Transcript Building Great Looking Windows Applications

Building Great Looking Windows
Applications
Fast & Easy
John Tuohy
Data Access Worldwide
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Studio Development Plan – First Release Goals
Natural code modeling
☼ Source
code is the basis for all modeling
☼ No special markups or registrations
☼ Flexible visual modeling of components
☼ All DataFlex can be modeled
☼ Code Explorer shows code outline
☼ All properties are modeled
☼ Unlimited Undo / Redo
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Studio Development Plan – First Release Goals
New User Interface
☼ New
menu and toolbar system
☼ Dockable panels
Smart Studio provides coding assistance
☼ Code
complete / List members
☼ Parameter info
☼ Quick info
☼ Auto complete
☼ Go to definition
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Studio Development Plan – First Release Goals
Debugger
☼ Integrated
into Studio
☼ Breakpoints set directly in code at any time
☼ Better watch and expression evaluation
Improved Workspace Management
Workspaces can be easily selected, added, copied
and moved
☼ Class library support
☼ Better cooperation with source control systems
☼ Allow multiple instances of the Studio
☼
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Studio Development Plan – First Release Goals
Released December 2006
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Studio Development Plan – Second Release Goals
Visual designer for menus and toolbars
Redesign of Database Builder
☼ Integrate
data dictionary modeling into the Studio
☼ More Database management functions integrated
into the Studio
☼ Better and easier support for other databases
All tools to use the new menus and toolbars
☼ Database
Explorer
☼ Database Builder
☼ Other tools
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
But then, an unexpected change in plans
Our developers requested better looking
windows applications
☼ Wanted
a facelift for their existing applications
☼ Wanted to be able to do this quickly and easily
What they wanted
☼ Extremely
important - Better looking menus and
toolbars
☼ Very important –Better looking views (skins)
☼ Important - New controls
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
A case study of three developers
Emil Stojanov – Quantaris
Björn Thunvik – EXDE Systems
Tony MacKay – Anasazi Software
They all used Codejock active/x controls
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
And so, a minor change in plans
Provide new menu and toolbar classes using
the Codejock controls
Build a visual menu / toolbar designer into the
Studio for these controls
Encourage and support developers in their use
of other Codejock controls
☼ Skinning
controls
☼ Other controls
Get this released ASAP!
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
The Codejock control library
Who are they?
☼ Just
google “codejock”
What are they?
☼ Menu
/ toolbar controls (CommandBars)
☼ Skin Framework
☼ Docking Pane, Report Control, Property Grid,
Calendar, etc.
Provided as MFC classes & Active/X classes
☼ How
we used them in the Studio
☼ How you will use them in your applications
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
What will you get in 12.1
The Codejock menu and toolbar Active/X
controls
☼
Xtreme Command Bars
A set of menu, toolbar and statusbar classes
☼ Easy
to use
☼ Easy to convert existing menus
A visual builder in the Studio
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
What will you get in 12.1
Beta: June/July 2007
Let’s take a look
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Classes
Creates menu, toolbars, statusbar and context
menus
Visual themes
Supports MDI / client-area style applications
Can be embedded in other dialogs
User configurable:
☼ Menubar
and toolbars are dockable and floatable
☼ Menus and toolbars can be edited at runtime
☼ Save and restore layouts
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Classes
Many style of menu and toolbar items
supported
☼ Button
- a normal menu/toolbar item
☼ Popup menu -sub-menus
☼ Split Button
☼ Checkbox
☼ Combo
☼ Edit
☼ Label
☼ Radio
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Classes
Menu and toolbar item support includes
☼ Caption, tooltip, statusbar description, accelerator key
☼ Easy to enable, disable, hide and check items
☼ Updates can be managed via a timer
☼ Simple selection process (OnExecute)
Image Support
☼ Bitmaps and Icons
☼ Automatic and manual support for item’s state
Normal, disabled, selected, checked, pressed
Can display text, images or both
☼ Large, small images supported
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Classes
Simple class structure
Creates easy to visualize and easy to maintain
object structures
Support for static and dynamic menus and
toolbars
Powerful sub-class menu item support
☼ Library
of standard items provided
Many other customization features provided
Full Codejock COM interface supported in
classes
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Studio
Full Visual Modeling of:
☼ Menubar and menu items
☼ Toolbars and toolbar items
☼ Context menus
☼ Status Bar (support to be added post 12.1)
Menubar and toolbars are dragged from class palette
New menu and toolbar items are easily created
Items are visually added, moved, copied and deleted
Support for all item control types
Property Panel is used to maintain bar and item
properties
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Menu and Toolbars - The Studio
Menu items are created when view and reports are
added
Easy to manually add existing components to menus
and toolbars
Easy to select new items from sub-classes
Templates provided for standard menu systems
☼ These can be custom configured
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide
Thank you
May 16 – 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Data Access Worldwide