SSW Rules to Better Interfaces - Controls

1. Controls - Do you indicate when fields are "read only" or "calculated"?

   When you are not able to edit a field the field should be greyed out. This visually indicates to the user that the field cannot be changed.

   If you are using Word or Excel, actually locking cells or tables may not be what you require, but you still want to prevent people from directly editing calculations. So make the cells grey and the visual indication should prompt the users what to do.

   

   Figure: Good Example - Read only fields should be greyed out

   

   Figure: Good Example - Calculated Fields in Excel should be in Grey

   Of course you should follow the converse, which requires making all editable fields white.

2. Controls - Do you include '-All-' option in your ComboBoxes?

   ComboBoxes often used for filtering data. It is best to have an '-All-' option to give your user chances to select all data.

   It is important to uderstand the idea of visual text. In a list you could see either:

   • -None- or
     
   • No activity assigned

   Same meaning, but for the first one we see it, instead of reading it.

   

   Figure: Bad Example - No '-All-' option so the user cannot select all data

   

   Figure: Good Example - Having an '-All-' option gives a user a chance to select all data

   Also, keep it simple!

   

   Figure: Bad Example - '-All Stores-' isn't needed

   

   Figure: Good Example - Keep it as a simple '-All-'

   

   Figure: Good Example - Keeping it simple makes it easy to spot (that there is no filter) when you have multiple fields.

   Read our rule on Always make sure the dimensions All Captions = All.

3. Controls - Do you include the number of results in ComboBoxes?

   When designing your form, you should try to help your user whenever it's possible. So it's a good idea to include the number of results in ComboBoxes.

   

   Figure: Bad Example - You can't tell the number of results and there is a scroll bar

   

   Figure: Good Example - The number of results is clearly displayed. Long text boxes > 30 entries, another approach can be employed - putting the common ones at the top

   

   Figure: Bad Example - Firstly because it is manual, plus what about the 4th, 5th, etc most common used countries

   

   Figure: Bad Example – This was a highly unpopular method of the sorting and counting above

   We believe all combos should be able to be sorted ascending/descending and by popularity asc/desc.

4. Controls - Do you include a "select all" checkBox on the top?

   Do you have checkbox (on the top) that let users select or unselect all checkboxes underneath it? If you have a list of checkboxes, you are going to frustrate users unless you provide an easy way to select all. The best way to achieve this is to have a checkbox at the top.

   

   Figure: Good Example - Hotmail does this

   

   Figure: Google have done it a different way to provide multiple methods (All, All Read, All Unread, All Starred, and All Unstarred)

   

   Figure: Bad Example - SQL Auditor - No CheckBox for users to perform a "select all"

   

   Figure: Good Example - SQL Auditor - CheckBox at the top of the column

   

   Figure: Selecting all does this - selects all

   

   Figure: Deselecting all does this - selects none

   

   Figure: Selecting some should show the Indeterminate check state - aka customized selection

       Private Sub CheckBoxSelectAll_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _
           Handles CheckBoxSelectAll.CheckedChanged
           'Select checkbox in each row
           For Each sDataGridViewRow As DataGridViewRow In Me.DataGridViewCustomer.Rows
               sDataGridViewRow.Cells(0).Value = Me.CheckBoxSelectAll.Checked
           Next
       End Sub
                           

   Code: Code for selecting all checkboxes in a windows form

   

   Figure: Select all checkboxes in a web form

       <script type="text/javascript">
           function SeleteCheckBox()
           {                 
               for (var n=0; n < document.form1.elements.length; n++) 
               {
                   if (document.form1.elements[n].type == "checkbox" && document.form1.elements[n].name == "gridview")
                   {
                       document.form1.elements[n].checked = document.getElementById("CheckBoxAll").checked; 
                   }
               }
           }    
       </script>
                           

   Code: Code for selecting all checkboxes in a web form

   We have suggestions for Visual Studio .NET about this at A top CheckBox to "select all" in windows forms and A top CheckBox to "select all" in web forms.

5. Control Choice - Do you use GridView (over the CheckedListBox)?

   In Web we have:

   • Grids E.g. http://demos.kendoui.com/web/grid/selection.html

   In Windows Forms we have a CheckedListBox. With a CheckedListBox you cannot:

   • Sort data - always useful when there are more than about 20 rows
   • Contain much information - can only show one field
   • DataBind - always costs heaps of code

   

   Figure: Bad Example - The CheckedListBox is limited

   

   Figure: Good Example - The DataGrid can show much more information (and if you use a 3rd Party eg. Telerik, then it can be pretty too)

   In Windows Forms, the code of DataGrid databinding is easier than that of CheckedListBox.

       ProductsService.Instance.GetAll(Me.ProductsDataSet1)
       CheckedListBox1.DataSource = Me.ProductsDataSet1.Tables(0)
       CheckedListBox1.ValueMember = "ProductID"
       CheckedListBox1.DisplayMember = "ProductName"
   
       For i As Integer = 0 To CheckedListBox1.Items.Count - 1
           Dim checked As Boolean = CType(ProductsDataSet1.Tables(0).Rows(i)("Discontinued"), Boolean)
           CheckedListBox1.SetItemChecked(i,checked)
       Next
   			           

   Figure: 8 lines of code to fill a CheckedListBox

       ProductsService.Instance.GetAll(Me.ProductsDataSet1)
   			            

   Figure: One line of code to fill a DataGrid

   But the CheckedListBox is useful if only one field needs displaying.

6. Control Choice - Do you use a GridView (over the ListBox)?

   A GridView provides much richer features than ListBox, you can easily add a checkbox onto the header to allow "check all" functionality, which is impossible for ListBox.

   

   Figure: Bad Example - Use the ListBox.

   

   Figure: Good Example - Use GridView and add the enabled checkbox on the header

7. Control Choice - Do you use ListView over GridView (was DataGrid) for ReadOnly? (Windows Forms only)

   Yes a ListView looks nicer than a DataGrid, but a Datagrid is better because it has more functionality (out of the box that is). With a ListView you cannot:

   • Copy and paste - although you can select a row of data in both controls, you can't copy and paste a whole row from the ListView
   • Sort data - always useful when there are more than about 20 rows
   • DataBind - always saves heaps of code

   So our old rule was to always use the ugly DataGrid (although we were never happy about that).

   

   Figure: Bad Example - The DataGrid is ugly

   

   Figure: Good Example - A beautiful ListView - a nicer look over the datagrid

   So the listview looks nicer? If you are not convinced here is another one:

   

   Figure: Good Example - The appearance of DataGrid and ListView

   But another issue is how much code to write... For ListView you will need to write a bit of code to fill the list view...

       this.listView1.Items.Clear(); 
       // stops drawing to speed up the process, draw right at the end. 
       this.listView1.BeginUpdate(); 
       foreach(DataRow dr in this.dataSet11.Tables[0].Rows)
       { 
          ListViewItem lvi = new ListViewItem(new string[] {dr[0].ToString(),dr[1].ToString(),dr[2].ToString()});
          lvi.Tag = dr; this.listView1.Items.Add(lvi); 
       } 
       this.listView1.EndUpdate();
                           

   Figure: 8 lines of code to fill a ListView

   But the datagrid is nicer to code... this is because it comes with data binding ability.

       // bind it in the designer first. 
       this.oleDbDataAdapter1.Fill(this.dataSet11);
                           

   Figure: One line of code to fill a DataGrid

   But the SSW ListView (included in the .NET Toolkit) is nicer to code with as it comes with data binding ability.

       // bind it in the designer first. 
       this.oleDbDataAdapter1.Fill(this.dataSet11);
                           

   Figure: One line of code to fill the SSW ListView

   So what is this SSW ListView?

   It is an inherited control that how we implemented the ListView to give us what MS left out.

   • DataBinding
   • Sorting

   So now the rules are:
   Always use the SSW ListView.
   Exception: Use the DataGrid when:

   • When not read only - i.e.. users will be editing data directly from the cells.
   • You need more than 1 column with checkboxes, or the column with checkboxes can't be the first column. E.g.:

     

     Figure: One place when you choose a DataGrid over a ListView is when you have 2 checkbox fields

   So in summary, if you don't want users to edit the data directly from the cell, and only the first column need checkboxes, then the ListView is always the better choice.

   We have an example of this in the SSW .NET Toolkit.

   
   

   We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule.

   
   

   Note: We have a suggestion for Microsoft to improve the copy and paste format from a gridview

8. Control Choice - Do you know when to use CheckBoxes?

   If the option only contains 2 choices, and the answer is a Boolean type value where the opposite value is clear (e.g. Enabled/Disabled, True/False, Yes/No, On/Off), it should always be a checkbox.

   

   Figure: Bad Example - Boolean options not using CheckBox

   

   Figure: Good Example - A CheckBox is used for Boolean type value

   Only 1 CheckBox is used as the opposite value is clear, such controls are often CheckBoxes in a ListView too. E.g.:

   

   Figure: Good Example - CheckBoxes in a ListView

   CheckBoxes are also suitable to use for enable or disable sections and to tell the user that these sections do not need configuring for the application to run.

   

   Figure: Good Example - CheckBoxes are used (although no opposite values), because they are clear when the CheckBoxes aren't ticked, the sections are disabled

   

   Figure: Bad Example - This screen implies that Configuring Credentials is required

   

   Figure: Good Example - This screen uses a CheckBox to signify that Configure Credentials is optional

   If there are only two options available on the form (usually a yes/no answer), the use of a checkbox is more intuitive than radio buttons. Only use radio buttons if there are more than two options.

   

   Figure: Bad Example – Radio buttons are not appropriate when there are only two options

   

   Figure: Good Example – These yes/no questions have a better representation with checkboxes

9. Control Choice - Do you use ComboBoxes instead of single-select List Boxes?

   ComboBoxes are better than List Boxes for data entry because:

   • They occupy less screen space
   • They are less trouble to scroll through, owing to the fact that you can afford to have more room for the list (as it's collapsed most of the time)
   • As you can see in the figures below, using a combo also makes the required field indicator (*) easier to see.

   

   Figure: Bad Example - Using list boxes

   

   Figure: Good Example - Using ComboBoxes - takes up less screen space and the required field indication is easy to see

   Note: When are single-select list boxes OK?

   As mentioned before, there are exceptions to this rule. It would be hard to imagine the Include/Exclude boxes in the SQL Server Enterprise Manager's Server Registration Wizard being handled with ComboBoxes, for example.

   

   Figure: Include/Exclude Listboxes are an example of a valid use for List Boxes

   We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule.

10. Control Choice - Do you use Checked List Boxes instead of multi-select List Boxes?

    Multi-select listboxes are the bane of a graphical user interface, they have a number of behavioral quirks that make it difficult for users to get used to them:

    • They require users to know that you select more than one entry by holding down the Ctrl key
    • They lose all selections if you click in the wrong place.
    • You can't tell if a Listbox is single-select or multi-select at first glance.

    Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 9 Item 10

    Figure: Bad Example - List Boxes are impractical - try it and see

    Checked Listboxes are the ideal alternative. They're much more pleasant to use and are a good deal more intuitive - compare to the list above. Checked Listboxes tell users immediately that they have the ability choose multiple options.

    • In ASP.NET, use System.Web.UI.WebControls.CheckBoxList. If you're having problems with there being too many items in the list, use a scrolling DIV
    • In Windows Forms, use System.Windows.Forms.CheckedListBox

    Item 1

    Item 2

    Item 3

    Item 4

    Item 5

    Item 6

    Item 7

    Item 8

    Item 9

    Item 10

    Figure: Good Example - The beauty of the CheckListBox in ASP.NET

    We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule.

11. Control Choice - Do you have a consistent look on your buttons? (Windows Forms Only)

    Question: What is wrong with this Picture?

    

    Figure: What is wrong?

    Answer: There are three different types of buttons in the Application:

    • Next > - Default Window Style
    • Preview - .NET Flat Style
    • Cancel - Window XP Style

    

    Figure: Even labels need to use FlatStyle.System. Can you spot the wrong label?

    See our Rules to Better Windows Forms to implement XP Themes in .NET.

    We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule.

12. Control Choice - Do you avoid using "Group Box" and use a line to organize your form?

    Group box should only be used when you want to notify the user the controls within it are really related, such as radio buttons.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Inappropriate use of 'Group Box', there is nothing to be grouped

    

    Figure: Good Example - Use a line to organize different sections

    

    Figure: Good Example - VS.NET 2003 Options form, appropriate use of 'Group Box', the radio buttons are related to each other

    

    Figure: Good Example - VS.NET 2010 Options form, also appropriate use of 'Group Box'

    In other cases, you should avoid using group box and replace it with a simple line, this will save you some space on the form and help you organize your form more easily.

13. Control Choice - Do you use bold on the main options to make them clearer?

    Make the options clearer by using bold.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Main options text not in bold

    

    Figure: Good Example - Main options text in bold

14. Control Choice - Do you know when to use options group (Radio Buttons) instead of ComboBox?

    When the options are static items (not database driven) and they can fit on the screen (about 2-5 items), they should be radio buttons.

    For a ComboBox, user needs 2 clicks to change the value

    1. Click the little "v" button to see the available options.
    2. Then click the option to select.

    For an options group, user can see all the available options without clicking, and select the option with just a click.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - ComboBox is used for "Job Type" where it contains only 2 options

    

    Figure: Good Example - Radio Buttons are used and aligned vertically

15. Validation - Do you avoid capturing incorrect data?

    When asking for an opinion do you give people the option of having no opinion at all? If you only provide "Yes" or "No" as answers to the question "Do you like apples?" then you force people to make a decision which may not be correct.

    Do you like apples?		Yes
    		No

    Maybe they only like cooked apples not raw ones. When asking any question in which "Don't know." or "Don't care." is a valid response, always include an option to opt out of answering.

    Additionally, when the user don't answer the question at all, the response you would get would be determined by the browser the user was using. Give them an answer they can agree with and you'll reduce the chance of bogus responses.

    Do you like apples?		Yes
    		No
    		Cannot say

    Read ou rule on Do you avoid "Data Junk" (data not manually entered by yourself)?

16. Validation - Do you put focus to the correct control on validation error?

    Most fields required validation. There are three types of validations:

    • Required Field - the field should be filled in.
    • Formatting - the field must be in a correct format. e.g. currency or date.
    • Logical - the field needs to pass some validation tests in the business layer.

    To show an error, display an error provider icon next to the field on the right. An example of this is shown in the figure below.
    

    • Validation must not be done on TextChanged, this may chew the processor if it is a logical validation. It can also give unpleasant results, e.g. when entering -6.00, as soon as the '-' is entered the validation control would turn on.
    • Validation for Required fields must be done in the validating event.
    • Validation for format should be done in parse/format methods.
    • Validation for Logic should be done in Validated, since it must be entered if required, and in correct format.

    The reason for the above validation placement is that these events run in the following order:

    • Validating
    • Parse/Format
    • Validated

    

    Figure: Good Example - Error Provider Icon next to a required field

    Do not show a message box after every error in validation. You may show a message box as an error summary when an OK or Apply is clicked. Make sure you warn the user that there is an error on the form when they attempt to save.

    

    Figure: Good Example - Balloon tooltips to indicate validation errors

17. Controls - Do you disable buttons that are unavailable?

    If a button is unavailable, or clicking it will generate an error message or should have no effect, then the button should be disabled. However, buttons should not be hidden simply because they are unavailable as it confuses the user.

    

    Figure: Good Example - The Start button is disabled in SSW Link Auditor after the scan has started

18. Controls - Do you make Option Groups and Check Boxes simple to understand?

    There are two aspects to this rule:

    1. Arrange Vertically

    2. If your user must choose from a variety of responses, or select from a number of items, using either radio buttons or check boxes, arrange the items vertically rather than horizontally as it makes the association much clearer. NOTE: You might want to disregard this rule if screen real estate is at a crucial premium.

       Do you like apples? Yes No Cannot say
       
       

       Do you like apples?		Yes
       		No
       		Cannot say

    3. Text on the Right

       The Option Group or Check Box should always be on the left, with the text following on the right. Once again, this makes it easy for the User to work out what is going on.

       

       Figure: Good Example - Action on the left, text on the right

19. Controls - Do you use a ToolTip to show the full text of hidden ListView data?

    When you can't see all the text for an item in a ListView you need to expose the full text via a ToolTip.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Users can't see all the text and the ListView doesn't use a Tooltip

    

    Figure: Good Example - Users can't see all the text, but the ListView shows all the text via a Tooltip

    The code to do this is:

                private ListViewItem hoveredItem;
                private void listView1_MouseMove(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
                { 
                   ListView lv = (ListView) sender; 
                   ListViewItem item = lv.GetItemAt(e.X, e.Y);
                   int columnIndex = 1;
                   if (item != hoveredItem)
                   { 
                      hoveredItem = item; 
                      if (item == null) 
                      { 
                         toolTip1.SetToolTip(lv, ""); 
                      } 
                      else 
                      { 
                         // Make sure the mouse hovered row has the subitem 
                         if (item.SubItems.Count > columnIndex)
                         { 
                            toolTip1.SetToolTip(lv, item.SubItems[columnIndex].Text);
                         } 
                         else 
                         { 
                            toolTip1.SetToolTip(lv,""); 
                         } 
                      } 
                    } 
                 }

20. Controls - Do you use the fonts recommended by Microsoft in your application? (Windows Forms Only)

    Some font are easier to read then others, at SSW we follow Microsoft's Visual Design Guidelines. This means we use Tahoma 8pt as our font of choice.

    At SSW, we use Code Auditor to ensure all fonts on our forms are set to Tahoma but we allow controls to use a different font. This is because certain information is better displayed in a different font. For example a Textbox to show code should use Courier instead of Tahoma.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - This form uses a non-standard font, and it is hard to read

    

    Figure: Good Example - This form uses Tahoma, and it is easy to read

    

    Figure: Good Example - This form uses Tahoma, and the RichTextBox displays source code using Courier New

    We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule.

21. Controls - Do you set row select mode as "FullRowSelect" for DataGridView if it is read only? (Windows Forms Only)

    If you use the DataGridView control which is read only, you had better set row select mode as "FullRowSelect". If the data cannot be modified we can let users select the whole row instead of one column.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Row select mode is not "FullRowSelect".

    

    Figure: Good Example - Row select mode is "FullRowSelect".

    

    Figure: Changed row select mode to FullRowSelect.

    What's the next step? It's even better if you enable multiple row selection and copying, see Do your List Views support multiple selection and copying on Rules to Better Windows Forms Applications.

22. Controls - Do you make the selected/enabled rows stand out in a datagrid?

    Many times you allow a multiple selection in a grid by using a checkbox. When you do this make it easy to see the distinction of a row that is selected and one that is not. Make it subtle by dimming the unselected text.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Selected rows are not separate from others.

    

    Figure: Good Example - Selected rows are separate from others.

    To make this effect in datagrid, you may need to edit the cellcontentclick event handler code.
    Example:

            private void DatagridviewRules_CellContentClick(object sender, DataGridViewCellEventArgs e)
            {
                if (DatagridviewRules.Columns[e.ColumnIndex] is DataGridViewCheckBoxColumn && e.ColumnIndex == 0 &&
    e.RowIndex != -1)
                {
                    bool boolCheckBox = (bool)(DatagridviewRules.Rows[e.RowIndex].Cells[e.ColumnIndex].Value);
                    DatagridviewRules.Rows[e.RowIndex].DefaultCellStyle.ForeColor = boolCheckBox
                                                                                        ? SystemColors.WindowText
                                                                                        : SystemColors.ControlDark;
    
                    DataRowView objDataRowView = (DataRowView)DatagridviewRules.Rows[e.RowIndex].DataBoundItem;
                    JobRule.DataTableJobRulesRow objDataRow = (JobRule.DataTableJobRulesRow)(objDataRowView.Row);
                    updateRuleIsEnabled(objDataRow.RuleId, boolCheckBox);
    
                    updateSelectAllCheckBox();
                    updateRulesCount();
                }
            }
                            

    Setting the ForeColor to different ones, like black and gray, can separate the selected rows from others.

23. Controls - Do you extend the size of your ComboBoxes to show as many results as possible? (Windows Forms Only)

    When designing your form, it's a good idea to help your user whenever it's possible. So it's a good idea to extend your ComboBoxes to show as many results as possible to save your user from scrolling. Also, you should extend the width of the dropdown in order to show the longest items.

    However, you should not extend your ComboBox without limit, normally the maximum number of items should be under 10 and the maximum width of the drop-down should be smaller than your hosting form.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - You have to scroll to see all the result, and the long results are cut off

    

    Figure: Good Example - The size of the drop down has been extended to allow user to see as much as possible

    Changing the maximum items is easy, just include the following code in your form:

    cbxOUList.MaxDropDownItems = cbxOUList.Items.Count;

    Changing the drop down size is a bit of tricky

                Graphics g = Graphics.FromHwnd(this.Handle);
                SizeF stringSize = new SizeF();
                stringSize = g.MeasureString(longString, cbx.Font, 600);
                int adjustedSize = cbx.DropDownWidth;
                if ( adjustedSize<(int)stringSize.Width )
                {
                   adjustedSize = (int)stringSize.Width;
                }
                cbx.DropDownWidth = adjustedSize;

24. Controls - Do you use Text Boxes for displaying data?

    Use Label controls to display static text of the application. Eg. "Customer ID:"
    Use Text Box controls to display data (results of calculations,information, records from a database, etc.).

    The reasons are:

    • users know it is data, not a label of the application
    • users can copy and paste from the field

    PS: One reason web UI's are nice, is that the information is always selectable/copyable.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Not only is the data cut off when you are using label, but you can't copy and paste the value

    

    Figure: Good Example - Using Textbox controls makes the data obvious to users

    As you can see you'll barely know the difference, so start using Textboxes for displaying data, that's good practice.

    More Information

    When using TextBox controls in Windows Forms, set them up like this:

    

    Figure: Having the 'BorderStyle' Property set to Fixed3D is the best choice visually

    

    Figure: Make the text box Read-Only (users copying data is OK, changing is silly)

25. Connection Stream - Do you use a UDL when getting database settings?

    Why do people always invent ways of getting the same old server name and a database name? Look at this image from Speed Ferret - one of my favorite SQL Server utilities.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Custom database connection screen in Speed Ferret

    While a nice form, it would have taken quite some developer time to get it right. Not only that it is a little bit different than what a user has seen before. Now look at this UDL from one of our utilities SSW SQL Auditor:

    

    Figure: Good Example - Standard Microsoft UDL dialog

    Every developer has seen this before - so use it. Better still, it is only a few lines of code: B-Open UDL Dialog-DH.txt

    

    Figure: Coming in Visual Studio .NET 2005 Microsoft are yet to release an API to do this

    Need extra information?

    Exception

    The above cannot be used when you want the user to create a new database. Microsoft does not supply an out of the box UI and there is no third party solution. Only in this case you have to create your own form.

    

    Figure: SQL Deploy uses its own custom form for "selecting" a database name

26. Being Pedantic - Do you use balloon tooltip?

    The standard tooltip is a rectangle, so the tool tip for the control can be misleading. While, the balloon tooltip has an arrow pointing to the destination control, which is clearer for users.

    

    Figure: Standard tooltip.

    

    Figure: Balloon tooltip.

    To implement you can:

    1. Set the standard Tooltip's property IsBalloon true or
    2. Use EdwardForgacs' balloon tooltip control.

27. Being Pedantic - Do you end labels text with ":"?

    Labels provide an easy way to show text in a form. It is better to consistently label a field ending the text with a ":".

    

    Figure: Bad Example - Labels without ":"

    

    Figure: Good Example - Labels with ":"

28. Being Pedantic - Do your buttons have a mnemonic?

    A mnemonic for a button is the letter which has an underscore, and the user can press the button using Alt-<char>.

    

    Figure: Bad Example - All buttons without Mnemonic

    

    Figure: Good Example - All buttons with Mnemonic - user can easily choose which button they want without a click

    In Windows Applications, it is quite easy to assign a mnemonic to a button with the "&" character.

    So for the case above, the text would be:

    btnAbout.Text = "&About"

    Tip: In Windows XP the mnemonic display effects can be hidden by Default and then shown every time the user presses the Alt key.

    We have a program called SSW Code Auditor to check for this rule. Note: We have an exception for (OK, Cancel, Close, and Apply) buttons because they should be associated with Accept and Cancel buttons.

Related Rules

Read the specific rules below:

• Rules to Better Interfaces - General
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Windows Application
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Popups and Messages
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Controls
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Forms
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Wizards
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Reports, Charts and Dates
• Rules to Better Interfaces - Mobile UI

Links

• http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/Default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwue/html/ch09f.asp

Acknowledgements

Adam Cogan