modal

adj 1: (statistics) relating to or constituting the most frequent

value in a distribution; "the modal age at which

American novelists reach their peak is 30" [syn: {modal(a)},

{average}]

2: of or relating to a musical mode; especially written in an

ecclesiastical mode

3: relating to or expressing the mood of a verb; "modal

auxiliary"

modal

1. (Of an interface) Having {mode}s. Modeless interfaces are

generally considered to be superior because the user does not

have to remember which mode he is in.

2. See {modal logic}.

3. In {MS Windows} programming, A window with the label

"WS_MODAL" will stay on the screen and claim all the

user-input. Other windows can only be accessed if the MODAL

window is closed. Such a window would typically be used for

an error {dialog box} to warn the user for something

important, like "Critical error, shut down the system and

restart".

(1995-02-07)