How to make an Unclickable Check Box

[Edwin Gore]

I'm guilty of doing this as well...

I have a number of attributes about an item and some of them can be set by the user and some of them are set automatically based on information the application has derived about the item.

I haven't worked on the Mac in some time, and I have never really looked around to see how other applications handle this situation.

I'm not really fond of using color as an indicator, since this has it's own set of problems (color perception, etc.), plus my application otherwise doesn't make use of color in the interface.

What are some other ways that people can think of to handle this situation?

Ideas I am coming up with off the top of my head include bulleting/un-bulleting, disabling/enabling the text indicator (perception problems again though), or simply hiding and showing the indicator text. Or maybe a graphic checkmark next to the text for the indicator - the lack of a framing box, and the visual difference between the check and the "X" of a checkbox might be enough. Does the mac still use an "X" in a checkbox, or does it use a cooler looking checkmark now - because that would make it confusing if I did that...

What other ideas do people have?

>----- ------- Original Message ------- -----
>From: miscdas at boxfrog.com
>To: use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
>Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 12:09:15
>
>Dan Shafer writes: 
>
>> 
>> On Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at 06:41 AM, Jan
>Schenkel suggested to 
>> Sannyasin: 
>> 
>> 
>>> Turn off the autoHilite of the checkbox, and
>leave the
>>> script of the checkbox empty. Now it won't be
>hilited
>>> unless you set its hilite from a script. 
>>> 
>> Pardon the intrusion, but it may be worth noting
>that an unclickable 
>> checkbox is a violation of Apple's Human
>Interface Guidelines and of 
>> general UI design rules about user expectations.
>I'd respectfully suggest 
>> some other way of indicating the user's connected
>state than a checkbox he 
>> can't click on or change. I guarantee you'll have
>frustrated and confused 
>> users. 
>> 
>> A text label whose contents changes from
>CONNECTED to NOT CONNECTED would 
>> be as easy to design and code and be much more
>meaningful in the bargain. 
>> 
>> Just MHO.
>
>============
>How about importing a red and a green graphic that
>look like LEDs? Green for 
>connected, red for not. (Or, if you don't want
>anything fancy, just use the 
>drawing tools and make a red and green circle right
>in Rev.)Hide and show as 
>appropriate. 
>
>miscdas 
>_______________________________________________
>use-revolution mailing list
>use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
>http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolu
>tion