A progress indicator is an element of a
command-line interface, a
textual user interface
In computing, text-based user interfaces (TUI) (alternately terminal user interfaces, to reflect a dependence upon the properties of computer terminals and not just text), is a retronym describing a type of user interface (UI) common as an ...
, or a
graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows User (computing), users to Human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through graphical icon (comp ...
that is intended to inform the user that an operation is in progress, to reassure that the system is not hung or waiting for user input,
and often to provide the user with an estimate of how far through a task the system has progressed.
Examples of progress indicators
* A
, a typically horizontal bar which is gradually filled with a color as the process completes.
* A
throbber
A throbber, also known as a loading icon, is an animated graphical control element used to show that a computer program is performing an action in the background (such as downloading content, conducting intensive calculations or communicating w ...
, an image in a program's interface which animates to show that the software is busy.
* A
splash screen
A splash screen is a graphical control element consisting of a window containing an image, a logo, and the current version of the software. A splash screen can appear while a game or program is launching. A splash page is an introduction page on ...
, covering all or most of the computer screen while a program is loading.
* Turning the
mouse pointer into an hourglass or a
spinning pinwheel to indicate to the user that they should not click anything until the active process is complete.
* A simple textual
percentage
In mathematics, a percentage (from la, per centum, "by a hundred") is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the percent sign, "%", although the abbreviations "pct.", "pct" and sometimes "pc" are also ...
figure, common in
CLI CLI may refer to:
Computing
* Call Level Interface, an SQL database management API
* Command-line interface, of a computer program
* Command-line interpreter or command language interpreter; see List of command-line interpreters
* CLI (x86 instru ...
applications.
References
*
Further reading
* — the
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...
Human Interface Guidelines for progress indicators
*
*
* — how to create a progress indicator in the status bar of an application using
MFC
{{Graphical control elements
User interface techniques
Graphical user interface elements