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An age-old question.
- Add undo/redo buttons and the complexity of said implementation?
- Confirm the cancel, but give expert users a "don't ask me this ever again" option?
- Validate inputs as they are entered, or when the data is saved?
- Track change history, allowing the user to revert to a previous state?
etc...
Ultimately, it always depends on the specific use-case requirements. For example, when editing a wirelist for a satellite (tens of thousands of wires and connectors) we implemented all four of those, because:
- The user really wanted the ability to undo when they realized that there was a bigger systemic issue in the wiring
- New users would often cancel by accident (go figure) but expert users wanted to make changes as fast as possible
- People loved validation up front, but we also had automated wirelist generators and batch imports where data needed to be validated on submittal.
4a. For auditing purposes and revision control, all part of the overarching contractual requirements, we needed change revision tracking
4b. For cost analysis, we needed to be able to test several different wirelist models. And by "cost", I don't just mean $, but weight (mass, technically) is always a consideration, as well as complexity, creating test harnesses, etc.
Granted, creating a wirelist for a satellite is not your typical application, but it gives you an interesting example at least.
Marc
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If you're worried about the dialog being annoying, then how about default behaviour to prompt, but include a "don't show again" tick box.
As is evident by this thread, everyone has different preferences, so this way the control is in the user's domain.
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A good idea - but as I"ve said elsewhere, what preference do you save? The application probably has 50+ forms - so need a setting saved for each... and saved for the machine its running on, or for the user? If for the user, then how to persist over the network etc.
All easy peasy stuff once defined - but to retrofit to many forms isn't cheap!
PooperPig - Coming Soon
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How about for the first time they click cancel, you prompt them and have a check mark to remember their choice?
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Id rename "Cancel" to "Reset Form"
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Hello Maxxx, I have very strong feelings about this subject! Were I god-of-web-design I would travel back in time and turn the programmer who released the
<input type=reset> feature into a newt. And there wouldn't be any getting better, either. I don't know this for a fact, but my guess is that it exists only to aid early HTML coders test their forms. There are very, very few scenarios where a casual user filling out a web form needs to reset it. I absolutely cringe whenever I see "reset" and "submit" at the bottom of a form.
If a web form is designed to be used by someone doing data entry there are plenty of ways to clear out the form when finished with an item. Banish reset, whether it's labeled "cancel" or something else. You never need it. You never need it. You never need it!
P.S. Labeling a reset button cancel is bad UI practice in my esteemed and unquestionable opinion. Canceling a form should take you away from the form page, or hide the form or otherwise make it not be there any more.
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While it is generally frowned upon (today), if I'm targeting a large number of users and "data entry", I resort to "modes".
The default is "browse".
You want to a add a record? CNTRL+N (for example) to enter "new record mode".
etc.
ESC to cancel (or revert to browse mode); or CTRL+S to save; etc. ...
(With corresponding toolbar buttons).
The user has no doubts about what "mode" they are in and what their options are. And the perception that there may be "more" key strokes / actions involved is an illusion (since the app will always know where to put focus, etc.).
If I'm dealing with a custom app for a few users, then the standard is "their" standard / demands / requirements (with the appropriate arguments on my part).
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is there room for some text near the buttons to explain what will happen? or longer text on the buttons themselves? 'Cancel/Clear Current Entries' or similar. i know people don't read but carefully done it could work and save on coding.
'Undo' instead of cancel could be useful too. but you would then need an extra msg if someone attempts to 'Close' a dirty form. (Edit: or not, if it's not enabled at that point.)
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I would imagine the complaints from users would be about breaking up the flow of their work. Perhaps from a delay displaying another dialog and/or having to re-task their attention to another UI element.
Maybe a button control is a bit too basic. A left to right slider or circular control that has to be fully activated to discard changes?
Or perhaps a two step click such as click once, button goes orange. Very slight delay on a disabled button. Click again to discard changes or, after a couple of more seconds, the button reverts to its original state and the user carry's on with modifications to the data.
Not sure how well this will work. I'm no UI expert and just an idea off the top of my head.
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Is it wrong that I'm sat sitting here rejoicing in this Christmas madness[^]!  Suddenly being on me tod and having nobody to buy presents or food for looks like a very good deal!
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Speaking of SSDs
I boot from a Thunderbolt connected SSD on my Mac (totes awesome!)
Bought an external USB3 - Sata disk case and an SSD to do the same for the Wife's Mac (only USB3 rather than Thunderbolt, as the case was $10 not $200!)
Should Have Checked Specs!!!
Her Mac is USB2 only - so speed improvement with USB2 SSD minimal.
My Mac now has USB3 SSD booting - hers has Thunderbolt!!
Damn!
PooperPig - Coming Soon
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I did the same thing to a 5-year old quad core system a couple of years ago.
The difference in speed was mind-blowing! Good luck and enjoy it!
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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Thanks, Right away after activation, it asked about the 10 upgrade and I went ahead with it. Nothing on it yet, and boots in just a few seconds! Cool! 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Install 7. Do the Windows 10 upgrade to lock in your free key, then wipe and put back to 7. 10 will only be free for so long, and by the time you get to switching to 10, it may no longer be free.
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I think I'll be sticking with 10 after spending most of yesterday installing most of the stuff I need for work. It appears as though I might be able to get away with running 7 and 10 under the same license key. (now on two different HDDs) 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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clickety[^]
"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare
Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter
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From three years ago? Really? If it's in the first few pages, sure, but THREE @$#%*!# YEARS?!??! Get a life!
What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?
The metaphorical solid rear-end expulsions have impacted the metaphorical motorized bladed rotating air movement mechanism.
Do questions with multiple question marks annoy you???
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Surely the question is why the OP thought it necessary to resurrect a 3 year old story at all, especially as we now have the quite remarkable Space X footage to hand. I mean, what next? Stunning photos of footsteps on the moon?
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Member 9082365 wrote: ...what next? Stunning photos of footsteps on the moon?
That can be found here[^]. It is from 2011.
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
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He kept crowning the wrong tooth.
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Probably quite funny in Punjabi. 
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Richard MacCutchan wrote: Probably quite funny in Punjabi.
I don't speak Punjabi, never been to the UK
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