# Slider (computing)

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> Source revision: 1291922016
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{{Short description|Graphical control element}}
thumb|upright=1.2|An example of a slider widget with values 0 through 9, currently set to 3
A '''slider''' or '''track bar''' is a [graphical control element](/source/graphical_control_element) with which a user may set a value by moving an indicator.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eick |first=Stephen G. |chapter=Data visualization sliders |date=1994-11-02 |title=Proceedings of the 7th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology - UIST '94 |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/192426.192472 |location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=119–120 |doi=10.1145/192426.192472 |isbn=978-0-89791-657-8 |quote=Sliders are a general-purpose user input mechanism enabling users to specify a single input value from a well-defined range. They are widely used in all graphical user-interface systems.... Sliders are easy to use, intuitive, and provide a sensitive mechanism for specifying values. Sliders have a threshold bar positioned within a scale that the user manipulates with a mouse to select a value. Graphical input tools with similar function include dials, bars, pointers, gauges, and potentiometers.}}</ref> In some cases the user may also click on a point on the slider to change the setting. It is different from a [scrollbar](/source/scrollbar) in that it is not continuous but used to adjust a value without changing the format of the display or the other information on the screen.

Its most popular use is for viewing and jumping to a playback position in [media player software](/source/media_player_software).{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

== Usage with progress bars ==
Sliders are also combined with [progress bar](/source/progress_bar)s in the playback of [streaming media](/source/streaming_media) over a network connection (e.g., YouTube videos) in order to show the content buffering position versus the playback position.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} This is done by superimposing a colored shaded area (progress bar) on top of the slider, indicating whether the user can "jump" forward or not.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/slider/index.html Yahoo! UI Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503124527/http://ajax.asp.net/ajaxtoolkit/Slider/Slider.aspx ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070502220553/http://wiki.script.aculo.us/scriptaculous/show/SliderDemo script.aculo.us wiki]

{{Graphical control elements}}

Category:Graphical control elements

{{GUI-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Slider (computing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slider_(computing)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slider_(computing)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.