Re: Pop-up Window vs. Dialog Box
I never use "pop-up window" -- it's too vague. "Dialog box" means just
that: You and the computer are exchanging information. As in:
"The Thirsty Hard Drive dialog box is displayed. Select Water, Wine, or
Beer, and then click OK."
I agree.
>
If a message is displayed that doesn't require or allow a response, I
don't use "dialog box." Instead, I would write:
"A message is displayed: 'Your hard drive would like a glass of warm
milk.' Click OK to close this message."
I feel uncomfortable about the concept of "closing"
a message, first because of the noun, and second
because you're not actually clicking OK just to
close the message object but to confirm the content of
the message. We sometimes call this type of object
a "confirmation dialog box" - it still requires some
interaction so I think it qualifies as a dialog box
but it is a specific type. Also, most of the time
this type of dialog box appears near the end of a
series of steps where the reader has been making
choices so often you don't even need to repeat the
message.
In the latter case, I'd recommend rewriting this as:
"Click OK in the confirmation dialog box that appears."
If the message isn't obvious from the preceding text,
I'd probably say something like:
"A confirmation dialog box displays the message `Your
hard drive would like a glass of warm milk.' Click OK
to provide the milk, or click Cancel to return to the
previous whatever."
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References:
RE: Pop-up Window vs. Dialog Box: From: Dan Goldstein
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