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Motif and CDE 2.1 Style Guide Reference
Status Area (Area)
Reference
Description
The status area is a specific part of a window for displaying information
about the contents of the view presented by the current application.
Figure 66. Status Area.
When to Use
RecommendedDisplay in the status area information about what is being presented in
the viewing area, for example, how it was sorted, filtered or selected.
RecommendedDisplay in the status area information about how the contents of the
viewing area was generated, such as a 2x2 dithered view.
Guidelines
RecommendedIf a window has multiple viewing areas, but all of them view the same
data, use a single status area to report on all of them.
RecommendedIf you provide a status area, do not allow the status area to be scrolled
when the viewing area is scrolled.
RecommendedAllow the user to copy information from the status area, either in part or
completely, but do not allow the user to edit the contents.
RecommendedIf the status area contains only text and the information in the text is
likely to be reused by the user, make the status area a text-display field;
otherwise, make it a textual label.
RecommendedIf you provide a status area in a window, either place it within a
reserved part of the associated viewing area or place it so that it is located
as follows:
Immediately above or below the associated viewing area and palette areas
(if any)
Below the menu bar and control bar
Above message, information, and command areas
RecommendedSeparate the status area from the rest of the window.
RecommendedUpdate information in the status area to reflect the current state of the
associated viewing area.
RecommendedMake the status area the same width as the associated viewing area, if it
is outside the viewing area.
RecommendedMake the status area no larger than necessary to accommodate the
information it needs to present.
RecommendedIf the status area contains only text, design it to contain only one line
of text.
RecommendedIf the user reduces the width of a window, compress information in the
status area, if possible; otherwise, clip the status area.
RecommendedFor views that support a selection model other than single selection,
indicate in the status area the number of items currently selected. For
example:
2 items selected
RecommendedIf the window contains elements that are not visible because they are
clipped or scrolled, indicate in the window's status area the number of
elements visible in proportion to the total number of elements. Include in the
count only the elements that are completely visible; do not include any
elements that are partly off the screen or hidden. For example:
3 of 10 items
displayed
RecommendedIf only some elements from a larger set of elements are displayed in a
viewing area of a window, indicate in the status area of that window what
criteria the elements met to be displayed in the window. For example:
Displaying documents created between 02/Feb/96 and 06/Jun/96
RecommendedIf elements displayed in a viewing area of a window are arranged according
to some criterion, indicate in the status area of that window the criteria
used to arrange the elements. For example:
Sorted in ascending order by
name
Supplemental Related Topics
For more information, see the Information and Message Areas (Area),
Viewing Area (Control), and Window Title reference pages
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