How is the new Presentation layer going?

Elmar · Post by **Elmar** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:27 am

Hi there!

Do you mind giving me a little update on your presentation layer efforts? I had to dump AwareIM for our current project because of the current PL limitations.

It would be great to have some more details 'before' you actually release it into production - so that I can evaluate if I could use it for other projects in the near future...

Thanks,
Elmar

aware_support · Post by **aware_support** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:09 am

What specifically did you have problems with in the presentation layer?

PEFS · Post by **PEFS** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:20 pm

Hi Aware,

I'm not sure when Elmar will reply but I know that we are all interested in some details on the progress of the new presentation layer.

Thank you

Elmar · Post by **Elmar** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:33 pm

Uh? I *did* reply but it seems like my reply hasn´t made it into this thread.
Sorry, this must have been my fault... although I occaisonaly get a PHP Database something error.

I´ll try to do a quick rewrite. We could not use AwareIM for this project because users did not understand the UI. It was bringing in an extra layer of complexity because thing had to be done in a "serial mode" instead of being able to group things into logical page components. By that I specificly mean constructing a page that constist on several query results. This could be -for example- a calendar on the left side and an appointment detail on the right. Both controls interacting with each other on the same page.

So, for future projects need to able to construct pages like this with AwareIM. Ajax partial page updates etc. would enable AwareIM to create scenarious like this.

Thanks,
Elmar

aware_support · Post by **aware_support** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:17 pm

It is funny that Elmar mentioned the only feature that is left to be done in the schedule of the new release - being able to combine queries, objects forms etc on the same screen. We are still thinking whether/how to do this feature in the new release.

Other than that the following features have been already implemented in the new release:

1) Improved visual perspectives that support multiple splittable and closable panels
2) New horizontal menu with icons
3) HTML editor
4) Editable comboboxes with "search ahead" functionality
5) AJAX-driven comboboxes for references that query the server for contents as you type
6) New interface for query results screen that supports dynamically adjustable column widths
7) AJAX support for dynamically re-calculated fields on forms

Pop-up dialogs when adding references and filtering query results
9) Other minor improvements

Elmar · Post by **Elmar** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 6:19 am

aware_support wrote:It is funny that Elmar mentioned the only feature that is left to be done in the schedule of the new release - being able to combine queries, objects forms etc on the same screen. We are still thinking whether/how to do this feature in the new release.

Other than that the following features have been already implemented in the new release:

1) Improved visual perspectives that support multiple splittable and closable panels
2) New horizontal menu with icons
3) HTML editor
4) Editable comboboxes with "search ahead" functionality
5) AJAX-driven comboboxes for references that query the server for contents as you type
6) New interface for query results screen that supports dynamically adjustable column widths
7) AJAX support for dynamically re-calculated fields on forms
Pop-up dialogs when adding references and filtering query results
9) Other minor improvements

Sounds sweet! I think introducing a "page component"-level to AwareIM will make it awesome!

Does your framework feature something like UpdatePanels in ASP.NET AJAX? My idea was to to let AwareIM construct page components -that are wrapped with something like update panels- instead of only complete pages. On the NEW page level the configurator could than define which components cause other components to do a partial page reload... AwareIM might even be able to figur it out automatically because it knows the components relation to each other.

To create pages like we are used to in AwareIM the configurator would simply have one component (that used be a page) added to the page that only updates itself (and perhaps other nessessary page components like navigation).

Does that make sense? Just my 2 cents... as usual

. I´ve used various Ajax frameworks in the past and but haven´t used EXT yet so I don´t know how they are handeling partial page updates.

Best regards,
Elmar

pixerp · Post by **pixerp** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:30 pm

The point made by Elmar is almost exactly what I tried to point at in my post "Single instance in Query result" - http://www.awareim.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1788.

What I need to achieve is to enter data in the left pane and trigger a form/result in the main pane.

Or, like in Outlook, select a folder in the left pane which displays its content (in list form) in the top half of the main pane and displays the details of content item in the second half of the main pane...

That would be just great feature for my users !