GUI development

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GUI frameworks

The default framework used by OpenPetra.org at the moment is Windows.Forms. This is due to quite a lot of existing code that has already been written for Petra using Winforms.

For a discussion and comparison of several GUI frameworks, see GUI Frameworks Comparison

GUI internationalisation

see Comparison I18N

Customizing OpenPetra

see Customizing OpenPetra

Code Generation

GUI Style guide

General screen types and layouts

  • Special screens (unique): Login screen, Intranet Export, etc
  • main screens: provide the menus that the user needs to get to all the appropriate screens
  • CRUD operations for single table (Create, Read, Update, Delete: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Create,_read,_update_and_delete)
  • Find screens
  • Export screens
  • Complex Edit screens, with many tabs etc
  • Assistants: guide the user through complex operations
  • report parameter screens: the user selects the options for a report to run

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)
  • Edit Field for Partner Key with Search button
  • Toolbar
    • show tooltips for the toolbar buttons
  • 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

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