Insert Plain Text Attributes in Forms
Insert Plain Text Attributes in Forms
Is there any way to insert attributes into the layout of a custom form as plain text, rather than as a form element? I realize you can kind of simulate this by inserting a read-only text box, but it's really not the same thing as just inserting plain text.
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aware_support2
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I know you can do CSS tricks to work around this, but come on! For an application this sophisticated, I don't think it's asking a lot to be able to insert plain text from an attribute without using clunky workarounds. I've worked with a lot of different RAD tools over the years and this is the first one I've come across that doesn't allow you to do this. For example, in Code Charge Studio, you can insert a "Label" element. Even Microsoft Access allows you to do this.
Speaking of AJAX, is there any plan to eventually incorporate AJAX into the AwareIM default user interface, or at least give the user the option of using AJAX forms? I realize you can accomplish this using third party toolkits and its nice that you provide this flexibility, but again, I feel that an application this sophisticated should include built-in AJAX functionality. AJAX is rapidly becoming the standard interface for Web 2.0 applications. Applications that use standard HTML forms seem kind of dated in my eyes.
Speaking of AJAX, is there any plan to eventually incorporate AJAX into the AwareIM default user interface, or at least give the user the option of using AJAX forms? I realize you can accomplish this using third party toolkits and its nice that you provide this flexibility, but again, I feel that an application this sophisticated should include built-in AJAX functionality. AJAX is rapidly becoming the standard interface for Web 2.0 applications. Applications that use standard HTML forms seem kind of dated in my eyes.
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aware_support
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You are right - we should make it easier to insert attribute values as labels. The good news is that this will hopefully be available in the next revision of Aware IM (2.3) that will be coming out within the next 1-2 months. We will make it possible to use attributes inside tags in HTML cells on the forms (just like you do it in the Report Designer). This will make it possible not only to display attribute values as labels but also display them in different colors, fonts, display expressions as labels etc. Please bear with us on this.
Regarding AJAX. When you are talking about "dated HTML" interface, what specifically do you mean? After all, AJAX technology does not go beyond the standard HTML and JavaScript. Aware IM uses a lot of JavaScript and in this sense is not very different from many AJAX frameworks. There are many widgets that Aware IM supports just like some well known AJAX frameworks (trees, calendars, pagers etc etc). Undoubtedly, there are certain widgets that Aware IM does not support and some AJAX frameworks do, but the converse is true as well. We haven't found any single existing AJAX framework so far that would incorporate EVERYTHING Aware IM offers now and also adds a lot more. If we had, we would have incorporated such a framework already.
Rich Internet Application (RIA) frameworks (such as Adobe Flex and Lazslo) is a different story. These frameworks do go beyond the standard HTML and JavaScript (and are, in fact, based on a different technology altogether). The next major version of Aware IM is likely to incorporate the RIA technology, but stay AJAX friendly at the same time without (probably) incorporating any particular AJAX framework.
Regarding AJAX. When you are talking about "dated HTML" interface, what specifically do you mean? After all, AJAX technology does not go beyond the standard HTML and JavaScript. Aware IM uses a lot of JavaScript and in this sense is not very different from many AJAX frameworks. There are many widgets that Aware IM supports just like some well known AJAX frameworks (trees, calendars, pagers etc etc). Undoubtedly, there are certain widgets that Aware IM does not support and some AJAX frameworks do, but the converse is true as well. We haven't found any single existing AJAX framework so far that would incorporate EVERYTHING Aware IM offers now and also adds a lot more. If we had, we would have incorporated such a framework already.
Rich Internet Application (RIA) frameworks (such as Adobe Flex and Lazslo) is a different story. These frameworks do go beyond the standard HTML and JavaScript (and are, in fact, based on a different technology altogether). The next major version of Aware IM is likely to incorporate the RIA technology, but stay AJAX friendly at the same time without (probably) incorporating any particular AJAX framework.
Aware IM Support Team
Fancy widgets are nice, but my definition of a true AJAX interface is one in which the user can submit a form and see the results without waiting for a page refresh. The form is submitted to a Javascript function that communicates with the server in the background and then another Javascript function updates the page, based on the data it receives back from the server.
For example, AwareIM supports a tabbed form interface, but every time you switch to a different tab, you have to wait for the whole page to reload. With AJAX, all the tabs would be loaded at once and when you switch tabs, it would use Javascript to hide the current tab and switch to the tab that the user clicked on. This would make the interface much more responsive and would simulate the type of experience you would get from a desktop-based application.
I'm not familiar with RIA, though I may have used an RIA application without even realizing it. If it's more advanced than AJAX and provides more of a desktop-like experience, then I applaud you for moving in that direction, but I still feel that out-of-the-box, AwareIM should include basic AJAX functionality in its HTML interface. You might want to take a look at AJForm:
http://projects.aphexcreations.net/ajform/
This is an open-source AJAX framework that provides the exact functionality I described, without any additional bells or whistles. It's the purest and simplest AJAX implementation I've seen and could easily be incorporated into the existing AwareIM user interface, without changing anything else. It would simply give you the capability to do background form submissions, which would greatly speed up the interface.
For example, AwareIM supports a tabbed form interface, but every time you switch to a different tab, you have to wait for the whole page to reload. With AJAX, all the tabs would be loaded at once and when you switch tabs, it would use Javascript to hide the current tab and switch to the tab that the user clicked on. This would make the interface much more responsive and would simulate the type of experience you would get from a desktop-based application.
I'm not familiar with RIA, though I may have used an RIA application without even realizing it. If it's more advanced than AJAX and provides more of a desktop-like experience, then I applaud you for moving in that direction, but I still feel that out-of-the-box, AwareIM should include basic AJAX functionality in its HTML interface. You might want to take a look at AJForm:
http://projects.aphexcreations.net/ajform/
This is an open-source AJAX framework that provides the exact functionality I described, without any additional bells or whistles. It's the purest and simplest AJAX implementation I've seen and could easily be incorporated into the existing AwareIM user interface, without changing anything else. It would simply give you the capability to do background form submissions, which would greatly speed up the interface.