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Motif and CDE 2.1 Style Guide Reference
Properties (Choice)
Reference
Description
Properties is an action choice that displays a property dialog in which the
user can display and set properties or characteristics of a file object or
other element.
When to use
- Required
- Use a Properties choice to allow the user to change the properties of a
file or object.
Guidelines
- Required
- Include a Properties choice in the File menu when the user can change the
attributes of the selected file, for example, to change a read-only file to
read-write.
- Required
- Use a multipage control to display properties if they cannot all be
displayed at once.
- Required
- If multiple elements are selected, and the user chooses Properties, then
for a given property, do the following:
- Provide a description that encompasses all selected elements. For
example, properties that can take only two values can be displayed as
a check box that may either be set, unset, or indeterminate.
- Provide a separate page for each element, with each page showing
the value for that property.
- Recommended
- When a user opens the properties of objects selected with a primary
selection, allow selections to be made in the properties window. When the user
closes the properties window, return the primary selection to the original
selected objects.
- Optional
- When a parent container (or folder) displays an element that represents an
object, the properties of the object can be represented by the following:
- Aspects of the state or contents of the specified object
- Container-specific attributes of the object that are part of the
container's state (for example, how the container is to manage the
object or objects
- View-specific presentation attributes of the object (for example,
the icon for the object when viewed by the user, or when viewed by
the user in this container)
- Optional
- When the selected element represents an object, properties may contain
presentation attributes, which include the following:
- Whether the object should be represented as an icon or as a live
or dead inset
- If represented as an icon, the representation, size, color, and
so on
- For an object represented as an icon or dead inset, the default
action (for example, the result of double-clicking on it)
- For an icon that represents a link: the link properties,
whether the default action should be traversal and, if so, whether to
reuse an existing view of the linked data
- If the link is to a portion of the object, whether to display
only the linked data or the linked data selected in the context of
the containing object
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Selected Menu reference page.
Supplemental Related Topics
For more information, see the Menu Guidelines reference page.
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