Dialog | A dialog is an element used to present information to the user or ask the user for information in a separate window. Thereby the information is highlighted against the other parts of the system. |
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Modal dialog | A modal dialog is an element used to present information to the user or ask the user for information in a separate window. Unlike a regular dialog, a modal dialog forces the acting user to interact with the system (e.g., confirm a message, fill in data, ..) before the user can return to the system main window. |
Wizard | A wizard is an assistance system used to guide a user through a workflow consisting of multiple tasks. Therefore, a wizard usually consists of multiple dialogs in an ordered sequence.
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Light box | A light box is a technical artifact that can display web content to realize dialogs in the Intershop Commerce Management application. |
From a business perspective a dialog has at least the following attributes:
Attribute | Description | Sample |
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title | title of the dialog (regularly: action on object) |
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content | all elements used in the back office can be included as content in dialog |
From a technical perspective there exist some more (e.g., z-index, modal), but these are not in focus of this list.
From a business perspective a dialog has the following methods:
Method | Description | Comment |
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close | The dialog always can be closed via
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move | The dialog optionally can be moved via
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scroll | The dialog usually has no scroll bars (neither horizontal nor vertical). The dialog optionally can have scroll bars (horizontal and/or vertical). | Mostly it is not recommended to fill up the dialog with masses of data, it would be hard for the user to recognize the relevant information. Therefore, a dialog that has scroll bars directly after opening must be checked regarding user experience. There are some exceptional cases possible:
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From a technical perspective there exist some more, but these are not in focus of this list.
There are two types of buttons that a dialog generally offers:
The following figure illustrates the attributes and behavior. This is no confirmed interaction design or visual design, but just a model.
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