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Slider with user-selected enhanced precision

in Developing jQuery UI • 2 years ago

There are times when you're moving a slider across a big range but with lots of small steps and it's difficult, if possible, to select a precise value. Imagine two values are only 1px apart, or even sharing the same pixel position. Here's an idea. We could enable the user to hold down the Ctrl-key (Option-key on a Mac) while dragging a slider handle and the effect of the same movement of the mouse would be slowed down 5-10 times. So you could really dial in between a couple numbers that are really close together. This idea comes to me from some Adobe Creative Suite controls that have this behavior and also this thread:

http://forum.jquery.com/topic/using-slider-with-times

Replies(2)

dougneiner

Re: Slider with user-selected enhanced precision

2 years ago

That sounds like a great idea, though I am not sure how obvious the functionality would be to normal users. For instance, I have used the Creative Suite extensively for the past 8 years, and sadly, never knew that functionality existed!

The way I see it, if someone was faced with the problem of not being able to dial in the setting, there would be two solutions:

Your idea of holding a modifier key to slow movement
Having a text input field to type in an exact number/time/etc should the slider not dial into the right number.

Out of those, the 2nd would have a more obvious meaning to the end user of an application that uses the Slider.

That being said, since this functionality would not change obvious behavior while at the same time solving a problem, I think you should go for it!

The developer could simply include help text "Hold Ctrl/Cmd to increase accuracy while sliding" or something.