3.2 Terminology

Various terms are used for the UI elements. This manual uses common expressions in compliance with the Microsoft Manual of Style. Some of the terms are combined if they do not need to be distinguished for the operation of RFEM.

The following table explains frequently used terms.

Table 3.1 Terms of the graphical user interface
Term	Synonym	Explanation
Menu	Pulldown menu	Commands and functions below the title bar
Shortcut menu	Pop-up menu	Shortcut menu that appears when right-clicking an object It contains useful commands and functions for the selected object.
Toolbar	Button bar	Collection of buttons below the menu bar
Dialog box		Window opened in the main window for entering data
Tabs	Register	Large dialog boxes are divided into several tabs. Click a tab to open the individual "index cards".
Section	Group, frame	Elements in a dialog box that belong together logically
List button of toolbar Button	Icon	Click a button to start an action (e.g. opening a dialog box or changing data). The toolbar also contains list buttons: Click to open a list with similar functions. The recently selected button is displayed at the top.
Text box	Input box	Field for entering text or numerical values
Spin box	Spin button	Two tiny buttons next to a text box Numerical values can be changed gradually.
List	List box, combo box	Options for text boxes Sometimes user-defined specifications can be added.
Check box	Control box	Yes/No decision by selecting or clearing the check box
Selection field	Option button	Only one of the options can be selected

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3 User Interface