Provide a description of what constitutes a dialog box

[lcaldwel]

In the third and fourth editions of the MS Manual of Style, a decent description of a dialog box was given. For example, "Dialog boxes contain command buttons and other options through which the user can carry out a particular command or task." The Save As dialog box was given as an example. Without a clear description, it is difficult for technical writers who are documenting a web app UI to understand when to use "window" or "dialog box." A good description is given for pane, so why not also dialog box? Additionally, a clear statement regarding when to use window would be helpful. Currently the guidance for window is simply not to use it as a verb. I understand that the preference is to avoid referring to UI elements and instead just use the name of the element, but this is not always possible. Plus, having a clear understanding of the terms is helpful regardless.

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Document Details

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• ID: fb6b1000-efe6-850a-ea21-5bc1c4c37607
• Version Independent ID: 971bbe67-6346-2e3f-3d88-d7f7677157b9
• Content: dialog box, dialog, dialogue - Microsoft Style Guide
• Content Source: styleguide/a-z-word-list-term-collections/d/dialog-box-dialog-dialogue.md
• Product: non-product-specific
• GitHub Login: @pallep
• Microsoft Alias: pallep

[S-LRaillard]

Hi @lcaldwel , thanks for your feedback! We will add it to our discussion list.