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Version: 24.1

Button

About

A button allows operators to initiate an action with a click or touch.


Properties

General

Caption

Text that will be displayed on the button.
UX Tips and Tricks

Do

  • Avoid using generic labels, such as "Ok", as captions for your buttons.
  • These labels fail to clearly communicate the button's function to operators.

Don't!

  • Instead, describe the action being invoked using a few simple words.

On click

Triggered once operators click or touch the element and release the Pointer within the boundaries of it. If you release the Pointer outside of the element, the click event will not trigger. This is a safety mechanism to prevent accidental actions.

On low-end touch screens, particularly resistive ones, this can sometimes lead to undesirable effects. If you encounter this and you are are running mission-critical HMIs, we strongly recommend investing in better hardware for the safety of your operators.

Is disabled

Will display the element as inactive and prevent operators from triggering the action of this button.

Is checked

If your button activates an important state or mode of your machine, it is very helpful to show that this function is now on. Use this property to tell operators that the button-triggered state is active.

UX Tips and Tricks

This state should not be confused with the pressed state. A button that uses this property can be regarded as another form of a checkbox or radio button.

User Guidance

Assist operators in distinguishing between actions. Pressing a button on a machine can do different things. A good button tells users how important an action is. That's why there is a "Priorization" option. It helps users separate important actions from less important ones.

Priorization

Primary Action

The primary action is the most important thing you can do on the page or screen you're currently looking at. It's the button that stands out the most, and it's what you want your users to click on. So be careful with it and don’t overuse it.

Secondary Action

A secondary button triggers one of several actions on the current page. In addition to a primary action, there should only be a few of those secondary actions. As a rule of thumb, a screen should not contain more than 7 such actions. Anything else quickly leads to confusion and frustration for users.

Consequences

Advice on When to Be Careful: A good button Informs users if its action can potentially be dangerous or harmful. Use this property to help users distinguish between potentially harmful actions and actions that pose no risk of harm.

Destructive Action - Primary

A primary button that executes a destructive action that can cause data loss or trigger actions that cannot be undone.

Destructive Action - Secondary

If there's a really important primary action on the screen that should grab the user's attention, use the secondary destructive button. This will still warn users about possible data loss or irreversible actions without distracting them too much.

Icon

Decide if you want to add an icon to your button. Icons are quick visual hints that tell users what the button does. They help users understand what the button is for, sometimes without needing more info. This is particularly beneficial for power users who frequently use specific screens and buttons.

Icon and Caption

Both, the button’s caption and icon will be displayed.

Icon only

The button’s caption will not be displayed in the HMI.

Icon

Icon that will be displayed before the caption.

UX Tips & Tricks

If your button switches between states, do not use the icon to indicate this status. Instead, use an additional Magic Output. on your page to display the current state. You can use the caption and icon on the button to inform operators about the state to which this button will change to.

Alignment

Fill

The button will occupy the available space.

Left

The button will occupy only the space required by the caption and icon, and it will align to the left.

Center

The button will occupy only the space required by the caption and icon, and it will align in the center.

Right

The button will occupy only the space required by the caption and icon, and it will align to the right.

Display Condition

Condition

Determines whether an element or page should be visible or hidden to the current user. The condition can be set to different List of Dynamic Property Types – as long as the the type returns true or false you’re good to go.