A paned window is a windows (or build-ups) in a graphical user interface that has multiple parts, layers, or sections. Examples of this include a code browser in a typical integrated development environment; a file browser with multiple panels; a tiling window manager; or a web page that contains multiple frames.^[1] Simple console applications use an edit pane for accepting input and an output pane for displaying output.^[2]

The term task pane is used by Microsoft to identify any area cordoned off from the main screen area of an application and used for a specific function, such as changing the displayed font in a word processor.^[3]

Three-pane interface

A Three-pane interface is a category of graphical user interface in which the screen or window is divided into three panes displaying information. This information typically falls into a hierarchal relationship of master-detail with an embedded inspector window. Microsoft's Outlook Express email client popularized a mailboxes / mailbox contents / email text layout that became the norm until web-based user interfaces rose in popularity during the mid-2000s. Even today, many webmail scripts emulate this interface style.