Disabled Controls

Disabled controls are UI elements that cannot be interacted with at the panel, subsection, or individual level. Users must always know why something is disabled and how to enable it.

General principles

Clarity — explain why and how to enable.
Consistency — same visual cues throughout the app.
Accessibility — disabled states perceivable; tooltips reachable by keyboard.

Label rules for individual controls

Control type	Label when disabled
Checkbox / radio	Disable label text along with the control
Text box, combo box, updown	Leave the label enabled
Standalone informative label	Generally remain enabled unless misleading in context

Fully disabled panel

Panel header stays enabled. Show warning icon + brief message (1–2 words) right-justified with 6px buffer from controls. Tooltip on icon explains why and how to enable. All control tooltips in the panel may share the same explanation.

Export settings ⚠ No image

Output format

Include metadata

Disabled subsection

Subsection header remains enabled; all controls and labels inside the subsection are disabled. Same warning icon + tooltip pattern as a fully disabled panel.

Capture settings

Auto exposure ⚠ No camera

Target brightness

Individual disabled controls

Output path

Compress output

For individual controls, append a Note: line to the tooltip explaining why the control is disabled.

Accessibility

Sufficient contrast for disabled controls and labels.
Tooltips accessible via keyboard and screen readers.
Explanatory text remains readable; do not treat documentation labels as interactive controls.