Form Design Tips for MAC OS

[bcusick]

This post came about as a request from another forum member. We were having a discussion about Mac OS style and I thought this might help your developement efforts on your cross platform solutions:

I have two style sheets in my solutions. One for Mac, and one for everything else.

Then at startup - I have a method that checks the platform, and then uses application.overRideStyle() to use the Mac style sheet on the Mac, and the "regular" stylesheet on every other platform.

Another tips:
1) You want NO LINE around the fields that are combo boxes (on the mac) - but DO want them everywhere else;

2) Button heights less than 26px will not draw in rounded buttons;

3) Field heights should be at LEAST 22px or the popup menu widget won't draw properly;

4) Lucida Grande draws a little wider than Tahoma;

5) If you design for the Mac, then in general, the PC version is fine.

Hope this helps.

[IT2Be]

Great tips Bob, these are 'ESSENTIAL DESIGN TIPS'...

[smirzai]

Thanks Bob. I'm so happy to read this.

If it's not too much trouble, could you post sample style sheets for PC and Mac that you commonly use?

Thanks

Sham

[ROCLASI]

2) Button heights less than 26px will not draw in rounded buttons;

Make that:
Rounded buttons will only draw when your button is 26-29 pixels high. Anything less or more will be a square button.

[rarbuthnot]

2) Button heights less than 26px will not draw in rounded buttons;

Make that:
Rounded buttons will only draw when your button is 26-29 pixels high. Anything less or more will be a square button.

Mine are still round when more than 29 px high.

[rarbuthnot]

4) Lucida Grande draws a little wider than Tahoma;

5) If you design for the Mac, then in general, the PC version is fine.

The biggest problem I find is not giving your labels or buttons enough length to fit all the text when you are designing on the mac. Your text is bound to get cut off when displayed in Windows. So, you have to remember to leave 5, preferrably 10 extra pixels, of length.

[ROCLASI]

2) Button heights less than 26px will not draw in rounded buttons;

Make that:
Rounded buttons will only draw when your button is 26-29 pixels high. Anything less or more will be a square button.

Mine are still round when more than 29 px high.

Very interesting. Are you using the default settings?
This is what I see:


You don't get this as well ?
Or is this a naming issue, since the button is square up to 22 pixels and then changes into a rounded bevelbutton. And between 26 and 29 pixels it is a pushbutton.

[rarbuthnot]

Ooh. Very nice example. I guess I just meant that the corners of the button are still round, but I see the difference you are talking about now. Very interesting.