Button vs. Icon?

Subject: Button vs. Icon?
From: Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 14:00:37 -0500


Suzanne McKinney wondered: <<I'm working on user documentation, and am editing something written by a developer. I've always called GUI elements that you click to do something "buttons" but this developer (and others) often call them "icons". Which is it? For example, "Click the Save icon at the bottom center of the page to save the record." To me that's a button. Is one right or wrong, or better/worse?>>

"Buttons" are clickable interface items within a dialog box, and are generally built from words. Icons are graphical buttons that may occur in toolbars, in dialog boxes, and in a variety of other places. Ideally, the two should not be mixed (i.e., icons usually belong outside dialog boxes). It's worth preserving the distinction.

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Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
www.geoff-hart.com
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References:
Button vs. Icon: From: McKinney, Suzanne

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