Technical Writing - Components of the Windows User Interface in Software Documentation (2) - Window

User interface documentation is one of the most important tasks in software documentation, and requires a clear and consistent definition of all interface components. In the second part of this series, we continue to investigate the most important interface components that technology authors should be familiar with.

Note: Windows, Mac and Linux computers from

 All user interfaces have different user interfaces depending on the specific operating system [OS] installed on your machine [or "distribution" in Linux]. This series is limited to the Windows interface.

First, let's clarify the concept from

The difference between SCREEN and WINDOW from

 .

One from

screen from

 , defined by Microsoft, is the "graphical part of the visual output device." It can sometimes be used interchangeably with "MONITOR" or "DISPLAY". Sometimes the two are used together, as in the antonym "monitor screen".

On the other hand, a window, from

 Refers to a separate display area surrounded by FRAME and displayed when the user clicks a button or selects some menu option.

The "screen" shows one or more "windows", but not the other way around.

The size of the "screen" is the same as the size of the display. On the other hand, each "window" can have a different size depending on user preferences.

Compared to "screen", "window" is a more abstract term, which is why there is "screen resolution" [the number of pixels per unit of screen length], but there is no corresponding "window resolution". For example, there are "Screen SAVER" program. But there is no similar "window saver". You can save and close a window, but the screen, as the physical medium of the interface, always exists, no matter which window it displays.

When multiple windows are opened in the screen, the window that selects and responds to user commands is called a window in FOCUS. By "focusing" on the window, you can select it and make it respond to your interactions.

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