Modeless Dialog Boxes

Modeless dialog boxes allow people to repeat an action as many times as necessary while the dialog box remains open--that is, the dialog box doesn't close and need to be reopened each time they want to repeat an action. This feature is useful for tasks such as finding and replacing text in a word processor or numbers in a spreadsheet.

Use a modeless dialog box instead of a movable modal dialog box whenever possible so that you can preserve the user's ability to perform tasks in any order. Figure 6-2 shows a typical modeless dialog box.

Figure 6-2 A typical modeless dialog box

Because modeless dialog boxes are movable, people can place them out of the way of the current point of interest in their documents. People can also keep modeless dialog boxes open and available. This option might be useful if a person wants to compare information about several documents, which is possible with Info windows in the Finder. Figure 6-3 shows two such windows on a desktop.

Figure 6-3 Two open modeless dialog boxes

When your application displays a modeless dialog box, it should preset any controls to some logical values. Also, whenever possible, your application should supply appropriate text in any text entry fields; users can verify the information rather than generate it from scratch. In any case, display a selection or an insertion point in one of the text entry fields (usually the "first" field) when you display the dialog box.