Mode (user interface)
In user interface design, a mode is a state of a system in which user input is interpreted according to a particular set of rules. Larry Tesler defines mode as "a state of the user interface that lasts for a period of time, is not associated with any particular object, and has no role other than to place an interpretation on operator input." In his book The Humane Interface, Jef Raskin defines modality as: "An human-machine interface is modal with respect to a given gesture when (1) the current state of the interface is not the user's locus of attention and (2) the interface will execute one among several different responses to the gesture, depending on the system's current state." (Page 42).