WinWord: Drop-Down List Boxes Stay Open When Not in Use

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Word for Windows, the drop-down list boxes in the Open dialog box remain open as you scroll through either the File Name box or the Directories box using the scroll bar. The Open dialog box contains two drop-down list boxes: the List Files of Type box and the Drives box.

MORE INFORMATION

To illustrate this behavior, follow the steps below:

1. From the File menu, choose Open.

2. In the Directories box, select a directory that has many subdirectories so that the box has active scroll bars.

3. Using the mouse, click the Drives drop-down arrow to open the Drives list.

4. Using the mouse, click the Directories list scroll arrow or click and drag the scroll box.

You may expect the Drives list to close when you scroll through the Directories list; however, the Drives list is actually behaving in a manner consistent with Microsoft Windows conventions. Because the scroll bar is a navigation tool and NOT a piece of information, the drop-down list remains open. As soon as you select information somewhere in the dialog box, the open drop-down box closes.

You can demonstrate this behavior in the Windows environment by opening the Print Setup dialog box, either in Word for Windows or in the Windows Control Panel. If you open the Printer drop-down list box and scroll through the Cartridges box using the scroll bar, the Printer drop-down list box remains open.