Customizing the UI and Widgets

[josevelez]

I like that layout! Very nice!!

[johntalbott]

Here is another example. This one uses Twitter Bootstrap for a responsive design .. so that the UI adapts to the device.

http://demos.telerik.com/kendo-ui/bootstrap/#profile

[johntalbott]

If your clients are doing it on their own, does it make your wonder that there is a need to be met?

Once one of my client asked me how to incorporate an open-source free javascript library in its app... I've asked: "why do you need this? Maybe you can do what you are asking with a book... and his answer has been: I'd like to use that library"... In other words... you say "there is a need to be met" but what's that need?

Did you ask your client specifically why he wanted to use the JavaScript library versus using the book? There must have been some reason.

You do present a fair question. My need is to build an application with a UI similar to the Clinical Study example that I provided. It needs to run in a desktop browser, tablet, and phone.

1. What is the best way to do that?

2. Should I use a form or a book?

3. How do I know when to use one or the other?

4. What are the pros and cons of each?

For one of the screens in the application, I'd also need an admin UI similar to this mock up ....

goalsandobjectivesadmin.PNG (38.72 KiB) Viewed 7639 times

[johntalbott]

anyone out there? :-)

[josevelez]

LOL!

I have been wondering the same thing.... I'm hoping to hear something as well.

[lucabaldini]

Sorry for the delay but I've been very busy (I mean, veeeerrrrryy busy) with the 13.1 BETA version that we released this morning. It takes some time to pack everything for a full InDe release.

Anyway, I've looked at the thread and I think that the Goals and Objectives screen can be done with a book. You have some options (panels and books) for UI and choosing which one to use is something that strongly depends on what you have to do.

The Goals and Objectives can be done with a panel in a Form layout... you could define (at design-time) let's say 20 fields, hide some of them (the empty one?) and play with positioning... the book does the positioning automatically... and it has no limit on the number of item you can add (the 20 I was saying before).

So there is not a single answer... I could do it with both objects and obtain the exact same run-time form.

But I would choose a book because I can add as many Goal I want (and I don't have to fix at design-time the maximum number of goals) and I can add as many Objective as I want...

Also I don't have to play with positioning when I add a new Objective... I just need to reprint the book and the "new line" will show up and all other following objects will automatically move down.

In order to understand exactly pros and cons of both solutions I would suggest you to read the online manual where panels and books are presented: http://doc.instantdeveloper.com/eng/inde-users-guide.pdf
You can find panels from page 114 and book from page 260.

Going back to the Clinical study example... I would do it with a book because the UI is not a grid nor a simple list of fields... but you could also use panel groups in order to group fields as shown... the right solution depends on what exactly you have to do.

[johntalbott]

Luca,

Per your response ... I started looking into books. I get the sense that this is going to be very complicated to do in In.De. I hope that I'm wrong.

It would be great to see an example based on the Clinical Study demo (or something very similar) that incorporates the functionality needed for the Goals and Objectives. I'm guessing that others would find it very useful to understand how to build more complex UI's that go beyond a grid or simple list of fields using In.De. I know that my clients expect it.

Thank You

[josevelez]

Luca,

Thanks for the response, but I'm afraid to say that not only is it unsatisfactory but it really misses the point. It sends me the message that Inde 'doesn't get it yet'. When your customers tell you, "hey, I like your product but your UI is bad and MY clients don't/wont like it" you should listen and not try to continue selling us on what we don't like.

Furthermore, a response that essentially says, "hey you can do this but its gonna take a bit of work" or "you can do it but you'll need to spend the next few weeks pouring over a manual figuring it out" is not a satisfactory answer.

Bottom line is that regardless of how nice Inde is in terms of functionality, the UI MUST be up to par.

[g.lanzi]

Hi to all of you guys, I'm Giuseppe Lanzi and I'm the director of the support services of Instant Developer.

I got the point that the answer "this things can be done with InDe" isn't what you want to get from this thread. I think I understand your point of view: InDe seems a good tool to you but you see some weakness that make you say that it's UI isn't on the proper level or that some solutions are too hard to discover. Plus, you fear that getting the proper result and mastering InDE will require too much effort.

Let me say that my first goal isn't to get a tool with tons of features, but to make you guys use it with satisfaction. Of course it takes time to master it, and for that reason we created other effective support tools in addition to the manuals and the documentation center: online courses, coaching sessions (in english too, of course), webinars and dedicated solutions, too.

Now, rather than start an explanation on how to get a certain result or try to completely understand by forum what you're expecting from the tool, I choose a different path.

What I care the most is keep in touch with you and make you use InDe for your application with success, so I propose to you to set up a 1 hour webinar.

During this webinar we can continue this thread, seeing some examples and find toghether the most suitable InDe solution for you.

Are you guys available on the next week? Do you want to invite someone?

[g.lanzi]

One last thing I forgot to write explicitly: the webinar I'm proposing is free :)