Re: Does anyone use .NET applications?

"Nick Hodges [TeamB]" <nickhodges@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:425dd38d$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> paladin wrote:
>
> > could you enlghten us about comboboxes?
> > why should we avoid them?
> > what alternatives to use?
>
> I don't like them as a UI device. They require way too many clicks to
> select an item. Sometimes you have to click on the little dropdown
> box, scroll the thumb scroller, find the thing you want, and then click
> on it.
>
> They should be replaced with a radiogroup for smaller lists, or a
> listbox for longer lists.

While I agree that radiogroups (or checkboxes for multiple selections) are
better for short lists, try tabbing (or Alt-? , if they set it up) to get
the combobox selected initially, then Alt-Down arrow to open it up. Then
type the first few letters and voila, you've selected your item with no
clicks.

In the object inspector, Ctrl-Down arrow opens up the list of components
which only uses initial letters to choose, so with duplicate initial letters
you need to use the arrow keys to select the second and subsequent. Hit
escape or return to close the list, tab to move between the property names
and values, and Ctrl-Tab to open up the event list. The properties can be
selected by initial name letter.

Learning all the shortcuts I use takes time and practice, but once you've
got them ingrained, you save loads of time each day. I use my mouse mostly
for moving among the items on my desktop, and I especially like my trackball
to sling the cursor to the nearest corner (of a dual monitor system) if I'm
not sure where I left it.

The main downside is that I get frustrated by vendors who arbitrarily change
their keys which instantiates my inner complainer class. M$ is one of the
worst for this and Ctrl-F6 is ridiculous to switch among child documents in
Word since Ctrl-Tab is the published standard to which Excel, and most other
apps, still conform. Earlier versions of Word did also, back when they
believed in the MDI style of app.

If they want to change it, why not leave the previous means available as a
setting? If COM interfaces are forever, why not the user interface too?

(By Alt-? I mean the specific letter used to navigate to the combobox)

Kirk Halgren

"The caption on TV should be 'We're not doctors, we just play them on
C-span.'"
-- Barney Frank on the Schiavo case


.

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