Messages

Usage | Types | Error Handling in Tables

Usage

System Messages

Typically an iViews should not issue system messages.

Success Messages

In some cases we recommend giving feedback on a user's successfully completed action:

• Critical business applications (e.g. "Your order has been taken")
• Actions having an effect that the user cannot see directly (e.g. adding an item to one's favorites list, which is displayed on another page, or saving preferences)

Error Messages

An iView should be programmed so that error messages do not occur. Therefore, consider to prevent errors so that your iView does not need error messages at all, before putting effort into error messages and asking how they should look like, where they should appear, and what the wording should be.

See Help and User Support for hints and examples on error prevention.

Location

Messages may refer to an iView as a whole or to a specific element in an iView. Depending on the case, messages are placed differently:

• Messages Referring to an iView as a Whole
  If messages cannot be avoided, display system and error messages that refer to the iView as a whole above the iView content; they are set off the header bar and the following content by five pixels each (see Figure 1a-b).
• Messages Referring to a Specific iView Element
  Place messages referring to one element of an iView (e.g. one field of a form) directly above this element with an offset of five pixels.

Future Development

After validation of a field, the error message will appear in a line directly below the field. As this change in layout can be performed locally, there will be no major screen flicker.

iViews: In addition, iViews (trays) will have a status bar where a general error message will appear. This status bar may also display warnings and success messages (an icon will indicate the type of the message). The location of the status bar can be either below the title bar or at the bottom of the tray (open). The status bar may be hidden by the application.

Avoid Popups!

Popups interrupt the users' work flow and thus annoy them.
Exception: You may use popups for severe errors like aborts that need direct user intervention.

Types

There are two message types

• Critical: Error messages, warnings, alerts
• Uncritical: System messages, success messages (see above), status messages etc.

Figure 1a-b: Critical (left) and uncritical (right) messages referring to the iView as a whole

Both message types are visually distinct:

• Critical messages are displayed in white bold type on a red background stretching across the width of the iView. The message text is displayed left-aligned.
• Uncritical messages are printed on the iView in black bold type.

Note: The visual attributes may change in the near future.

Error Handling in Tables

Errors can appear in table views for different reasons. For example, a user may enter invalid data, or certain items from a set cannot be posted. These cases have to be handled differently.

Input Errors

If a user enters invalid data, highlight the erroneous fields and scroll the table to the first field where an error occurred.

If an error message is needed, place it below the table view or - if possible - in a table row directly below the row where the error(s) occurred.

Future Development

Table views will have a status bar, where the error message will appear. Place the cursor into the error field and scroll the table to make the field visible in case it is hidden from view.

If there is more than one error field, display the message for the first error field, place the cursor into that field and scroll the table to make it visible if necessary.

If the cursor is placed into a subsequent error field, display the message for the respective field. If an error is corrected move the cursor to the subsequent error field if there is one and display the respective error message.

If the focus is outside the table view, display the first error message again.

iViews: In addition the planned status bar of an iView (tray) may display a general error message.

Posting Errors

Posting errors often do not require to cancel the whole posting process. It is only necessary to correct and re-post those items that were erroneous. Therefore, redisplay the table view with the erroneous items only and provide the user with a possibility to correct the items. Place an error message above the table.

Future Development

Place the error message inside the status bar of the table view.

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Source:  SAP iView Guidelines