Java™ Look and Feel Design Guidelines

The Java Look and Feel Design Group at Sun Microsystems creates interface standards that enable designers and developers to build outstanding human interfaces with the Java programming language.

Preface.
I. GENERAL TOPICS.

1. Introduction.


Logical Organization.



Scalability.



Predictability.



Responsiveness.



Efficiency.

2. Windows.


Windows, Objects, and Properties.



Overview of Window Types.



Window Types for Objects, Properties, and Actions.



Primary Windows.



Title Bars in Primary Windows.



Toolbars in Primary Windows.



Status Bars in Primary Windows.



Property Windows.



Property Window Characteristics.



Choosing the Correct Property Window Characteristics.



Dedicated and Non-Dedicated Property Windows.



Inspecting and Non-Inspecting Property Windows.



Behavior and Layout of Property Windows.



Action Windows.



Title Text in Action Windows.



Command Buttons in Action Windows.



Window Titles for Identically Named Objects and Views.



Window Titles for Identically Named Objects.



Window Titles for Multiple Views of the Same Object.



Setting the State of Windows and Objects.



Positioning Secondary Windows.



Restoring the State of Property Windows.



Alerting Users After an Object's State Changes.



Multiple Document Interfaces.

3. Menus.


Menu Elements.



Keyboard Shortcuts and Mnemonics for Menu Items.



Available and Unavailable Items.



Additional Conventions for Menu Items.



Common Menus.



Typical File Menu.



New Item.



Open Item.



Close Item.



Print Item.



Preferences Item.



File Properties Item.



Most Recently Used (MRU) Menu List.



Exit Item.



Typical Edit Menu.



Updating Labels of Menu Items.



Paste Special Item.



Properties Item.



Typical View Menu.



Typical Help Menu.



Additional Menus.



Object Menus.



Object Menus and the Action Menu.



Beyond Object Menus and the Action Menu.



Contextual Menus.



Window Management and the File Menu.



When Window Reuse Is the Default.



When Opening a New Window Is the Default.

4. Behavior.


Modes.



Modal Secondary Windows.



Modes Set From Tool Palettes.



Application-Wide Modes.



Selecting Multiple Objects.



Filtering and Searching a Set of Objects.



Complex Filtering and Searching.



Simple Filtering and Searching.



Stopping Searches and Filter Operations.



Tool Tips.

5. Idioms.


Overview of Idioms.



Idioms for Selecting and Editing in Tables.



Selection Models and Editing Models for Tables.



Using Row Selection Models.



Editing Row-Selection Tables.



Using Cell Selection Models.



Editing Cell-Selection Tables.



Idioms for Arranging a Table.



Table Appearance.



Table Command Placement.



Column Reordering and Column Resizing.



Row Sorting.



Automatic Row Sorting.



Tree Table Idiom.



Idioms for Text Fields and Lists.



Browse Idiom.



Key-Search Idiom.



Add-and-Remove Idiom.



Container-and-Contents Idiom.

6. Responsiveness.


Characteristics of Responsive Applications.



Problems of Unresponsive Applications.



Responsiveness as Part of Performance.



Computational Performance.



Scalability.



Perceived Performance, or Responsiveness.



Determining Acceptable Response Delays.



Measuring Response Delays.



Setting Benchmarks for Response Delays.



Tools for Measuring Response Delays.



Responding to User Requests.



Providing Operational Feedback.



Deciding Whether to Provide Feedback.



Types of Visual Feedback.



Providing the Correct Type of Visual Feedback.



Letting Users Stop Commands in Progress.

II. SPECIAL TOPICS.

7. Wizards.


Fundamentals of Wizards.



Standalone Wizards and Embedded Wizards.



Typical Uses of Wizards.



Deciding Whether You Need a Wizard.



Providing Alternatives to Wizards.



Types of Wizard Pages.



User-Input Pages.



Overview Page.



Requirements Page.



Confirmation Page.



Progress Pages.



Summary Page.



Designing Wizard Pages.



Designing the Title Bar.



Designing the Bottom Pane.



Designing the Right Pane.



Subtitles.



Main Instructions.



User-Input Areas.



Additional Instructions.



Navigation Instructions.



Designing the Left Pane.



Deciding What to Display in the Left Pane.



Left Pane With a List of Steps.



Left Pane With Steps That Branch or Loop.



Left Pane With Help Text.



Left Pane With Steps and Help Text.



Left Pane With a Graphic.



Designing Wizard Behavior.



Delivering and Starting Wizards.



Supporting a User's Entire Task.



Positioning and Sizing Wizards.



Checking Wizard Dependencies and User Input.



Providing Operational Feedback in Wizards.



Alerting Users in Wizards.



Designing Installation Wizards.



Choosing a Location for a Wizard's Code.



Helping Users Decide Whether to Install.



Tasks That Installation Wizards Should Handle.

8. Events and Alarms.


Alarm Conditions.



Levels of Severity.



Alarm Status.



Logging Events.



Displaying Alarm Views.



Alarm Graphics.



Monitored-Entities View.



Detailed Alarm View.

Glossary.
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