GUI development

GUI frameworks

The default GUI framework used by OpenPetra.org at the moment is Windows Forms (WinForms), .NET's native GUI framework, which means that openPETRA by default runs as a desktop application.

OM has decided on using Windows Forms for the Petra product (on which openPETRA is based) more than three years ago, mostly because that was the only stable Client framework available at that time that worked with well with .NET. At that point in time, and still as of now, OM doesn't have a need for running Petra/openPETRA in a Browser or in a cross-platform scenario, so we don't have a rich web interface for openPETRA yet. That doesn't mean that a rich web interface for openPETRA couldn't be done - please see the following discussion for our opinion on that, and the GUI Frameworks Comparison and Web GUI Frameworks Comparison pages for the research we did on available frameworks.

• For a discussion and comparison of rich desktop application vs. rich web interface, see Rich desktop application vs. rich web interface.
• For a discussion and comparison of several GUI frameworks, see GUI Frameworks Comparison and Web GUI Frameworks Comparison.

GUI internationalisation

see Comparison I18N

Customizing OpenPetra

see Customizing OpenPetra

Code Generation

• Code Generation for GUI vs WYSIWYG design of GUI
• Documentation GUI generation with YAML

GUI Style and Design

For both the website and the OpenPetra client we need people with an eye for design, colors, etc. Please join us! We desperately need you!

Some links that might be useful:

• Style guide: see eg. http://library.gnome.org/devel/hig-book/stable/ GNOME Human Interface Guidelines 2.2
• free icons under creative common license: http://www.icon-king.com/projects/nuvola/
• also creative common license icons: http://www.userinterfaceicons.com/preview.php
• see also KDE Look.org, Artwork Icons etc: http://www.kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=22x27
• free country flags icons and others: http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/
• free icons from Javier Odriozola: http://www.jodriozola.com/blog/?p=10

General screen types and layouts

• Edit screens
  • This is the most common type of screen in openPETRA. Edit screens are used for data entry and for viewing of data.
  • See Architecture Edit screens
• Complex Edit screens
  • Might have many Tabs, give access to a lot of data, etc.
  • Example: Partner Edit screen.
• Find screens
  • For finding of database records of a particular type.
  • Example: Partner Find screen.
• Report parameter screens
  • allows the user to select options for a specific report.
• Import/Export screens
  • allow importing and exporting of data
• Maintain Tables screens
  • All Maintain Table screen allow CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete [1]) operations for a specific system table/lookup table.
  • See How-To: Creating a Maintain Table screen
• Special screens
  • Those are screens whose layout and function is unique to that screen.
  • Examples: Login screen, Intranet Export, etc
• Assistants
  • These multi-step screens guide the user through complex operations.
• Main screen, Menu screens
  • Provide the menus that the user needs to get to all the appropriate screens.
  • See Navigation and Dashboard

Controls / Widgets

These controls have been quite useful or will become more important:

• Grid
  • icons, checkboxes in columns
  • load from datatable
  • refresh data
  • select row or column
  • delayed data loading
  • at the moment only used readonly
  • sort by column
  • tooltips for row
  • for Windows.forms, we are using DevAge SourceGrid (MIT license, compatible to GPL)
  • see also Thoughts about TreeViewGrid or Collapsable DataGrid

• Edit Field for Partner Key with Search button

• Toolbar
  • show tooltips for the toolbar buttons

• Balloon special non modal message boxes http://www.codeproject.com/KB/miscctrl/balloonnet.aspx (CPOL license, problem with GPL)

• Statusbar/Tooltips
  • TODO explanation is taken from the Shared Datastore, the help text from petra.xml
  • Edit fields: if you tab into a field, or click with the mouse into it, the explanation should be displayed in the statusbar
  • Edit fields: if you hover with the mouse over an edit field, the tooltip should display the explanation
  • buttons work the same as the edit fields
  • menu items: no tooltip, no statusbar info
  • toolbar buttons: show tooltips
  • using 3rd party control: EWSoftware.StatusBarText@CodeProject (Problem: CodeProject license not compatible to GPL? Wikipedia CPOL)

• Groupbox that can be collapsed
  • save space
  • tooltip on the +/-
  • shortcut key to collapse/open
  • yellow background for part of the groupbox text when it is collapsed (subcaption, partner class)

• Restore the window state and position

• XP Style Task Panel

Printing & Preview controls

• there is one screen for the preview of reports
• we need TPrintPreviewWithToolbar for printing to paper
  • scroll the pages, jump to page; with event that can be caught outside, to select other rows in a grid
• TPrintPreviewList: a grid and TPrintPreviewWithToolbar and splitter
• TEmailPreviewWithToolbar: similar to TPrintPreviewWithToolbar, but for sending emails; has send button etc
• TEmailPreviewList: a grid and TEmailPreviewWithToolbar and splitter

Overview Comboboxes

TCmbAutoPopulated:

• defined in Ict.Petra.Client.CommonControls
• derived from System.Windows.Forms.UserControl
• contains a TCmbLabelled control
• can load data from the server or cache, using TListTableEnum values;
  • also works with TListTableEnum.UserDefinedList, then you have to set the property Table before you call TCmbAutoPopulated::InitialiseUserControl()

TCmbLabelled:

• defined in Ict.Common.Controls
• derived from System.Windows.Forms.UserControl
• contains a TCmbVersatile and Label control

TCmbVersatile:

• defined in Ict.Common.Controls
• derived from TCmbAutoComplete
• allows to display several columns in the dropdown list

TCmbAutoComplete:

• defined in Ict.Common.Controls
• derived from System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox