Charles Manske wrote:
>
> Thanks Simon; those are the guidelines I was thinking of. It clearly
> states that "..." should be used when "the command needs more
> information from the user before the operation executes."
The problem in these cases is working out exactly what the command is.
The menu title is often the deciding factor. If a `Properties' item was
in the `View' menu, it shouldn't have an ellipsis, because once the
dialog is opened, no further action is required in order for the user to
view the properties. But if it is in the `Format' menu, it should have
an ellipsis, because once the dialog is opened, further information is
required in order to carry out any formatting.
> I can still see interpreting this to support using "..." because the
> goal of the property menu item is to change properties *of some
> object* in the document (or for the document as a whole) and the
> dialog is needed to supply the information to do that.
> But then one could argue that "setting the properties" is the command
> goal, so using the dialog is the purpose of the command and thus "..."
> shouldn't be used. I'm inclined toward the latter interpretation.
>...
No, if you want to set properties, just opening the dialog isn't enough.
You have to manipulate some of the controls in the dialog in order to
set the properties, otherwise you're not doing anything (you're not
completing the command). So an ellipsis is necessary in this case.
The reason Microsoft don't put an ellipsis after `Properties' is
probably that properties shown in a property sheet often (usually?)
aren't editable. Where they are editable, it is an added bonus -- not an
integral part of the command, which is *displaying* the properties.
For this reason, it's probably a good idea to avoid the word
`Properties' in the `Format' menu altogether. If formatting an image,
have `Format' > `Image ...'. If formatting the whole document, have
`Format' > `Document ...'. If formatting a list, have `Format' > `List
Type ...', or similar.
--
Matthew `mpt' Thomas, Mozilla user interface QA
