Application Window Management (Common Desktop Environment: Style Guide and Certification Checklist)

Common Desktop Environment: Style Guide and Certification Checklist

Application Window Management

	y	n/a	n
Recommend	_	_	_	ak:	Applications should not require or force windows or window icons to be positioned at a particular screen location.
Recommend	_	_	_	al:	A secondary window is placed by the application relative to the associated primary window. It should be placed close to, but not obscuring, the component that caused it to be displayed and the information that is necessary to interact with the dialog box. Some suggestions are given in section 6.2.4.3, "Determining Dialog Box Location and Size," of the OSF/Motif Style Guide, Revision 1.2. Additional or modified recommendations include:
Optional	_	_	_	am:	If a dialog box does not relate to specific items in the underlying window, it should be placed below the menu bar (if there is one) and centered (horizontally) over the work area.
Recommend	_	_	_	an:	If a secondary window is allowed to be stacked below its associated primary window (not constrained to stay on top of the primary window), it should be placed such that it is not completely covered by the primary window. This recommendation takes precedence over other placement recommendations.
Recommend	_	_	_	ao:	If a menu or dialog box is already on display, reinvoking the command that caused it to be displayed automatically brings that window or menu to the front of the window stack without changing its position on the screen.

	y	n/a	n
Optional	_	_	_	ap:	Windows that are closely related in supporting a particular task should be placed in a window cluster. Secondary windows are automatically placed in a window cluster with the associated primary window. Windows in a window cluster are stacked together, minimized or normalized together, and kept in the same workspace.

Note -

Currently the only mechanism for forming a window cluster that is supported by the Window Manager is to indicate a primary-secondary relationship.

	y	n/a	n
Required	_	_	_	aq:	Windows should follow Common Desktop Environment window management functionality conventions, as shown in Table 10-2

Table 10-2 Common Desktop Environment Window Management Conventions


	Close	Move	Lower	Min	Max	Resize
Primary Window: Default Front Panel	Yes No	Yes Yes	Yes Yes	Yes Yes	Yes [Resize and maximize functionality should be provided for primary windows if appropriate.] No	Yes¹ No
Secondary Window: Default Subpanel	Yes Yes	Yes Yes	Yes Yes	No No	No [Secondary windows can contain the Maximum and Resize window manager functions, if appropriate. ] No	No² No

	y	n/a	n
Required	_	_	_	ar:	Windows that support particular window management functionality should request corresponding window decoration (for example, a window that can be minimized should request the minimize button).
Required	_	_	_	as:	Windows that have form factor constraints need to set Window Manager hints for minimum size, maximum size, aspect ratio, and resize increment as appropriate.
Recommended	_	_	_	at:	Maximizing a window should show more content (objects or controls) if appropriate (as opposed to scaling up the sizes of objects and controls).
Required	_	_	_	au:	Windows that have Close or Exit functionality need to support the window management protocol for Close if there is a window menu. In the case of dialog boxes, the Close item on the window menu corresponds to the Cancel functionality or dialog box dismissal with no further action taken.
Recommended	_	_	_	av:	When your application creates a new window, it should come up in the user's current workspace and only occupy that single workspace.
Recommended	_	_	_	aw:	Application windows that are related to a particular task should move together between workspaces.