Windows Interface Components - Secondary Windows

Palette Windows

Palette windows are modeless secondary windows that present a set of controls. For example, when toolbar controls appear as a window, they appear in a palette window. Palette windows are distinguished by their visual appearance. The height of the title bar for a palette window is shorter, but it still includes only a Close button in the title area, as shown in Figure 9.17.

Figure 9.17 A palette window

More Information

For more information about toolbars and palette windows, see Chapter 8, "Menus, Controls, and Toolbars."

Title Bar Text

Define the title bar text for a palette using the name of the command that displays the window or the name of the toolbar it represents. The system supplies default size and font settings for the title bar and title bar text for palette windows. Use book title capitalization.

More Information

The title bar height and font size settings can be accessed by using the SystemParametersInfo function. For more information about this function, see the Microsoft Platform SDK on the MSDN Online Web site at https://msdn.microsoft.com/ui/guide/sdk.asp.

Window Design

You can define palette windows as a fixed size, or, more typically, sizable by the user. Two visual cues indicate when the window is sizable: changing the pointer image to the size pointer, and placing a Size command in the window's shortcut menu. Preserve the window's size and position so the window can be restored if it or its associated primary window is closed.

Like other windows, the title bar and the border areas provide an access point for the window's shortcut menu. Commands on a palette window's shortcut menu can include Close, Move, Size (if sizable), Always on Top, and Properties, as shown in Figure 9.18.

Figure 9.18 A shortcut menu for a palette window

This feature allows the user to configure preferred access to the palette window. If you include the Always on Top command or property in the window's property sheet, the user can configure the palette window to always stay at the top of the Z order of its window set. If the user clears this option, the palette window stays within its set of related windows, but the user can have other windows of the set appear on top of the palette window.

You can also optionally include a Properties command on the palette window's shortcut menu. This provides an interface for allowing the user to edit properties of the window, such as the Always on Top property, or a way to customize the content of the palette window.

Fundamentals of Designing User Interaction

Windows Interface Components

Design Specifications and Guidelines

Appendixes and References