222364 - Don't use sheet for the about box

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Firefox :: General, defect, P2)

Description

[Manfred Schubert]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.5) Gecko/20031007 Firebird/0.7
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.5) Gecko/20031007 Firebird/0.7

Do not use a sheet for the about box. A sheet is for document modal dialogs. The
about box is neither document modal since it applies to the whole application,
nor is there a good reason for the about box to be modal at all.
Make the about box a modeless dialog window.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Select the menu Mozilla Firebird -> About Mozilla Firebirg
Actual Results:  
About sheet.

Expected Results:  
Modeless about box window.

Comment 1

[Jonathan Louie]

confirmed Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.6b)
Gecko/20031215 Firebird/0.7+

for reference, on winxp the about box is modal also, but i agree that a) it
certainly doesn't need to be a sheet and b) it doesn't need to be modal at all.

Comment 2

[kinabrew]

I like the about box being a sheet.

Comment 3

[Steven Garrity [:sgarrity]]

Re: comment #2 - this isn't really an issues of preference. The Apple Human
Interface Guidelines do not suggest using a sheet for the about box. Their
examples are modal windows:
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGWindows/chapter_16_section_6.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000961/TPXREF18

Comment 4

[Don Crandall]

Quite correct, the About box is a window, not a sheet.

In fact, I found this bug while writing mine on similar issues: The XUL apps on
Mac OS X tend to overuse sheets. There are several windows that are sheets that
shouldn't be.
 
Here is the URL for this bug that offers details for when to use sheets (and
when not to use them). 

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGDialogs/chapter_9_section_2.html#

About
Preferences
Mail/News Account Settings (Thunderbird and Mozilla)

Rather than creating a new bug, this bug will serve as my intended target for
these issues.

The items mentioned above can definately be stand-alone windows instead of
sheets per AHIG.

CCing myself to monitor as well as look into furter.

Comment 5

[Isaac]

Wouldn't this bug fixed by bug 257546?  That's a general fix for using sheets
less and floating modal windows more.

Comment 6

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

(In reply to comment #5)
> Wouldn't this bug fixed by bug 257546?  That's a general fix for using sheets
> less and floating modal windows more.

Yep.

Comment 7

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

The tb version of this bug is fixed (bug 271855). I will "port" its patch soon.

Comment 8

[Thom Peters]

Yes, definitely make the about box a window, just like it is in every other Mac
OS X application.

And definitely do NOT make the about box modal. It shouldn't be restrictive.
What if the about box needs to be referred to while using the application, such
as filling out a web form?

Again, just check other applications, if not the guidelines themselves freely
available online and easy to peruse.

Comment 9

[Josh Aas]

Attachment: fix v1.0

Comment 10

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

Comment on attachment 178195 [details] [diff] [review]
fix v1.0

This isn't complete. In order to be HIG compatible, you need to get rid of the
"OK" button and the window title (but not the titlebar).

Ah, and get Command+W working...

Comment 11

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

Attachment: complete fix

Comment 12

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

Comment on attachment 178206 [details] [diff] [review]
complete fix

err, i tought this tree was clean...

Comment 13

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

Attachment: complete fix

Comment 14

[Hiro]

In Thunderbird branch build, there is trifling bug of bug274273. 
In Firefox, is the same problem brought up?

Comment 15

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

(In reply to comment #14)
> In Thunderbird branch build, there is trifling bug of bug274273. 
> In Firefox, is the same problem brought up?

Yes, and it's a general mac widget bug (we've a collapse toolbar button in every
window which isn't a dialog).

Comment 16

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Comment on attachment 178207 [details] [diff] [review]
complete fix

r=me, as long as our resident Mac guru signs off.

Comment 17

[Josh Aas]

landed on trunk

Comment 18

[José Jeria]

Minor thing, the about dialog appears in the middle of the screen (vertically).
Compared to other mac apps (safari, IE, about this mac etc) it appears in a too
low position.