Description
A typical button is a rectangle or rounded rectangle, wider than it is tall, with a descriptive caption in its center. The most common method of pressing a button is clicking it with a pointer controlled by a mouse, but other input such as keystrokes can be used to execute the command of a button. A button is not however always restricted to a rectangular shape. The sole requirement of button interaction is that the user can execute a command by a click action. Thus pictures and background areas can be programmed as buttons. When pressed, in addition to performing a predetermined task, buttons often undergo a graphical change to mimic a mechanical button being depressed.
Depending on the circumstance, buttons may be designated to be pushed only once and execute a command, while others may be used to receive instant feed back and may require the user to click more than once to receive the desired result. Other buttons are designed to toggle behavior on and off like a check box. These buttons will show a graphical clue (such as staying depressed after the mouse is released) to indicate the state of the option.
Most of the buttons are capable to show the tool tip when mouse hovers over them for the longer time. Tool tip is part of the built-in documentation, explaining briefly the purpose of the button.
Some very common incarnations of the button widget are:
- An OK button for confirming actions and closing the window
- A Cancel button for canceling actions and closing the window
- An Apply button for confirming actions without closing the window
- A Close button for closing windows after changes have already been applied
Read more about this topic: Button (computing)
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