If you don't want your content to shift around, your error messages really can't take up any space. It would help to see the interface in question. However, you can use effects like highlighting the fields in question (change their border to red, background to light pink or something similar). And overlays may not be too bad - especially if they are very small and point to the correct form fields.
Be sure that you provide an explanation that there was an error somewhere on the screen, preferably near the "submit" button that they pressed. Loren ----- http://acleandesign.com On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 7:53 AM, Rachel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm working on an Ajax app that will have edit-in-place forms (a.k.a. > inline > editing). Page has read-only data; parts of the data are editable. User > chooses to edit a part; that part turns into an editable form. When user > saves changes, the form converts back to read-only data (this happens > without a page reload). > > The fields in the forms are required. So if user leaves any blank, they > need > to be challenged, and we need to let them know which fields are in > question. > What's the best way to handle this? > > We are reluctant to show an error message right above the form, because it > will push the form & other content on the page downward, creating a visual > "jumping" effect. (unless we overlay the error message over top of other > content on the page) > > What are best practices for this? Good examples? > > Thanks, > Rachel > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
