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Windows
Windows provide a frame for viewing and interacting with applications and data.
From a developer’s perspective, there are several types of windows in Mac OS X. Although users tend to see them all as windows, the distinctions in behavior (layering, zooming, minimizing) and appearance (presence or absence of title bars) among the various types of windows contribute to the Macintosh user experience. It is important that you understand the different types of windows available, general window behavior, and behavior specific to each type of window.
This chapter first introduces the different types of windows and then focuses on the appearance and behavior of document and application windows and panels. Dialogs and alert windows are unique types of windows with guidelines in addition to those for standard windows. They are discussed in detail in “Dialogs” (page 230). Note that unless explicitly stated, dialogs should behave like windows.
Types of Windows
As a developer or a designer, you should be aware of four main types of windows. Although their behavior is generally the same, they have important differences.
■Document windows contain file-based user data. They present a view into the content that people create and store. If the document is larger than the window, the window shows a portion of the document’s contents and provides users with the ability to scroll to other areas.
■Applicationwindowsarethemainwindowsofapplicationsthatarenotdocument-based. Thesewindows use the standard Aqua window look and features; if the application is running in versions of Mac OS X prior to v10.5 (Leopard), these windows can use the optional brushed metal look.
■Panels float above other windows and provide tools or controls that users can work with while documents are open. In some cases, panels can be transparent. In end-user documentation, panels should be called windows. Panels are discussed in more detail in “Panels” (page 222).
■Dialogs and alerts require a response from the user. Dialogs and alerts are discussed in “Dialogs” (page 230).
Examples of all of these types of windows are shown in Figure 14-1.
Types of Windows |
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Windows
Figure 14-1 Types of windows in Mac OS X
Document window
Transparent panel
Application window |
Panel |
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Dialog window
Window Appearance
A window consists of window-frame areas and a window body. The window-frame areas include the title bar, the toolbar, and the bottom bar (note that in Mac OS X v10.5 and later, the toolbar is not visually distinct from the title bar). The window body is the main content area that extends from the bottom edge of the title bar (or toolbar, if present) to the bottom edge of the window, not including the bottom bar, if one is present. The toolbar and the bottom bar are optional elements that not all windows have. Figure 14-2 shows examples of these areas in different windows.
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Figure 14-2 Toolbars and bottom bars are optional window parts
A toolbar in a Finder window
A bottom bar in an Address Book window
In Mac OS X v10.5 and later, no window-frame surface is visible on the sides of windows; the window-body area, the toolbar, and the bottom bar stretch from the left edge to the right edge. Users can drag a window from any window-frame area, including a bottom bar.
All window-frame areas have a gray gradient surface. In the window body, content views (such as text or column views) display a white background by default; the surrounding window-body background is a shade of light gray.
Important: In Mac OS X v10.5 and later, there are no brushed metal windows. Windows that were designed as brushed metal windows to run in earlier versions of Mac OS X should adopt the Leopard look in Mac OS X v10.5. For the most part this is automatic. You may need to adjust your layout so that no window-frame material is visible on the sides of the window and you should ensure that the controls you used in the toolbar are still appropriate. See “Window-Frame Controls” (page 249) for more information on appropriate controls and “Legacy Toolbar Controls” (page 257) for some transition advice.
Figure 14-3 shows the Address Book application’s transition from brushed metal to the Leopard look. Notice the removal of all window-frame surface on the sides, the use of appropriate toolbar and bottom-bar controls, and the adoption of the “zero-width” splitters that are standard in Mac OS X v10.5 (for more information about this control, see “Split Views” (page 327)).
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2008-06-09 | © 1992, 2001-2003, 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.