS
twice. Placing the mouse pointer over the Start button will cause a tooltip
with the text "Click here to begin" to display.
Trackbar
Trackbar controls are vertical or horizontal lines, usually containing
increment markers between the beginning and end points. Trackbars (also
referred
to as slider-bars) usually deal with varying degrees of a single option,
with the end points defining the minimum and maximum settings. UP and DOWN
ARROW
keys can be used to move the track bar from beginning to end, stopping at
any existing incremental marker with each key press. The Windows Volume
Control
utility contains several trackbars that modify the volume of various system
sound devices.
Tree View
A tree view control displays information in a hierarchical list, with each
list item, or node, collapsible (to hide contained items), or expandable (to
display contained items). Tree view items often contain a text label and a
graphic indicating the open (expanded) or closed (collapsed) status. UP and
DOWN ARROW keys can be used to move a selection through the items. If an
item is closed, the RIGHT ARROW key will cause that node to be expanded. If
the
item is open, the LEFT ARROW key will cause that node to be collapsed. The
drives and folders view in Windows Explorer provides an example of a tree
view.
Up-Down Control
An Up-Down control is usually identified by a pair of arrows, one pointing
up, and the other pointing down. Up-Down controls are often paired with a
companion
control (or "buddy window") such as an edit box. Up-Down controls are used
to increment and decrement a value, and the value is displayed in the
associated
edit box. UP and DOWN ARROW keys are used to increment and decrement a value
respectively. The Date and Time Properties control panel provides two
examples
of Up-Down controls: the date year, and the time's hours, minutes, seconds,
and AM/PM.
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