Re: What is This Functionality Called?

[Christine -dot- Anameier -at- seagate -dot- com]

Can I chime in a little late on this one?

> Question:  What do you call the function where you type a letter and the
> first item in your combo box that corresponds to that letter displays. .
.

I wouldn't call it anything. My feeling is that if a large group of tech
writers has several different names for this function (and lots of us have
no name for it at all), any name you choose is going to be obscure and
cryptic to your users.

I think the users would want to know what it does and how to use it, rather
than what it's called. It's like with radio buttons--what the users want to
know is "You can select option A -or- option B," not "These options are
represented by radio buttons." Naming the interface element just adds some
verbal noise to the picture that distracts from what they REALLY need to
know. In this instance, I think I would do something along the lines of "To
find your selection more quickly in a long list, you can type the first
letter. For example, to find Widgetude, type W, and you'll see the
selections beginning with W."

my tardy two cents,
Christine




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