The in-focus control
When working with a 1024 screen, you can find where you are in the screen by looking for the green field. For example, in the picture below, the Family Name field has the focus. Pressing the TAB keyboard key to move to the next field results in the Title field receiving the focus.
Drop down lists
As with many other software applications, 1024 screens make extensive use of drop down lists. These controls allow the user to choose an entry from a pre-defined list of available responses. These controls can be used effectively either with the mouse or with the keyboard. Users who prefer to use a mouse can simply click on the down arrow of the list and click again on their selection:
Users who prefer keyboard navigation can 'open' the drop down list with the ALT+DOWN ARROW keyboard shortcut. A selection can be made by entering the first letter of the desired entry. For example, tapping the 'n' keyboard key in the following drop down list below would choose 'North' as the entry. Tapping the key repeatedly would scroll through the entries beginning with 'n' (so the next available 'n' entry, which is 'North West', would be selected).
Mandatory fields
In any robust information system, some data entry fields must be mandatory. 1024 screens show you this fact 'up front', by displaying a red question mark in all mandatory fields. The system will not allow you to proceed/save records if these fields are left blank. For example, in the picture below, the Gender and Region fields are mandatory. Note that once the mandatory fields have an entry, the red question mark is hidden.
