Should "options" button next to dropdown use "..." or ">>"?

Question

I currently have a drop-down where a filter is selected to be applied to a table. We would like that filter to have a few options on how it should be applied, so we have created a button next to the dropdown.

The design looks like this:

------------------  -----------
| Filter       v |  | Options |
------------------  -----------

However, we are limited on space and don't want to put much text in the button. Thus, we are debating between two implementations.

------------------  ------
| Filter       v |  | >> |
------------------  ------

------------------  -------
| Filter       v |  | ... |
------------------  -------

I believe that using the ellipsis (...) has a precedent in applications, but cannot find an example.

Is there a standard which should be applied here?

If you do use an ellipsis, be sure to use an ellipsis (…) and not just three periods (...). — Joshua Taylor, Jun 25 '14 at 15:06
As Swing (as Java) is multi-platform this should be done according to UI guide lines (if any) of the target/running platform. If there are no guide lines it is a matter of taste, but be shure to use it uniformly. — PeterMmm, Jun 25 '14 at 15:06
This question should go to ux.stackexchange.com, it's about user interface design, not strictly technical. — Erich Kitzmueller, Jun 25 '14 at 15:11
@ammoQ Agreed. Why is there no suitable migration option available in the Closing -> Off-Topic -> Migration menu? — Harald K, Jun 25 '14 at 15:30

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:26

The ellipsis generally means "I'm going to ask for more details", so file/open will have an ellipsis next to the command button to indicate that the app will pop up a dialog to ask which file you want opened.

This standard was set by Microsoft in their style guide, so its pretty much universal in Windows apps.

The >> tends to mean "and more options are available", so you have a button that you can click to expand the set of options to list less-used, or advanced choices.

The difference is that ... means "choose and I'll ask for more info", >> means "choose more".

Given your use-case I'd probably go with the >>.

Ah - see this answer for some canonical documentation.

Do you have a link to that guide? – Dan Grahn Jun 25 '14 at 15:09 — Dan Grahn, Jun 25 '14 at 15:09

Should "options" button next to dropdown use "..." or ">>"?

1 Answers1