May 15, 2009 at 21:55Clumsy post interfaces (keys / shortcuts)
I have long wanted to speak on one topic. Namely, “Modifier Keys” (Shift, Alt, CTRL, Win / CMD / Apple / Amiga).
Do they have the right (by clicking on them) to perform any action?
I believe that they do not. Take, for example, ALT - it is used in key combinations such as ALT + F4 (win) or ALT + F2 (Far), or (God forgive me) ALT + SHIFT (rus / lat).
However, a person may change their mind about pressing a key combination or pressing a modifier key by accident. And then what will happen? On the "safe", normal modifier keys - nothing.
These include Windows Shift and CTRL. And on the “dangerous” ones like WIN or ALT, the most complete nonsense will happen: ALT will change the input focus by moving the cursor to the menu bar. WIN - can generally throw you out of the full-screen mode of the application, only to joyfully show you the start menu.
Hence the first rule of the keyboard user interface: the modifier key itself must be inert. (Nothing should happen when you click on it.)
Further, there is a terrible combination ALT + SHIFT, which in some cases is used in Windows to switch keyboard layouts. Why is it terrible? If you missed SHIFT or didn’t press it clearly enough and it didn’t work, a single ALT will work, which will change the input focus and spit you out of the menu bar. And since you wrote the text at this time, you may not notice this and your clicks in the worst case may lead to the execution of any menu commands, or simply to an unpleasant input of several letters into the void.
The combination of CTRL + SHIFT is not particularly better, because although it is “safe” and inert (that is, nothing will happen if a key does not work), the flip side of this “security” is that it is impossible to find out the focus of attention whether the switch occurred (rus / lat indicator, as a rule, is out of sight during typing).
And why? Because the second rule is violated: the combination of modifier keys with each other should also remain inert (that is, you cannot assign any actions to combinations of the CTRL + SHIFT or CTRL + SHIFT + ALT type - firstly, because if this action is silent and imperceptible - it will not be possible to immediately unambiguously determine whether it happened or not, and secondly, any exception to the rule of inertia of modifier keys destroys the feeling of "security").
Which combination would be more successful for switching layouts? (since he was cited as an example). But at least the same CTRL + Space (or CMD + Space on Mac). Why is it better? 1) a combination of a safe modifier key and a conditionally safe space key is used (it is conditionally safe when entering text - since the space character does not spoil the text). 2) in case of failure of the modifier key, we will immediately see this - instead of switching the layout, a space is entered.
In general, for complete happiness in windows it is necessary: 1) to make all modifier keys inert and, finally, ALT and WIN to get rid of these terrible side effects. 2) disable all actions assigned to modifier key combinations.
And then, perhaps, managing applications (and the system itself) with the help of hot keys will become more convenient (they will finally begin to use the “WIN” button on a full scale along with everyone).
(ps this post is the answer to the sub-castle post . To read it, subscribe to the blog “these user interfaces” .)
NB Friends, switching layouts is just one example. You should not take it to heart =) The main question is: “should modifier keys and their combinations be inert”.
(In other words: is it worthwhile, for the sake of doubtful convenience, to call any one function with one key - to get the inconvenience of using this key in all combinations with it?)
Do they have the right (by clicking on them) to perform any action?
I believe that they do not. Take, for example, ALT - it is used in key combinations such as ALT + F4 (win) or ALT + F2 (Far), or (God forgive me) ALT + SHIFT (rus / lat).
However, a person may change their mind about pressing a key combination or pressing a modifier key by accident. And then what will happen? On the "safe", normal modifier keys - nothing.
These include Windows Shift and CTRL. And on the “dangerous” ones like WIN or ALT, the most complete nonsense will happen: ALT will change the input focus by moving the cursor to the menu bar. WIN - can generally throw you out of the full-screen mode of the application, only to joyfully show you the start menu.
Hence the first rule of the keyboard user interface: the modifier key itself must be inert. (Nothing should happen when you click on it.)
Further, there is a terrible combination ALT + SHIFT, which in some cases is used in Windows to switch keyboard layouts. Why is it terrible? If you missed SHIFT or didn’t press it clearly enough and it didn’t work, a single ALT will work, which will change the input focus and spit you out of the menu bar. And since you wrote the text at this time, you may not notice this and your clicks in the worst case may lead to the execution of any menu commands, or simply to an unpleasant input of several letters into the void.
The combination of CTRL + SHIFT is not particularly better, because although it is “safe” and inert (that is, nothing will happen if a key does not work), the flip side of this “security” is that it is impossible to find out the focus of attention whether the switch occurred (rus / lat indicator, as a rule, is out of sight during typing).
And why? Because the second rule is violated: the combination of modifier keys with each other should also remain inert (that is, you cannot assign any actions to combinations of the CTRL + SHIFT or CTRL + SHIFT + ALT type - firstly, because if this action is silent and imperceptible - it will not be possible to immediately unambiguously determine whether it happened or not, and secondly, any exception to the rule of inertia of modifier keys destroys the feeling of "security").
Which combination would be more successful for switching layouts? (since he was cited as an example). But at least the same CTRL + Space (or CMD + Space on Mac). Why is it better? 1) a combination of a safe modifier key and a conditionally safe space key is used (it is conditionally safe when entering text - since the space character does not spoil the text). 2) in case of failure of the modifier key, we will immediately see this - instead of switching the layout, a space is entered.
In general, for complete happiness in windows it is necessary: 1) to make all modifier keys inert and, finally, ALT and WIN to get rid of these terrible side effects. 2) disable all actions assigned to modifier key combinations.
And then, perhaps, managing applications (and the system itself) with the help of hot keys will become more convenient (they will finally begin to use the “WIN” button on a full scale along with everyone).
(ps this post is the answer to the sub-castle post . To read it, subscribe to the blog “these user interfaces” .)
NB Friends, switching layouts is just one example. You should not take it to heart =) The main question is: “should modifier keys and their combinations be inert”.
(In other words: is it worthwhile, for the sake of doubtful convenience, to call any one function with one key - to get the inconvenience of using this key in all combinations with it?)