Common features

When you implement a control, keep in mind that most controls share the following traits.

Control execution

All controls, except text entry fields, execute on mouse up unless you program them to defer execution. For example, you might want to defer execution of a check box in a panel or dialog box until the user clicks an Apply button or OK button. Or you might want execution to be immediate so that the user can quickly see the results of an action.

Text entry fields are an exception because they accept data. As a developer, you determine when the entry in a text field is registered. Typically, registration is deferred until one of the following events: the user makes no input for a specified time, enters a specified number of characters, clicks outside the entry field, or tabs to another field.

Disabled controls

A given control might not always apply to the user's data, depending on the context that is active when the dialog box or panel containing the control is displayed. If the control is not applicable in a certain context, it should be disabled and unavailable to the user. A disabled control appears dimmed, as do disabled menu items.

Default settings

Most controls can and should have default settings. If a control shows the current state, for example, the current paragraph style, the default reflects the state of the current selection. If there is no current selection (even an implicit one) or if the user is opening the dialog box or panel for the first time, the control should have an initial default. The default should be a safe, commonly selected choice of users.

The default setting for a control automatically appears set when the user first opens the dialog box or panel that contains the control.

System font

The default font for the CommonPoint application system is TaligentSans Regular 14 point, with 19 points of line spacing and 0.02 units of tracking (extra space between letters). You can override the default font programmatically, but you should use a font from the TaligentSans Regular or Bold families.

Capitalization of labels

Use title capitalization style for the text labels that identify controls. This style capitalizes every word except articles (a, an, and the), coordinating conjunctions (for example, and, or), and prepositions of three or fewer letters (except when the preposition is part of a verb phrase, such as Set Up).

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