OS X Mountain Lion Bible

Surveying Applications' Controls

Most OS X applications have the same kinds of user interface elements after you've opened them. Apple provides these elements with OS X, so all developers can use them and users get a consistent experience—one of the Mac's hallmarks.

Not all applications use the standard OS X elements; Microsoft insists on bringing over Windows-style controls in its Office, and Adobe Systems has developed two separate visual approaches of its own (one in Creative Suite and one in its Elements series) that it imposes on both OS X and Windows users. Typically, the “foreign” approaches favor cramped, cluttered presentation, obscure icons, and lots and lots of toolbars. But even these variations follow the same basic approaches that OS X offers, so most differences are cosmetic.

Function containers

Of course, every OS X application has its menu bar. And almost every application uses windows for its documents. Chapter 3 explains the common menu options in the menu bar for all applications, and Chapter 4 explains the basic controls in windows. These elements contain functions in a clear location that operate in a consistent manner.

But there are other major containers for functions in applications:

• Toolbars: Usually, one or more toolbars contain icon buttons and/or text buttons for quick access to major features. Figure 7.5 shows the LibreOffice 3 toolbar as an example.

• Dialog boxes: One of the original Apple user interface inventions, dialog boxes contain controls ...