Editing Scrollbar (section)

== Alternative designs ==
Many variations on the traditional scrollbar design and usage have been proposed or implemented. To avoid limiting window visibility with scrollbars while still allowing for functionality, the use of a software tether (thin line) associated with movement of the mouse pointer around the tether has been proposed. Similarly, the scrollbar can be directly placed within the content where it is useful, both decreasing space used and reducing required pointer movements.<ref name="mishra">{{cite journal|last1=Mishra|first1=Umakant|title=10 Inventions on scrolling and scrollbars in Graphical User Interface A TRIZ based analysis|date=2014}}</ref>

The inclusion of visual and operational clues within the scrollbar display area can indicate which directions allow for scrolling movement as well as which interactions with the scrollbar are available.<ref name="mishra" /> This can be a blank field to signal a list's end, disabling of scrolling buttons, and color changes in the scrollbar.

Some scrollbars include a visual position indicator to help determine where the scrolling action has gone or will go to in the content.<ref name="RowleyPat">{{cite web|last1=Rowley|first1=Daniel S.|last2=Chapman|first2=Leigh|title=Method and system for providing an intelligent visual scrollbar position indicator|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US8713471|website=Google Patents}}</ref> For multipage content, an indicator of the current page number vs the total page number can be included next to the thumb as scrolling occurs, and wider scrollbars can include an overview of the entire page. In scrollbars like those used in phone contact lists made up of the letters of the alphabet, the letter corresponding to the current area can be displayed larger or highlighted in some way. While these are stable and provided by the application, some applications and search engines allow for the use of relevance markers provided or added by the user. These can be strictly visual or can automatically stop action within the scrollbar once each marker is reached.<ref name="mishra" /> These can be emphasized with color or even sound to further assist the user in finding what they need within the content.