Ribbon (computing)
Encyclopedia
In GUI
-based application software
, a ribbon is an interface where a set of toolbar
s are placed on tabs in a tab bar
. Recent releases of some Microsoft
applications have embraced this form with a modular ribbon as their main interface. The Ribbon is a contextual interface that offers functionality based on the context in which the user is working. The Ribbon GUI provides the user interface of an application with a large toolbar filled with graphical representations of control elements which are grouped by different functionality. The Ribbon can also contain tabs to expose different sets of control elements, eliminating the need for many different icon-based tool bars. Some of these tabs are contextual and appear only when a certain type of object is selected, providing specific tools for items such as tables or images.
Microsoft originally implemented ribbons as part of its "Fluent User Interface" in Office 2007
. The ribbon is formed as a fixed-size panel that houses certain command buttons and icons; it organizes commands as a set of tabs
, each grouping relevant commands. Each application has a different set of tabs which house the options for that specific application. Within each tab, various related options may be grouped together. The Ribbon can be minimized by double clicking the active tab. The ribbon consolidates the functionality previously found in menu
s, toolbar
s and many task panes into one area.
In Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon interfaces were limited to the main Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint applications, expanding to all Office applications in their 2010 versions.
Ribbon GUIs have also begun to be implemented in other Microsoft software such as Windows, SQL Server Report Builder and Dynamics CRM 2011
. The Windows 7 applications Paint and WordPad
now feature ribbon-based UI, as with some Windows Live Essentials
applications such as Windows Live Mail
, Windows Photo Gallery
, Windows Live Movie Maker
and Windows Live Writer
, as well as in the Windows 8 Explorer. Ribbons are also used in Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 and Microsoft WebMatrix.
The Office 2007 Ribbon can be customized by adding a "customUI" RibbonX xml file document to an Office Open XML document type. Office 2010 supports end-user customization via the application GUI
.
Autodesk
, most well known for its software AutoCAD
and Autodesk Maya, uses the Ribbon interface throughout most of its products.
In 2008 OpenOffice.org
started the project Renaissance to improve the user interface of OpenOffice. So far the prototypes of the project are frequently seen as similar to the ribbon interface, but this has resulted in some criticism from users.
Sibelius 7, a scorewriter
program released by Avid
, uses the Ribbon interface.
DevComponents DotNetBar control suite for Microsoft
Visual Studio Integrated development environment
has included a Ribbon control since its creation; other control suites have also introduced similar controls. Some examples of these are the ComponentOne suite and Teletrik WinForms controls.
Kingsoft Office, developed by Kingsoft
, also adopts Ribbon in its new 2012 version.
noted that experienced users might find difficulties adapting to the new interface, and that some tasks take more key-presses or clicks to activate. Though the ribbon can be hidden by double-clicking on the open tab, PC World
wrote that the ribbon interface crowds the Office work area, especially for notebook users; the customization options available in the original version didn't allow users to rearrange or remove the predefined commands, although it can be minimized. Others have called its large icons distracting. An online survey conducted by ExcelUser reports that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being "somewhat more negative" than intermediate users; the self-estimated reduction in productivity was an average of about 20%, and "about 35%" for people with a negative opinion.
A major reason behind the negative reactions appears to be Microsoft's decision to abandon backward-compatibility with previous versions and abolish the traditional Office menu system completely, rather than leaving it as an option that could be activated if needed. As a consequence, the bulk of the Office user base, who had been using Office since several versions earlier, found themselves having to relearn the user interface in order to accomplish what they already knew how to do with previous versions. Many such users used the advanced features (such as Word Table of Contents/Outlining, or Excel Pivot tables), written macros in Visual Basic for Applications
(the Office programming language), extensively customized their toolbars, and were used to employing keyboard shortcuts based on Alt-key combinations, and had to spend effort struggling to locate these features in the new interface The decision to abolish menus has been likened to the Coca-Cola company's infamous New Coke
campaign in its abandonment of the existing user base Microsoft Office 2011 for the Macintosh, while employing the ribbon, also allows the traditional menu system as a fallback.
Other users claim that once the new interface is learned, the average user can create "professional-looking documents faster". One study reported fairly good acceptance by users except highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical WIMP interface. Microsoft has released a series of small programs, help sheets, videos and add-ins to help users learn the new interface more quickly, and the Office 2010 version allows users to configure the Ribbon tabs and commands.
s against products exploiting this concept, those disenfranchised would not be able to inform others due to the non-disclosure agreement.
KDE developer Jarosław Staniek has expressed beliefs that the patent cannot be acquired due to the ambiguity of prior art
. As no patent has been acquired , they assert that anyone who has not signed the license can legally implement the concept in their applications without having to conform to Microsoft's requirements.
Staniek notes that the ribbon concept has historically appeared extensively as "tabbed toolbars" in applications such as Sausage Software's HotDog
, Macromedia HomeSite
, Dreamweaver and Borland Delphi
. Lotus developed early ribbon UIs for its product eSuite. Screen shots are still available in an IBM redbook about eSuite (page 109ff).
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
-based application software
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, a ribbon is an interface where a set of toolbar
Toolbar
In a graphical user interface, on a computer monitor, a toolbar is a GUI widget on which on-screen buttons, icons, menus, or other input or output elements are placed. Toolbars are seen in office suites, graphics editors, and web browsers...
s are placed on tabs in a tab bar
Tab (GUI)
In the area of graphical user interfaces , a tabbed document interface is one that allows multiple documents to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents...
. Recent releases of some Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
applications have embraced this form with a modular ribbon as their main interface. The Ribbon is a contextual interface that offers functionality based on the context in which the user is working. The Ribbon GUI provides the user interface of an application with a large toolbar filled with graphical representations of control elements which are grouped by different functionality. The Ribbon can also contain tabs to expose different sets of control elements, eliminating the need for many different icon-based tool bars. Some of these tabs are contextual and appear only when a certain type of object is selected, providing specific tools for items such as tables or images.
Microsoft software
Microsoft touted the ribbon as "the modern way to help users find, understand, and use commands efficiently and directly—with a minimum number of clicks, with less need to resort to trial-and-error, and without having to refer to Help.”Microsoft originally implemented ribbons as part of its "Fluent User Interface" in Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 is a Windows version of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft's productivity suite. Formerly known as Office 12 in the initial stages of its beta cycle, it was released to volume license customers on November 30, 2006 and made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007...
. The ribbon is formed as a fixed-size panel that houses certain command buttons and icons; it organizes commands as a set of tabs
Tab (GUI)
In the area of graphical user interfaces , a tabbed document interface is one that allows multiple documents to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents...
, each grouping relevant commands. Each application has a different set of tabs which house the options for that specific application. Within each tab, various related options may be grouped together. The Ribbon can be minimized by double clicking the active tab. The ribbon consolidates the functionality previously found in menu
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
s, toolbar
Toolbar
In a graphical user interface, on a computer monitor, a toolbar is a GUI widget on which on-screen buttons, icons, menus, or other input or output elements are placed. Toolbars are seen in office suites, graphics editors, and web browsers...
s and many task panes into one area.
In Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon interfaces were limited to the main Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint applications, expanding to all Office applications in their 2010 versions.
Ribbon GUIs have also begun to be implemented in other Microsoft software such as Windows, SQL Server Report Builder and Dynamics CRM 2011
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a multi-lingual Customer Relationship Management software package developed by Microsoft. Out of the box, the product focuses mainly on Sales, Marketing, and Service sectors, but Microsoft has been marketing Dynamics CRM as an XRM platform and has been encouraging...
. The Windows 7 applications Paint and WordPad
WordPad
WordPad is a basic word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than Notepad but simpler than Microsoft Works Word Processor and Microsoft Word. It replaced Microsoft Write....
now feature ribbon-based UI, as with some Windows Live Essentials
Windows Live Essentials
Windows Live Essentials is a suite of freeware applications by Microsoft that aims to offer integrated and bundled e-mail, instant messaging, photo-sharing, blog publishing, security services and other Windows Live entities...
applications such as Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...
, Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
, Windows Live Movie Maker
Windows Live Movie Maker
Windows Live Movie Maker is a video creating/editing software that is a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is intended to replace Windows Movie Maker that is currently included in Windows Vista...
and Windows Live Writer
Windows Live Writer
Windows Live Writer, developed by Microsoft, is a desktop blog-publishing application that is part of the Windows Live range of products. It features WYSIWYG authoring, photo-publishing and map-publishing functionality, and is currently compatible with Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint blogs,...
, as well as in the Windows 8 Explorer. Ribbons are also used in Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 and Microsoft WebMatrix.
The Office 2007 Ribbon can be customized by adding a "customUI" RibbonX xml file document to an Office Open XML document type. Office 2010 supports end-user customization via the application GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
.
Other software developers
Since the introduction of the Ribbon GUI interface in Microsoft Office 2007 there has been an uptake of this type of interface in applications created by other developers, especially those creating tools for Microsoft related products. The Nielsen group published some examples in a 2008 GUI showcase report.Autodesk
Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...
, most well known for its software AutoCAD
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...
and Autodesk Maya, uses the Ribbon interface throughout most of its products.
In 2008 OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
started the project Renaissance to improve the user interface of OpenOffice. So far the prototypes of the project are frequently seen as similar to the ribbon interface, but this has resulted in some criticism from users.
Sibelius 7, a scorewriter
Scorewriter
A scorewriter, or music notation program, is software used for creating sheet music.A scorewriter is to music notation what a word processor is to text.-Comparison with multitrack sequencer software:...
program released by Avid
Avid Technology
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
, uses the Ribbon interface.
DevComponents DotNetBar control suite for Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Visual Studio Integrated development environment
Integrated development environment
An integrated development environment is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development...
has included a Ribbon control since its creation; other control suites have also introduced similar controls. Some examples of these are the ComponentOne suite and Teletrik WinForms controls.
Kingsoft Office, developed by Kingsoft
Kingsoft
Kingsoft is a software company located in China. Its products include Kingsoft Office, PowerWord, Kingsoft Internet Security, Kingsoft free antivirus and the Kingsoft FastAIT Chinese-English-Japanese translation software....
, also adopts Ribbon in its new 2012 version.
Reaction
Microsoft Office's ribbon interface has met with mixed reactions. Redmondmag.com reported that power users feel the ribbons take "too much time and patience to learn." Richard Ericson from ComputerworldComputerworld
Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information for senior IT leaders. It is published in many countries around the world under the same or similar names. Its publisher is International Data Group. Computerworld serves the needs of IT management via print and online...
noted that experienced users might find difficulties adapting to the new interface, and that some tasks take more key-presses or clicks to activate. Though the ribbon can be hidden by double-clicking on the open tab, PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
wrote that the ribbon interface crowds the Office work area, especially for notebook users; the customization options available in the original version didn't allow users to rearrange or remove the predefined commands, although it can be minimized. Others have called its large icons distracting. An online survey conducted by ExcelUser reports that a majority of respondents had a negative opinion of the change, with advanced users being "somewhat more negative" than intermediate users; the self-estimated reduction in productivity was an average of about 20%, and "about 35%" for people with a negative opinion.
A major reason behind the negative reactions appears to be Microsoft's decision to abandon backward-compatibility with previous versions and abolish the traditional Office menu system completely, rather than leaving it as an option that could be activated if needed. As a consequence, the bulk of the Office user base, who had been using Office since several versions earlier, found themselves having to relearn the user interface in order to accomplish what they already knew how to do with previous versions. Many such users used the advanced features (such as Word Table of Contents/Outlining, or Excel Pivot tables), written macros in Visual Basic for Applications
Visual Basic for Applications
Visual Basic for Applications is an implementation of Microsoft's event-driven programming language Visual Basic 6 and its associated integrated development environment , which are built into most Microsoft Office applications...
(the Office programming language), extensively customized their toolbars, and were used to employing keyboard shortcuts based on Alt-key combinations, and had to spend effort struggling to locate these features in the new interface The decision to abolish menus has been likened to the Coca-Cola company's infamous New Coke
New Coke
New Coke was the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink, Coca-Cola...
campaign in its abandonment of the existing user base Microsoft Office 2011 for the Macintosh, while employing the ribbon, also allows the traditional menu system as a fallback.
Other users claim that once the new interface is learned, the average user can create "professional-looking documents faster". One study reported fairly good acceptance by users except highly experienced users and users of word processing applications with a classical WIMP interface. Microsoft has released a series of small programs, help sheets, videos and add-ins to help users learn the new interface more quickly, and the Office 2010 version allows users to configure the Ribbon tabs and commands.
Licensing and patents
Microsoft's license conditions state they will not provide a royalty-free license for their Office Ribbon UI to products competing directly with Microsoft's ribbon products. If the design guidelines contain legal loopholes that give Microsoft a basis for future lawsuitLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s against products exploiting this concept, those disenfranchised would not be able to inform others due to the non-disclosure agreement.
KDE developer Jarosław Staniek has expressed beliefs that the patent cannot be acquired due to the ambiguity of prior art
Prior art
Prior art , in most systems of patent law, constitutes all information that has been made available to the public in any form before a given date that might be relevant to a patent's claims of originality...
. As no patent has been acquired , they assert that anyone who has not signed the license can legally implement the concept in their applications without having to conform to Microsoft's requirements.
Staniek notes that the ribbon concept has historically appeared extensively as "tabbed toolbars" in applications such as Sausage Software's HotDog
HotDog
HotDog is the name of the HTML web editing tool developed by Sausage Software in the mid-1990s. At the time of its development, there were only a small number of HTML editors available on the market and HotDog gathered significant interest from web users due to its ease of use and "What you see...
, Macromedia HomeSite
Macromedia HomeSite
HomeSite was an HTML editor owned by Adobe Systems . Unlike WYSIWYG HTML editors such as Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe Dreamweaver, HomeSite was designed for direct editing, or "hand coding," of HTML and other website languages...
, Dreamweaver and Borland Delphi
Borland Delphi
Embarcadero Delphi is an integrated development environment for console, desktop graphical, web, and mobile applications.Delphi's compilers use its own Object Pascal dialect of Pascal and generate native code for 32- and 64-bit Windows operating systems, as well as 32-bit Mac OS X and iOS...
. Lotus developed early ribbon UIs for its product eSuite. Screen shots are still available in an IBM redbook about eSuite (page 109ff).