New in Windows Vista

Search boxes in Windows Vista:

• Are located in the upper-right corner of all Windows Explorer windows, so they are easy to find and recognize.
• Have a more consistent appearance and behavior.
• Show results based on what users expect in their context. For example, Search in the Start menu searches for programs, recently visited files, and Web sites, whereas Search in the Control Panel home page searches for Control Panel functionality.
• Support two types of searches: regular search, where a search is performed when the user clicks the Search button, and Instant search, where the results are displayed immediately as the user types.
• Have advanced search features or options accessible through a drop-down menu.

Why are these changes important?

Search is a crucial first step in many scenarios because users must find objects before they can do tasks with them. Users are saving more and more objects on increasingly larger hard disks, networks, and the Internet, but browsing for objects doesn't scale well. Search in Windows Vista strives to be simple, reliable, and efficient. Instant search in particular makes Windows feel more powerful and direct than before.

Applications with search should follow the Windows Vista search appearance and behavior to promote a consistent and predictable experience.

Look and feel

In application windows and Windows Explorers (Documents, Music, and control panel items), the Search box is always located in the upper-right corner of the window. For Windows Explorers, it is an integral part of the window frame, whereas for applications it may be in the toolbar or on the upper-right corner of the main content area. In special cases where Search is the primary entry point, the Search box is located based on task flow, such as in the upper-left corner for Help or the bottom of the Start menu.

Because search is displayed on the periphery, Search boxes have a lightweight look. The Search button is visually connected to a Search box and doesn't display button visuals until mouse hover. To use space efficiently (particularly in Instant search), it uses a prompt within a Search box, instead of a label outside. The prompt may be an instruction (for example, "Type to search") or indicate the scope of the search (for example, "Search for pictures").

Performing a successful search creates a virtual page of the search results and adds it to the Back stack and Address bar. Clicking Back, clicking the original page in the Address bar, pressing the Esc key, or clearing a Search box restores the original page and clears the Search box.

For more information

• Search box guidelines