Text fields, edit fields, edit boxes ...

[Hardy Heinlin]

Good evening,

you all know those little rectangles where you enter your user name or password or hectopascals or whatever ...

What would be the best common term for this so that most users around the world understand it intuitively?

I will then use that term throughout the PSX documentation.

Suggestions:

Text field
Edit field
Edit box


Thank you,

|-|ardy

[John Golin]

Interesting as I had this conversation with a development team a couple of months ago - we agreed to use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUI_widget as a reference.

While not 'authoritative' in any way, it seemed like a reasonable summary.

edit: in answer to your question, the common term there is not on your list -another suggestion for you: 'text box'

[martin]

"text input field" would be precise, although it's admittedly a little clumsy...
(and the acronym TIF is already taken, too).

Perhaps just "input field" would be sufficient -- after all, what else but text can the user put in?

"Edit" seems less appropriate (to my mind): I would intuitively (not logically) associate that term rather with modifying some text which is already there, not with entering new text into an empty field.

Cheers,
Martin

[Hardy Heinlin]

I agree, edit is not optimal. Text box or input field sounds good. Or input box, as text might not be immediately associated with numerical inputs.

|-|

[Phil Bunch]

If we were searching for something, it would be called the "search window," I believe.  Is there a phrase that would parallel the phrase "search window" or some variation?

Text box would work OK with me, with my US language background of American English.

What was this type of box called in the PS1 manual?

[Mariano]

I vote for 'Input Field.'

Mariano

[sirraj]

Hardy ... it is so cool that you ask questions like this. I think "input field" is the best choice.

Sirraj

[Peter Lang]

I also vote for "input field".
It is equivalent to the German "Eingabefeld"  

Peter

[Keith Maton]

I'd like to throw in 'Text box' as a less formal version.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

entry field  :mrgreen:

[Shiv Mathur]

I think 'input box' covers it all.  (In my opinion, 'box' is more universal than 'field'.)

[Will]

I just asked my friend who is an information architect by profession (he designs user interfaces).  He says "entry field" is the generic term, commonly used in the industry.

[Qavion]

Just be careful of what you write before "entry" or "text" field. If you write "Enter the values into the entry field", the words "entry" and "enter" are similar enough to sound too repetitive.

How about plain english.... Enter the data/values in the "space provided"? Or won't this translate well into other languages?

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

"Enter the data/values" "using all means available to you" (not just the entry field... there's a slider as well, and you have mouse wheels, and, and...

[Mariano]

Qavion made a good point. Nothing beats simplicity.

Mariano

[Hardy Heinlin]

Thank you all, for the comments.

Enter the data/values in the "space provided"?

The purpose of the word is rarely to document the fact that you should enter data. It's rather for sentences like:

When random is selected, the "space provided" for altitude is disabled (grey).

Or:

When a "space provided" has the focus, its background turns orange.

The slider will set the value in the "space provided".

You see, in such cases, "space provided" is too abstract.


|-|ardy

[Will]

When random is selected, the entry field for "altitude" is disabled (gray).

When an entry field has the focus, its background turns orange.

The slider will set the value in the entry field.

The above all sound good to my ear!