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  3. (Can I talk about UI?) Column headers vs content alignment

(Can I talk about UI?) Column headers vs content alignment

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  • J Jeremy Falcon

    I actually think left aligned is way to go. I was just on a thumbs up rampage and you got caught in the crossfires. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    Jeremy Falcon

    0 Offline
    0 Offline
    0x01AA
    wrote on last edited by
    #11

    I dont see the crossfires :laugh: For me a checkbox columns looks better in center alignment. But I think that is a very personal taste thing.

    J 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • M Maximilien

      I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

      Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
      X X X X X
      o o o o o
      O o O O o
      o O o o O

      Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
      X X X X X
      o o o o o
      O o O O o
      o O o o O

      Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

      CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

      J Offline
      J Offline
      Jeremy Falcon
      wrote on last edited by
      #12

      If you follow this style guide insofar as the alignment goes you'll be ok... [Table and Data Grid Guidelines](https://balsamiq.com/learn/ui-control-guidelines/tables-data-grids/) Just don't forget to do the opposite for RTL languages for cells that aren't form controls.

      Jeremy Falcon

      M 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • 0 0x01AA

        I dont see the crossfires :laugh: For me a checkbox columns looks better in center alignment. But I think that is a very personal taste thing.

        J Offline
        J Offline
        Jeremy Falcon
        wrote on last edited by
        #13

        Crap I need some coffee. I agree with that in regards to check-boxes, just not plain text. I might nuke my post.

        Jeremy Falcon

        0 E 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • J Jeremy Falcon

          Crap I need some coffee. I agree with that in regards to check-boxes, just not plain text. I might nuke my post.

          Jeremy Falcon

          0 Offline
          0 Offline
          0x01AA
          wrote on last edited by
          #14

          Don't worry ;)

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • J Jeremy Falcon

            If you follow this style guide insofar as the alignment goes you'll be ok... [Table and Data Grid Guidelines](https://balsamiq.com/learn/ui-control-guidelines/tables-data-grids/) Just don't forget to do the opposite for RTL languages for cells that aren't form controls.

            Jeremy Falcon

            M Offline
            M Offline
            Maximilien
            wrote on last edited by
            #15

            damn, a guideline !! I'm doomed!! Thanks.

            CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

            R 1 Reply Last reply
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            • M Maximilien

              I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

              Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
              X X X X X
              o o o o o
              O o O O o
              o O o o O

              Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
              X X X X X
              o o o o o
              O o O O o
              o O o o O

              Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

              CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

              M Offline
              M Offline
              Marc Clifton
              wrote on last edited by
              #16

              Make it user configurable. ;) Make sure you support right-to-left languages. :) Or, as my French teacher told me, if you don't know which way the accent mark goes, just draw a horizontal line and the testers can't ding you. AKA: center-aligned. ;)

              Latest Articles:
              A Lightweight Thread Safe In-Memory Keyed Generic Cache Collection Service A Dynamic Where Implementation for Entity Framework

              M C 2 Replies Last reply
              0
              • M Marc Clifton

                Make it user configurable. ;) Make sure you support right-to-left languages. :) Or, as my French teacher told me, if you don't know which way the accent mark goes, just draw a horizontal line and the testers can't ding you. AKA: center-aligned. ;)

                Latest Articles:
                A Lightweight Thread Safe In-Memory Keyed Generic Cache Collection Service A Dynamic Where Implementation for Entity Framework

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Maximilien
                wrote on last edited by
                #17

                Every friggin' thing is configurable in our software. This is one of the rare UI that will not be configurable

                CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                J J D 3 Replies Last reply
                0
                • M Maximilien

                  I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

                  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                  X X X X X
                  o o o o o
                  O o O O o
                  o O o o O

                  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                  X X X X X
                  o o o o o
                  O o O O o
                  o O o o O

                  Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

                  CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                  B Offline
                  B Offline
                  BernardIE5317
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #18

                  Center of course for the obvious logical reason previously stated. Also : Vertical line separators. Each column in alternating colors. Upon hover icons fly around depending on column. to wit exempli gratia: Monday flying piggies Tuesday flying kittens Wednesday flying puppies Thursday flying butterflies Friday flying froggies Of course the library of flying icons should be user extensible. Distinct perhaps random fonts is user optional.

                  1 Reply Last reply
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                  • J Jeremy Falcon

                    Crap I need some coffee. I agree with that in regards to check-boxes, just not plain text. I might nuke my post.

                    Jeremy Falcon

                    E Offline
                    E Offline
                    englebart
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #19

                    Make sure you reach orbit first!

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • M Maximilien

                      I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

                      Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                      X X X X X
                      o o o o o
                      O o O O o
                      o O o o O

                      Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                      X X X X X
                      o o o o o
                      O o O O o
                      o O o o O

                      Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

                      CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                      E Offline
                      E Offline
                      englebart
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #20

                      Bring back the survey!

                      K 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • M Maximilien

                        damn, a guideline !! I'm doomed!! Thanks.

                        CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                        R Offline
                        R Offline
                        Rick York
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #21

                        Don't sweat it. Guidelines are just someone else's opinion.

                        "They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"

                        J 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • R Rick York

                          Don't sweat it. Guidelines are just someone else's opinion.

                          "They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          Jeremy Falcon
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #22

                          Yes, but the opinion of a UX expert writing said guidelines should at least hold some weight say against that of a gardener or a meth dealer. :laugh:

                          Jeremy Falcon

                          P R T 3 Replies Last reply
                          0
                          • M Maximilien

                            Every friggin' thing is configurable in our software. This is one of the rare UI that will not be configurable

                            CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jeremy Falcon
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #23

                            Maximilien wrote:

                            This is one of the rare UI that will not be configurable

                            Don't forget the read only checkbox they can't uncheck that says make this not configurable. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

                            Jeremy Falcon

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M Maximilien

                              Every friggin' thing is configurable in our software. This is one of the rare UI that will not be configurable

                              CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                              J Offline
                              J Offline
                              jeron1
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #24

                              Maximilien wrote:

                              rare UI that will not be configurable

                              .....until the afternoon before the scheduled release date. :)

                              "the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • E englebart

                                Bring back the survey!

                                K Offline
                                K Offline
                                kmoorevs
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #25

                                :thumbsup:+5 for mentioning this! I used to look forward to the weekly surveys. :)

                                "Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • M Maximilien

                                  Every friggin' thing is configurable in our software. This is one of the rare UI that will not be configurable

                                  CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                                  D Offline
                                  D Offline
                                  DerekT P
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #26

                                  Then make sure to make the number of weekday columns configurable, for when we (finally) narrow down the week to 3 days (yes, I do remember the 1970s); but allow for up to 10 days, for when we decimalise the calendar.

                                  Telegraph marker posts ... nothing to do with IT Phasmid email discussion group ... also nothing to do with IT Beekeeping and honey site ... still nothing to do with IT

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • M Maximilien

                                    I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

                                    Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                                    X X X X X
                                    o o o o o
                                    O o O O o
                                    o O o o O

                                    Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                                    X X X X X
                                    o o o o o
                                    O o O O o
                                    o O o o O

                                    Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

                                    CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                                    R Offline
                                    R Offline
                                    RedDk
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #27

                                    I've been thinking about this and I'd categorically tell anyone asking about justifying text that would ultimately be copied and pasted, left justify it. Because of the use but also because of the westwardness of things in general. On a lighter note: A Zoo visiter walks past the front gate of Jack Hanna's Imperial Animal Venue and approaching the docent at the first water attraction he comes across, gazing with astonishment at the creature wallowing in the shallows below the fence, says to him "That is the strangest reptile I've ever seen" to which the docent points to the shingle hanging above and says "That's the world's meanest orneriest lizard and it's called a Crockagator, hence the sign". The visitor reads the title of the sign and steps a couple feet closer to read the finer print beneath the bold letters and says out loud "Two-headed beast: one end the mouth of an alligator, on the other end the mouth of crocadile". He kinda scratches his head for a moment and thinks to himself then says to the docent "I see ... two heads, must be very hard to feed and eats a lot to boot. But what makes him so beastly"? To which the docent replies: "If you had a mouth on one end of you and another mouth on the other end of you, you'd be mighty beastly too.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • M Marc Clifton

                                      Make it user configurable. ;) Make sure you support right-to-left languages. :) Or, as my French teacher told me, if you don't know which way the accent mark goes, just draw a horizontal line and the testers can't ding you. AKA: center-aligned. ;)

                                      Latest Articles:
                                      A Lightweight Thread Safe In-Memory Keyed Generic Cache Collection Service A Dynamic Where Implementation for Entity Framework

                                      C Offline
                                      C Offline
                                      charlieg
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #28

                                      that right there. leave it up to the user, but default to centering. Better yet, add some data collection to see what users actually like. I've been a long proponent for this, as I think the vast majority of features are rarely used. I'm thinking Word, Excel, most of the Windows desktop, applications and systems I've written, etc.

                                      Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • J Jeremy Falcon

                                        Yes, but the opinion of a UX expert writing said guidelines should at least hold some weight say against that of a gardener or a meth dealer. :laugh:

                                        Jeremy Falcon

                                        P Offline
                                        P Offline
                                        PJ Arends
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #29

                                        Quote:

                                        should at least hold some weight say against that of a gardener or a meth dealer

                                        I will just keep my opinions to myself then

                                        Within you lies the power for good - Use it!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • M Maximilien

                                          I don't think there is a UI specific forum and the question is language agnostic... I have a UI with headers (days of the week) and checkbox/radiobox under each day of the week. Should I left align the checkbox/radio box with the header ? or center-align ? and columns will all be same width in the real thing. (x for check box, o and O for radio box )

                                          Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                                          X X X X X
                                          o o o o o
                                          O o O O o
                                          o O o o O

                                          Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
                                          X X X X X
                                          o o o o o
                                          O o O O o
                                          o O o o O

                                          Discuss/fight/troll me... Thanks.

                                          CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          rob tillaart
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #30

                                          Have you considered rotating 90 degrees? So the weekdays form column one etc.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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