[thelist] Another submit button for cancel

Sarah Sweeney mr.sanders at designshift.com
Thu Dec 16 08:02:28 CST 2004


> 1. Normally, the "opposite" button to "SUBMIT" clears the form, rather 
> than sending the user back to the previous page. (I'm talking about the 
> CLEAR button, which is usually the option presented alongside SUBMIT on 
> most web forms.)

I disagree. I wouldn't speculate on the frequency of either, but a 
"Cancel" buttons (which take you back to a main page) seem to me to be 
very common.

> 2. Standard Windows OK/Cancel dialogue boxes usually work more as "OK" = 
> do task, "Cancel" = do nothing. There's a separate Undo (go back) function.

"Cancel" does not mean "do nothing", it means "get me out of [whatever 
I'm doing]".

> I think the problem is the two words are too similar, visually as well 
> as in meaning. Do you want to clear... the entire transaction, or just 
> clear the last thing you did? Or do you want to cancel everything, or 
> just cancel the last button you pressed? See, it works either way.

These buttons are also often called "Reset" and IMHO I don't really see 
a purpose to these - "Cancel" is much more effective. If a user makes a 
mistake in a form, they can just go back and change it (why reset the 
whole form?). If they decide they don't want to use the form at all, a 
"Cancel" button would be the most useful option.

Maybe someone can explain the usefulness of a "Reset" or "Clear" button, 
cause I really don't see it.

-- 
Sarah Sweeney  ::  Web Developer & Programmer
Portfolio  ::  http://sarah.designshift.com
Blog  ::  http://hardedge.ca


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