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Default Activation


Any window can have a default action, although default actions are most frequently used in DialogBoxes. A DialogBox should have a default action associated with it. The default action in a window can change depending upon which component has the focus. The current default action should correspond to the action of some PushButton, called the current default PushButton of the window.

The current default PushButton must be highlighted in some way, usually by displaying a border around it. When the focus is on a PushButton, its action must be the default action, and the PushButton must show default highlighting. If the default action in a window varies, some PushButton must always have default highlighting, except when there is no current default action.

In a DialogBox, default PushButtons should be in the bottom area of PushButtons of the DialogBox. However, if a particular default action is associated with a cluster of controls in a window, the corresponding default PushButton can be located adjacent to the cluster.

When an explicit focus policy is in use, and the focus is outside the window, default highlighting should be placed on the PushButton whose action corresponds to the default action that would result from moving the focus to the window by using keyboard navigation among windows.

The default action of a DialogBox is activated according to the following rules:

Except in the middle of a button motion operation, anywhere in a DialogBox must be equivalent to activating the Cancel PushButton in the DialogBox.