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Multiple-document interface

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36: 101: 513:). An IDE-style interface is distinguishable from the Multiple-Document Interface (MDI), because all child windows in an IDE-style interface are enhanced with added functionality not ordinarily available in MDI applications. Because of this, IDE-style applications can be considered a functional superset and descendant of MDI applications. 469:: Combination of MDI and TDI (a true MDI interface with a tab bar for quick access). Special "Full size" windows act like maximized windows, but allow smaller overlapping windows to be used at the same time. Multiple instances of Vedit can be started, which allows it to be used like an SDI application. 626:
MacOS and its GUI are document-centric instead of window-centric or application-centric. Every document window is an object with which the user can work. The menu bar changes to reflect whatever application the front window belongs to. Application windows can be hidden and manipulated as a group, and
325:: MDI. A user can open multiple instances of WP with a single document in each, if they have multiple versions of WordPerfect installed on their computer. Recent versions maintain a list of open documents for a given window on the status bar at the bottom of the window, providing a variant of the TDI. 550:
A common convention for child windows in IDE-style applications is the ability to collapse child windows, either when inactive, or when specified by the user. Child windows that are collapsed will conform to one of the four outer boundaries of the parent window, with some kind of label or indicator
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Many window managers have built-in support for manipulating groups of separate windows, which is typically more flexible than MDI in that windows can be grouped and ungrouped arbitrarily. A typical policy is to group automatically windows that belong to the same application. This arguably makes MDI
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MDI can be confusing if it has a lack of information about the currently opened windows. In MDI applications, the application developer must provide a way to switch between documents or view a list of open windows, and the user might have to use an application-specific menu ("window list" or
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applications from SDI to MDI mode and then back to SDI, although the degree of implementation varies from one component to another. SDI can be more useful in cases where users switch more often between separate applications than among the windows of one application.
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displays the currently opened windows. In recent years it has become increasingly common for MDI applications to use "tabs" to display the currently opened windows. An interface in which tabs are used to manage open documents is referred to as a
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In contrast to (MDI) applications, which ordinarily allow a single tabbed interface for the parent window, applications with an IDE-style interface allow tabs for organizing one or more subpanes of the parent window.
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Controls and hotkeys learned for the MDI application may not apply to others, whereas with an advanced Window Manager, more behavior and user preference settings are shared across client applications on the same
275:, for example, which allows tabs/child windows to be dragged outside of the parent window to start their own parent window. In other cases, each child window is also a parent window, forming a new, "virtual" MDI 291:
applications, requiring users to learn two subtly different windowing concepts. Similarly, the MDI parent window behaves like the desktop in many respects, but has enough differences to confuse some users.
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community, there has been much debate about whether the multiple-document or single-document interface is preferable. Software companies have used both interfaces with mixed responses. For example,
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MDI can make it more difficult to work with several applications at once, by restricting the ways in which windows from multiple applications can be arranged together without obscuring each other.
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is shared between all child windows, reducing clutter and increasing efficient use of screen space. This argument is less relevant on an operating system which uses a common menu bar.
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2003: SDI if you start new instances of the application, but MDI if you click the "File ? New" menu (but child windows optionally appear on the OS taskbar). SDI only as of 2013.
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Without an MDI frame window, floating toolbars from one application can clutter the workspace of other applications, potentially confusing users with the jumble of interfaces.
65: 493:: MDI under Windows. In newer versions, toolbars can move outside the frame window. Child windows can be outside the frame unless they are minimized or maximized. 120:
in which multiple windows reside under a single parent window. Such systems often allow child windows to embed other windows inside them as well, creating complex
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cannot be spanned by children of the MDI. However, in some cases, this is solvable by initiating another parent window; this is the case in
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Can be tricky to implement on desktops using multiple monitors as the parent window may need to span two or more monitors, hiding sections.
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Some applications allow the user to switch between these modes at their choosing, depending on personal preference or the task at hand.
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something similar) to switch between open documents. This is different from SDI applications where the window manager's
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the user may switch between applications (i.e., groups of windows) or between individual windows, automatically hiding
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Authors of cross-platform applications can provide their users with consistent application behaviour between platforms.
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If the windowing environment and OS lack good window management, the application author can implement it themselves.
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for Windows: a hybrid interface; TDI unless document windows are un-maximized. (They are maximized by default.)
388: 375: 276: 181: 171: 117: 337:: SDI with floating windows (MDI is available as an option called "Single-Window Mode" since version 2.8 670: 509:(IDE) are those whose child windows reside under a single parent window (usually with the exception of 448: 379: 365: 268: 594: 589: 579: 472: 421:(which Office is loosely based on) supports this metaphor since version 7.0, as a new feature in 384: 700: 394: 351: 322: 316: 189: 694: 410: 149: 184:
toolkits to date provide at least one solution for designing MDIs. A notable exception was
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Modularity: An advanced window manager can be upgraded independently of the applications.
628: 406: 742: 584: 478: 422: 359: 312: 272: 463:: Combination of MDI and TDI (a true MDI interface with a tab bar for quick access). 451:: Combination of MDI and TDI (a true MDI interface with a tab bar for quick access). 510: 197: 162: 631:, and most programs will stay running even with no open windows. Indeed, prior to 338: 236:
An application's child windows can be hidden/shown/minimized/maximized as a whole.
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Features such as "Tile" and "Cascade" can be implemented for the child windows.
599: 683:- a user interface pattern used with single-document or IDE-style interfaces 643: 460: 454: 145: 141: 121: 100: 632: 569: 442: 378:, with a simplified SDI but sharing many of Kate's features via a mutual 343: 328: 158: 294:
Deeply nested, branching hierarchies of child windows can be confusing.
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The shared menu might change, which may cause confusion to some users.
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or windows, which make it easier to prevent content from overlapping.
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MDI forms in .net using C# and Visual Studio 2010 Express
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In spite of this, some unusual applications breaking the
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Examples of enhanced child-window functionality include:
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which serves as a container for individual frames (class
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GUI splitters to resize sub-panes of the parent window
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redundant by providing a solution to the same problem.
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of GIMP aiming to be more like Adobe Photoshop. The
287:MDI child windows behave differently from those in 132:) where all windows are independent of each other. 104:An example of a multiple-document interface layout 391:, with advanced features and a sophisticated MDI 57:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks 481:development environment: a typical modern MDI 475:: MDI or TDI with "Window" menu, but not both 8: 225:With multiple-document interfaces (and also 188:until the advent of tabbed window groups in 487:: MDI by default, can also work on SDI mode 532:Independent sub-panes of the parent window 136:Comparison with single-document interface 88:Learn how and when to remove this message 502:Graphical computer applications with an 216:lacks any standardized support for MDI. 555:Tabbed document interface for sub-panes 551:that allows them to be expanded again. 374:: Another text editor designed for the 27:Type of software application interface 7: 415:Multiple Top-Level Windows Interface 200:, for instance, provides the class 170:" (TDI). Another option is "tiled" 676:Integrated development environment 25: 661:Comparison of document interfaces 646:) do exhibit different behavior. 445:and many other text editors: TDI 331:: Options for either SDI or MDI. 34: 387:: Text editor designed for the 564:IDE-style application examples 1: 681:Center stage (user interface) 617:when in MDI mode (see above). 362:: Combination of MDI and TDI. 699:. Laxmi Publications. 2005. 431:: TDI by default, can be SDI 419:Microsoft Foundation Classes 229:), a single menu bar and/or 413:97. After 2000, Word has a 368:: a typical SDI application 110:multiple-document interface 18:Multiple Document Interface 775: 696:Human Computer Interaction 640:human interface guidelines 425:2002. SDI only as of 2013. 227:tabbed document interfaces 209:javax.swing.JInternalFrame 126:single-document interfaces 754:User interface techniques 749:Graphical user interfaces 666:Tabbed document interface 546:Collapsible child windows 527:Tabbed document interface 523:Collapsible child windows 315:: MDI until version 7.0 ( 289:single-document interface 168:tabbed document interface 656:Graphical user interface 389:KDE Software Compilation 376:KDE Software Compilation 354:version has limited MDI. 203:javax.swing.JDesktopPane 182:graphical user interface 118:graphical user interface 43:This article includes a 727:Interface Hall of Shame 541:for window arrangements 72:more precise citations. 520:Dockable child windows 457:: Thumbnail-based, TDI 124:. This contrasts with 105: 729:arguments against MDI 671:Tiling window manager 103: 307:Application examples 498:IDE-style interface 366:Internet Explorer 6 759:Document interface 733:MDI forms using C# 595:Visual Studio Code 590:Visual Studio .NET 473:Visual Studio .NET 122:nested hierarchies 106: 45:list of references 706:978-81-7008-795-3 395:Macromedia Studio 323:Corel Wordperfect 190:MacOS High Sierra 186:Apple's Cocoa API 98: 97: 90: 16:(Redirected from 766: 716: 714: 713: 507:-style interface 411:Microsoft Office 409:2003: MDI until 265:Virtual desktops 211: 205: 93: 86: 82: 79: 73: 68:this article by 59:inline citations 38: 37: 30: 21: 774: 773: 769: 768: 767: 765: 764: 763: 739: 738: 723: 711: 709: 707: 693: 690: 652: 624: 615:Microsoft Excel 585:Visual Studio 6 566: 557: 548: 500: 491:Adobe Photoshop 479:Visual Studio 6 401:Microsoft Excel 309: 255: 222: 207: 201: 138: 94: 83: 77: 74: 63: 49:related reading 39: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 772: 770: 762: 761: 756: 751: 741: 740: 737: 736: 730: 722: 721:External links 719: 718: 717: 705: 689: 686: 685: 684: 678: 673: 668: 663: 658: 651: 648: 642:(most notably 623: 620: 619: 618: 612: 607: 602: 597: 592: 587: 582: 577: 572: 565: 562: 556: 553: 547: 544: 543: 542: 536: 533: 530: 524: 521: 499: 496: 495: 494: 488: 482: 476: 470: 464: 458: 452: 446: 432: 426: 407:Microsoft Word 404: 398: 392: 382: 369: 363: 357: 341: 332: 326: 320: 308: 305: 304: 303: 299: 295: 292: 285: 282: 279: 262: 259: 254: 251: 250: 249: 246: 243: 240: 237: 234: 221: 218: 137: 134: 96: 95: 53:external links 42: 40: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 771: 760: 757: 755: 752: 750: 747: 746: 744: 734: 731: 728: 725: 724: 720: 708: 702: 698: 697: 692: 691: 687: 682: 679: 677: 674: 672: 669: 667: 664: 662: 659: 657: 654: 653: 649: 647: 645: 641: 636: 634: 630: 621: 616: 613: 611: 608: 606: 603: 601: 598: 596: 593: 591: 588: 586: 583: 581: 578: 576: 573: 571: 568: 567: 563: 561: 554: 552: 545: 540: 537: 534: 531: 529:for sub-panes 528: 525: 522: 519: 518: 517: 514: 512: 511:modal windows 508: 506: 497: 492: 489: 486: 483: 480: 477: 474: 471: 468: 465: 462: 459: 456: 453: 450: 447: 444: 440: 436: 433: 430: 427: 424: 423:Visual Studio 420: 416: 412: 408: 405: 402: 399: 396: 393: 390: 386: 383: 381: 377: 373: 370: 367: 364: 361: 358: 356: 353: 349: 345: 342: 339: 336: 333: 330: 327: 324: 321: 318: 314: 313:Adobe Acrobat 311: 310: 306: 300: 296: 293: 290: 286: 283: 280: 277: 274: 270: 266: 263: 260: 257: 256: 253:Disadvantages 252: 247: 244: 241: 238: 235: 232: 228: 224: 223: 219: 217: 215: 210: 204: 199: 196:GUI toolkit, 195: 191: 187: 183: 178: 175: 173: 169: 164: 160: 154: 151: 147: 143: 135: 133: 131: 127: 123: 119: 115: 111: 102: 92: 89: 81: 71: 67: 61: 60: 54: 50: 46: 41: 32: 31: 19: 710:. Retrieved 695: 637: 625: 558: 549: 515: 503: 501: 179: 176: 163:task manager 155: 148:changed its 139: 129: 125: 113: 109: 107: 84: 75: 64:Please help 56: 539:Persistence 180:Nearly all 78:August 2024 70:introducing 743:Categories 712:2022-07-18 688:References 600:RSS Bandit 220:Advantages 644:Photoshop 622:Macintosh 461:UltraEdit 455:Paint.NET 435:Notepad++ 146:Microsoft 142:usability 650:See also 633:Mac OS X 629:palettes 570:NetBeans 443:TextMate 380:back end 344:GIMPshop 329:EmEditor 159:task bar 580:Eclipse 429:Firefox 352:Windows 317:Windows 231:toolbar 140:In the 116:) is a 66:improve 703:  610:MATLAB 372:KWrite 360:Chrome 302:system 273:Chrome 192:. The 150:Office 605:JEdit 575:dBASE 467:VEDIT 449:Opera 439:PSPad 269:Opera 198:Swing 172:panes 51:, or 701:ISBN 485:mIRC 385:Kate 348:fork 346:: A 335:GIMP 271:and 194:Java 505:IDE 214:GTK 212:). 161:or 130:SDI 114:MDI 745:: 441:, 437:, 340:). 108:A 55:, 47:, 715:. 278:. 166:" 128:( 112:( 91:) 85:( 80:) 76:( 62:. 20:)

Index

Multiple Document Interface
list of references
related reading
external links
inline citations
improve
introducing
Learn how and when to remove this message

graphical user interface
nested hierarchies
usability
Microsoft
Office
task bar
task manager
tabbed document interface
panes
graphical user interface
Apple's Cocoa API
MacOS High Sierra
Java
Swing
javax.swing.JDesktopPane
javax.swing.JInternalFrame
GTK
tabbed document interfaces
toolbar
Virtual desktops
Opera

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