Figure 4.1. Application navigation tabs

Application areas are grouped into tabs that logically separate parts of the system. Selecting a tab displays the controls and information related to that area. Users will be familiar with the concept of tabs from many other applications.

Figure 4.2. The Actions area. Click to perform the action.

Throughout the application, the Actions area lists a number of tasks or actions that can be performed. The Actions list is always located in the top left-hand corner of the application window. Actions are adaptive and the list of actions changes depending on the area of the application being viewed.

Figure 4.3. Buttons to validate and save settings

Changes made to options, user settings or configurations are only validated and applied after submitting the change. Screens that you can save in the application will have the following buttons located at the bottom:

Figure 4.4. The crumb trail highlighting the location

The crumb trail serves two purposes. It maps out the navigation path followed by the user and provides a way to navigate up (back) the navigation path. For example, while editing a user's account, the crumb trail provides a hyperlink up one level back to the User List.

Figure 4.5. A red status message indicating a validation error

Important status messages are displayed in the top section of the application window. Messages relating to an error or requiring user intervention are displayed in red. Standard messages are displayed in green and cautions in yellow.

Figure 4.6. A field highlighted indicating a validation error

Configuring printers, users or settings are often done via text fields. Changes made to fields are validated after pressing OK or Apply buttons. If the field fails validation, the offending data is marked with a red asterisk. Typical validation errors include invalid number or currency formats.