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Motif and CDE 2.1 Style Guide Reference

Default Action

Reference

Description

The default action is the action associated with a window that the user would most likely want to invoke in a given situation when focus is in that window. The default action may change as the focus and state of the window changes. The default action is generally activated when a user double-clicks the SELECT button, presses Enter (except when either operation is used for other purposes), or presses Ctrl Enter or keypadEnter.

When to Use

Recommended
If a user will want to perform a specific action at a specific time, make it the default action.

Recommended
If you use a secondary window for some interaction, provide a default action in that window.

Guidelines

Required
To support new users and keyboard-only users, provide default actions as shortcuts only for application features that are available by some other method.

Required
When a window has focus, show default emphasis on the push button in the window, if any, that performs the current default action for that window.

Required
Except when focus is on a tool or object or in a menu, if the default action of a window varies, provide a push button that corresponds to each default action.

Recommended
Except when focus is on a tool or object or in a menu, provide a push button that corresponds to each default action.

Recommended
When an explicit focus policy is in use and the focus is outside the window, use default emphasis to indicate the push button that would perform the default action if focus were moved to the window by using window navigation.

Required
When the focus is on a push button, make its action the default action.

Required
When the focus is on a choice in a menu other than a tear-off menu, make the default action activate or toggle that choice.

Required
When focus is on an object icon, the default action should present data of the corresponding object; for a window icon display the corresponding window.

Required
When the user presses keypadEnter, Ctrl Enter, or Enter (except in text), invoke the default action. Except possibly when on an element that is both activatable and selectable, it should have no other effect.

Required
When the user double-clicks the SELECT button and focus is on a value choice that is part of a mutually exclusive group of value choices (for example, on a radio button, a tool, or in a value set), invoke the default action.

Optional
When the user double-clicks the SELECT button on a cascading choice that leads to a menu (but does not press Enter or keypadEnter), you may invoke the action of the menu's default choice. In particular, double-clicking the SELECT button on the window menu button can be used to close the window.

Essential Related Topics

For more information, see the Push Button (Control) and Push Button (Predefined) reference pages.

Supplemental Related Topics

For more information, see the Emphasis (Cue) and Window Menu reference pages.

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