Alan Cooper

to minimize mouse movement

The most basic entry control is a text edit field. Like selection controls, entry controls represent nouns to the application. Because a combo box contains an edit field, some combo box variants qualify as entry controls too. Also, any control that lets users enter a numeric value is an entry control. Because they allow users to set numeric values, controls such as spinners, gauges, sliders, and knobs fit in this category.

Conversely, a simple text field can accept any keyboard character the user types into it. This open-ended entry idiom is an example of an unbounded entry control. With an unbounded entry control, it can be easy for users to enter values that are invalid for the application. The application may subsequently reject the value, of course, but users can still enter it.