04:54:10 PM
3MW1089S1
These are all great questions, but they all don't have real easy answers because a lot depends on your UI requirements in general and specifically for your application.
Building a quality Web UI is not a trivial task, but it's doable with a little patience and some reading up. The thing is that Web UI expectations can vary greatly and there's no one standard way to build it. In Web Connection 5 I provide a basic CSS framework, which admittedly is pretty light of touch but it's a good starting point to build your own on top of.
There are also more comprehensive UI frameworks out there, like Html BoilerPlate or Twitter Bootstrap which I've been using a bit in the last couple projects I've worked on. They tend to be a bit more complex to learn, but they also handle nice degradation into mobile devices.
All of this can be done with Web Connection, BTW, even though it doesn't come in the box, since it's just HTML. Web Connection allows you to use any standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript libraries so all the latest HTML client tools are available for use.
What I'm getting at that for the UI design portion at least, the place to look for ideas/suggestions might be better served in the HTML/CSS/JavaScript community rather than here in the Web COnnection crowd. There's lots of great reusable stuff out there - it's a matter of finding something that matches what you're interested in. One thing to potentially check out are some of the template sites that can provide you with a base design template that you can work with and plunk your application specific HTML layout into... In the end what you're interested in is Web design advice - if budget allows working with a Web designer can be very fruitful...
Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss this in more detail.
Hope this helps,
+++ Rick ---
Hi All,
I am experimenting with migrating a large Desktop Application to Web Connection.
Being new to Web Development, and also with limited time, I was presented with many challenges.
I purchased WWWC 4.x several years ago, but every time I started to work with the tool, I usually
got side-tracked and would have to put the effort on hold for several weeks, or several months.
My latest attempt at moving forward with the migration yielded better results than ever before.
Being completely new to web development, my main goal was to determine if I could duplicate the
basic framework of my Desktop App within Web Connection, and also to gauge the amount of effort
involved.
I must say that working with WWWC is a pleasure, and learning about web development is fascinating
and fun! Kudo's to Rick and the WWWC Community!
My Desktop App is essentially a CRUD app, (Create, Read, Update, Delete) data associated with running a
small business, and of course generating reports. There is also security involved, not only for login,
but also for granular access rights to various system functions and reports.
The good news is, I have been able to duplicate (for a couple of forms and reports) the basic functionality
needed: Create, Read, Update, Delete data, Run Reports, and Enforce Security. So I now have what I believe
is a foundation upon which to build/expand as I migrate more of the screens and other functions.
It is now time to address the User Interface, the look and feel of the app running in a browser.
This is where I could use some help! I would like to hear from those who may be interested in some contract
work to assist with the User Interface piece. Again, the application is mainly for Data Entry and Reporting.
I would like to hear your suggestions/proposal on the best approach/design for a Web-Based Data Entry application.
I would also like to see websites or at least screen shots of past work (Web User Interface).
The Desktop App has a Launch Pad on the left side where most common functions are accessed.
Of course, the Desktop App uses a MIDI Interface, so many screens can be open at once, and easly switched back and forth.
In my prototype experimentation, I basically achieved the same thing by opening multiple tabs within the browser.
Is this approach the correct/only way? What are some of the options here?
I am leaning towards a similar Launch Pad on the Lefside in the Web Interface, but am open to suggestions.
Also, I want the web user interface to be fairly easy to customize. In other words, the ability to apply a skin or different
template (Style Sheet, whatever) to change the colors, etc...
My plan is to purchase WWWC 5.x to take advantage of the new product features. Therefore, the user interface will need to be based on the capabilities of WWWC 5.x, and the latest web user interface technologies. I would also like to explore the
possibilities/challenges associated with accessing portions of the application from an iPhone or Android, but this is secondary.
Specifically, I need (as an initial step):
- Initial Login Page (I already have the backend code that authenticates users)
- Upon login, user will see the Main Page for accessing various functions (Sales, Customers, Inventory, Service Dept, Reports, Admin, etc...)
- User Clicks Customer Link/Button, a search page is displayed along with an Add New Link (I can show an example within my prototype)
- Similar pages are needed for various other screens.
I need a standards-based user-interface framework that I can expand as needed as various portions of the Desktop App are migrated.
Thanks!
Steve
West Wind Technologies
Making waves on the Web
