How to swap OK and Cancel in dialog boxes?

[hucker]

I have a major problem with Windows dialog boxes. Everything in my life is affirmative action to the right (stereo volume control, car accelerator, etc). Linux and Mac have OK on the right, that's fine. Even though I virtually never use those two OSes, non-computer things in life have ingrained it into my head that yes is on the right and no is on the left. Almost 50% of the time I subconsciously click the wrong button in a Windows dialog box because I expect OK to be on the right. "Do you want to save this?" "Yes, oh no, I pressed cancel!"

There must be some utility I can use to swap these buttons over?

 

[Wolfie]

Hi hucker,

I have no idea myself but you might find an answer at the following link???.

Dialog controls - Windows apps

Dialogs display transient UI elements that appear when the user requests them or when something happens that requires notification or approval.

docs.microsoft.com

 

[hucker]

Hi hucker,

I have no idea myself but you might find an answer at the following link???.

Dialog controls - Windows apps

Dialogs display transient UI elements that appear when the user requests them or when something happens that requires notification or approval.

docs.microsoft.com

I doubt I'll get any sense from Microsoft, they seem to think we all use phones, and have a thumb so short it doesn't reach across the screen:

"Some platforms put the affirmation button on the right instead of the left. So why do we recommend putting it on the left? If you assume that the majority of users are right-handed and they hold their phone with that hand, it's actually more comfortable to press the affirmation button when it's on the left, because the button is more likely to be within the user's thumb-arc. Buttons on the right-side of the screen require the user to pull their thumb inward into a less-comfortable position."

 

[Bighorn]

Programmers have their way of doing things when creating software. In the USA and some other English-speaking countries most reading is from left to right so it does make sense in having the first negative action being on the left. With the accepting action on the right makes it more of an affirmative/deliberate action on the part of the user.

 

[Wolfie]

Hi hucker,

to be honest, I think you should just take more notice before clicking on a button, I have often clicked on the wrong button myself in the past, just take more care before clicking in the future, I really don't know what else to suggest???.

 

[hucker]

Programmers have their way of doing things when creating software. In the USA and some other English-speaking countries most reading is from left to right so it does make sense in having the first negative action being on the left. With the accepting action on the right makes it more of an affirmative/deliberate action on the part of the user.

Agreed. Affirmative on the right. Like Macs and Linux.
So why is Microsoft, which is based in the USA, different?

 

[hucker]

Hi hucker,

to be honest, I think you should just take more notice before clicking on a button, I have often clicked on the wrong button myself in the past, just take more care before clicking in the future, I really don't know what else to suggest???.

The trouble is a dialog box is normally answered subconsciously and very quickly. I click to delete a file for example and either immediately think "yes yes of course I meant it, get on with it", or "oh no! panic! don't do that!" Just as in your car when you see someone walking in front of you, you don't think "now which is the brake?" you just stand on the left pedal. If some makes had cars with the pedals the other way round, all hell would brake loose.

 

[Wolfie]

Fortunately the OK or cancel buttons won't kill you!.

 

[davehc]

Followed this thread and have to ask -in which dialogue box do you get the response
" Do you want to save this?"
This is the closest I can get, in this case a new document.

If I press cancel, nothing occurs until I press Save or Don't save

 

[hucker]

Followed this thread and have to ask -in which dialogue box do you get the response
" Do you want to save this?"
This is the closest I can get, in this case a new document.
View attachment 12354

If I press cancel, nothing occurs until I press Save or Don't save

What if you intended to discard some incorrect changes you made, clicked the left button thinking that was no, and overwrote your previous work?

 

[davehc]

Not really in the picture, sorry. I have just typed a few lines in wordpad, saved it and then reopened it and made a couple of corrections. I can then only go to the file menu with the usual sav as etc - no dialogue box, If, however, I choose to click the X to discard the window, then I get

Pretty straightforward choice?

 

[hucker]

Not really in the picture, sorry. I have just typed a few lines in wordpad, saved it and then reopened it and made a couple of corrections. I can then only go to the file menu with the usual sav as etc - no dialogue box, If, however, I choose to click the X to discard the window, then I get
View attachment 12357

Pretty straightforward choice?

My problem is where the buttons are. Everything in life has the affirmative action on the right, like a car accelerator or a stereo volume control (and even Mac and Linux dialog boxes). I very often quickly click the right button thinking it will mean yes.

And I don't know whether you intended your masked statue of liberty picture to mean that, but I take it that way, the government enforced masks have removed our liberties. I do not own, have never owned, and never will own a mask. Any shop refusing my entry will lose me as a customer, permanently.

 

[davehc]

No bad feelings intended. I was just curious. I am not a natural typist. Anything I do with typing, abe it a keyboard or dialogue boxes, is with deliberate and careful consideration. Old age has even begun to interfere with any natural typing instincts I may have once had!
Yes, when the virus first began to strike, I changed my avatar as being topical (in my mind). It is no longer a joke. In spite of assurance from different governments around the world, I see no significant abatement of the virus - yet.
I try to cooperate with the restrictions but, with normal breathing difficulties, would find it a problem to have to wear a mask constantly.

 

[davehc]

Ok. I intended to imply that the Laptop would not boot into the OS.. In fact, I have googled for a better answer. The Cmos battery also stores the bios setup, but will revert to the defaults, if the battery is faulty. There seems to be conflicting answers, but, it does seem that, if the defaults are satisfactory, the computer could still boot into the OS ---IF the main battery was OK.
In huckers case, assuming he is not runnung on main power, it does seem that he would have a dead computer OS, if the Cmos battery was faulty.

 

[hucker]

No bad feelings intended. I was just curious. I am not a natural typist. Anything I do with typing, abe it a keyboard or dialogue boxes, is with deliberate and careful consideration. Old age has even begun to interfere with any natural typing instincts I may have once had!
Yes, when the virus first began to strike, I changed my avatar as being topical (in my mind). It is no longer a joke. In spite of assurance from different governments around the world, I see no significant abatement of the virus - yet.
I try to cooperate with the restrictions but, with normal breathing difficulties, would find it a problem to have to wear a mask constantly.

The restrictions are absurd, and I disobey them all. I don't own a mask and never will. If I want to risk my own life, that's entirely up to me. I'm not risking you as you're free to hide indoors or wear your own mask. And I live in Scotland, where we have one death per FORTNIGHT! And yet they still have silly rules.

 

[hucker]

Ok. I intended to imply that the Laptop would not boot into the OS.. In fact, I have googled for a better answer. The Cmos battery also stores the bios setup, but will revert to the defaults, if the battery is faulty. There seems to be conflicting answers, but, it does seem that, if the defaults are satisfactory, the computer could still boot into the OS ---IF the main battery was OK.
In huckers case, assuming he is not runnung on main power, it does seem that he would have a dead computer OS, if the Cmos battery was faulty.

Have you posted this in the wrong thread? There's no mention of batteries in here.

 

[davehc]

Yeah usng my mobile on my knee. Sorry for the confusion

 

[hucker]

Yeah usng my mobile on my knee. Sorry for the confusion

You confused yourself too, as you referred to me while talking about someone else's problem

 

[davehc]

What a mess No excuses! Lot of domestic issues at the moment. Not helping at my age. I guess I should take a break

 

[Bighorn]

The restrictions are absurd, and I disobey them all. I don't own a mask and never will. If I want to risk my own life, that's entirely up to me. I'm not risking you as you're free to hide indoors or wear your own mask. And I live in Scotland, where we have one death per FORTNIGHT! And yet they still have silly rules.

I look at the mask thing a bit different, if someone is wearing a mask they are protecting themselves and me at the same time.