Close

Source: CUA, Motif, Windows
Alias: All environments use this term consistently
Related: Cancel; Exit; OK

A button that closes the active window and all child windows.

• Use Close in dialog boxes in place of Cancel when the OK Cancel pair is inappropriate for the dialog (when a change takes effect immediately, regardless of selecting OK).

• Use Close for windows that contain properties that are made persistent as soon as they are specified in the window, and for progress indicator windows.

• Use the Close command in the File menu of a menu bar to close the currently active object (closing a file in an editor will remove the file from view but leave the editor running).

• If the object in the window has not changed since the last save, close the object immediately.

• If the object in the window has changed since the last save, notify users with an action message. Let them either save the changes and close, or cancel the close operation without saving the changes.

Characteristics

The relative position of the Close button in dialogs depends on the modality of dialog box used. If a dialog is modal, then Close is positioned where the OK button normally is positioned. If the dialog is modeless, then Close is positioned where Cancel is normally positioned:

Modal: Close Help
Modeless: Apply Close Help

In the File menu, Close is grouped with related commands (New and Open in a word processor, for example).