Selecting Components

A well-designed user interface is based on a development process that focuses on users and their tasks.

The components that you choose to place on a frame are determined by the tasks that you want your users to perform. The following table describes common actions that your applications might require for users to complete specific tasks. It also suggests a SAS/AF component that you could use.

In some cases, multiple components are listed because more than one component might suit your needs. For more information about any of the components, see the “SAS/AF Component Reference” in the SAS/AF online Help.

User Tasks and Components

If you want to...	then use a...
enable a user to indicate a yes/no, true/false, or on/off option	check box control or radio box control
enable a user to make choices	check box control combo box control list box control spin box control
visually group multiple components together	container box control
display an existing icon on your frame	desktop icon control or push button control
display an existing graph on your frame	graph output control
enable a user to execute a command	push button control
enable a user to choose only one item in a group of possible selections	radio box control
enable a user to enter a limited amount of text	text entry control
enable a user to enter a large amount of text	text pad control
provide a label for other components or include an uneditable line of text on your frame	text label control
include a chart or graph on your frame	chart control critical success factor control histogram control map control pie control scatter control
provide a list of available color choices1	color list model
retrieve or access information about SAS software files and storage utilities1	catalog entry list model catalog list model data set list model library list model SAS file list model variable list model variable values list model
browse or edit data	form viewer control table viewer control SAS data set model
access information about file and storage utilities that were not created by or are not part of SAS software1	external file list model
access the items contained in a list1	LIST entry list model SLIST entry list model
1 If you want to display this information in a frame, then you must use a view (such as a list box) to show the model. Models are referred to as non-visual components. They provide data that is typically used along with a visual control. For more information about models and views, see Model/View Communication.