An example of a document-modal dialog is the "Save As" dialog in OS X's TextEdit application, shown below.
While it is open, a document-modal dialog locks the user out of the parent document window, but other document windows in the application can still be used. Instead of appearing in its own window, the dialog is presented as a "sheet" attached to the window. It can be hidden by other application windows.Ī document-modal dialog is used in modern versions of macOS X, and in some applications such as Opera. While a modal dialog box is open, it's always active and prevents any other dialog boxes or windows from being opened until it is closed.Ī modeless dialog lets you use the rest of the application while it is open. Not every area in every tab has the Dialog Box Launcher. It’s found in the lower right corner of certain tabs on the Ribbon. The Dialog Box Launcher gizmo is a teensy, tiny icon. For example, to access the Clipboard task pane, click on the group arrow, as shown: Click the Dialog Box Launcher icon in the Clipboard group to open its task pane. Clicking this icon opens a dialog box or task pane that provides more options. The solution is to use the Dialog Box Launcher gizmo. Dialog Box Launcher icon appears in the lower-right corner of many command groups on the Ribbon.
The Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box, here shown with the default settings. Modal and modeless dialogsĪ modal dialog temporarily locks you out of the rest of an application until it's closed. Dialog boxes like Font, Paragraph, and Page Setup are still around in Word. The Track Changes Options dialog box that opens when you click the dialog box launcher in the Tracking group on the Review tab. If the dialog box was created by an application, it is called a child window of the parent application.