Optionally, you can also support a Reset command for canceling pending changes without closing the window.
Property sheets typically allow the user to change the values for a property and then apply those transactions. Include the follow-ing common command buttons for handling the application of property changes.
|
Command |
Action |
|
OK |
Applies all pending changes and closes the property sheet window. |
|
Apply |
Applies all pending changes but leaves the property sheet window open. |
|
Cancel |
Discards any pending changes and closes the property sheet window. Does not cancel or undo changes that have already been applied. |
Note
Optionally, you can also support a Reset command for canceling pending changes without closing the window.
You can also include other command buttons in property sheets. However, the location of command buttons within the property sheet window is very important. If you place a button on a property page, apply the action associated with the button to that page. For command buttons placed outside the page but still inside the window, apply the command to the entire window.
For the common property sheet transaction buttons — OK, Cancel, and Apply — it is best to place the buttons outside the pages because users consider the pages to be just a simple grouping or navigation technique. This means that if the user makes a change on one page, the change is not applied when the user switches pages. However, if the user makes a change on the new page and then chooses the OK or Apply command buttons, both changes are applied — or, in the case of Cancel, discarded.
If your design requires groups of properties to be applied on a page-by-page basis, then place OK, Cancel, and Apply command buttons on the property pages, always in the same location on each page. When the user switches pages, any property value changes for that page are applied, or you can prompt the user with a message box whether to apply or discard the changes.
You can include a sample in a property sheet window to illustrate a property value change that affects the object when the user applies the property sheet. Where possible, include the aspect of the object that will be affected in the sample. For example, if the user selects text and displays the property sheet for the text, include part of the text selection in the property sheets sample. If displaying the actual object — or a portion of it — in the sample is not practical, use an illustration that represents the object's type.