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Activation


Description

This reference page only provides a short description of the various types of activation. Component Activation describes each type in detail.

Basic Activation
The basic activation model mimics real-life button activation in that pressing on a button activates it. Clicking BSelect on the button must activate the button. [Select] or on a button with the focus must activate the button. [Enter] or on an activatable Menu entry with the focus must activate the entry. In explicit mode, clicking BSelect on a traversable component should move the focus to it. In activatable components, it should have no other effect. In collections, it can change the cursored element or the selection as described in Selection Models.
Accelerators
An accelerator is a key or key combination that invokes the action of some component without the location cursor on the component when the accelerator is pressed. Accelerators are most commonly used to activate Menu items without first posting the Menu.
Mnemonics
A mnemonic is a single character that can be associated with any component that contains a text label. When the location cursor is on a component within a Menu, a MenuBar, or the same field as a component with a mnemonic, typing the mnemonic character must move the location cursor to the component and activate it. If a mnemonic is used for an OptionButton, for a CascadeButton in a MenuBar, or a PushButton that is not in a basic group (that is, not in a Panel, a Menu, or a MenuBar), pressing and the mnemonic anywhere in the window or its Menus must move the cursor to the component with that mnemonic and must activate it.
TearOff Activation
Some Menus have TearOffButtons as their first elements. A TearOffButton is like a PushButton with the special interaction of converting a Menu into a DialogBox; that is, tearing off the Menu from its CascadeButton. TearOffButtons must follow the basic activation model. TearOffButtons have a second activation mechanism. Once a Menu with a TearOffButton is posted, pressing BTransfer in the TearOffButton must start a tear-off action. As long as BTransfer is held, a representation of the Menu must follow the movements of the pointer. Releasing BTransfer must end the tear-off action by unposting the Menu system, creating a new window at the current pointer location with the contents of the Menu, and in explicit pointer mode give focus to the new window.
Help Activation
Pressing on a component must invoke any context-sensitive help for the component or its nearest ancestor with context-sensitive help available. Within DialogBoxes, context-sensitive help should provide help information on the DialogBox as a whole. should invoke the context-sensitive help mode if it is available.
Popup Menu Activation
If the pointer is in an element with an inactive Popup Menu and the context of the element allows a Popup Menu to be displayed, BMenu Press must post (activate) the Menu in a spring-loaded manner, and clicking BMenu must post (activate) the Menu.
Default Activation
In a DialogBox, pressing [Enter] or (except in Text), or double-clicking BSelect must activate the default PushButton in the DialogBox. If the double-click is in a component used for making selections or choices, such as List or RadioBox, the element under the pointer must be selected or should be chosen before the default PushButton is activated.
Expert Activation
Some elements, usually PushButtons and ToggleButtons, can have expert actions associated with them. BSelect Click 2 must activate any expert action for the element. Expert action should only be available in a Panel, and the expert action of all the buttons should be similar. The expert action should include the regular action of the component in a more global manner.
Cancel Activation
is available in most context to stop the current interaction, including canceling drag and drop operations, unposting TearOff Menus, canceling DialogBoxes, unposting Menu systems, and canceling scrolling operations.

Related Information

See Component Activation for more information about the activation model.