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Software Engineering vocabulary · Web, Mobile and Interface Development

Modal

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈmoʊdəl/nounCommon term

In software engineering, modal means: A screen or window shown on top of the current one that users must deal with, by finishing a task or closing it, before they can return to what they were doing.

In Turkish: modal ekran, modal pencere

How it is used

Used as a noun (open a modal) and an adjective (a modal screen, present modally). On iOS, a view controller can be presented modally as a full-screen cover or a sheet. Designers use modals for focused tasks such as writing a message or confirming a payment.

Example sentences

  1. Closing the modal should keep what the user has typed so far.

  2. Present the payment confirmation as a modal, not as a pushed screen.

Common collocations

  • open a modal
  • close the modal
  • present modally
  • full-screen modal
  • bottom sheetA panel that slides up from the bottom of the screen to show extra options or content, while part of the screen behind it often stays visible.
  • view controllerIn iOS UIKit, an object that manages one screen or part of a screen: it loads the views, responds to user actions and handles events such as the screen appearing.
  • screenOne full view of an app that the user sees at a time, such as the login screen or the settings screen; apps are planned as a set of screens.
  • navigation barOn iOS, the bar at the top of a screen that shows the title, a back button and action buttons; on Android, the name also refers to the system bar with the back and home controls.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Web, Mobile and Interface Development

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