A good notice for harbour / minigui world

[Rathinagiri]

I'm interested in the user interaction with the program...

also programs written in HMG3... can anybody share some screenshots ?

In HMG 3, I have created many DBF and business applications. I am glad to share some shots for you.

[mrduck]

Hi Roberto,
probably I was not clear in my message. I try to explain better and more openly.

I know there are several different GUI libraries available for harbour.

I have in mind my software that now runs in text-mode. I try to think a possible conversion of it into the GUI world.... thinking about the user experience....

I may choose a way from porting the forms 1:1 to completely rewriting the interface...

I'm thinking about a user that has been worked with this software since 1987 and knows every shortcut, about the use of different widgets, about the use of monospaced vs proportional fonts, etc

So, I'd like to see/know how other programmers ported their programs from text-mode to GUI, which decisions they took and, possibly, why they did that way....


Just to be more clear, 3 samples:
a) in one part of the program I implemented a little parser to parse commands typed by the users and build a sum, something like the commands travel agents type in the reservation systems. If I had to port to GUI, I can keep the same @ GET but I may also create a tree and allow drag/drop support... if I move to GUI I should move to GUI...
b) my wife is a teacher. she asked me a little software to use everyday in the class and store some infos on the lessons/students. My first try was text-mode and the data was difficult to add since in text-mode I was not able to do a clever thing. Then I moved to hbqt/hmg and radically changed the interface: now you have a "timetable" with days as columns and students as rows and a double click in the cell or a key pressed when the cell is active changes its content. In a different pane there is the real-time calculated situation
c) in a report you had to specify the month of the report. It calculated sums from start of year, start of month doing comparisons with previous years... I ported to hbQt and calculate all the months at once, putting each month in a TAB, and adding a new tab with a graph...

3 samples where moving from text-mode to GUI was done with a definitive change in how user interacts... (sample a is not done, it's just an idea).


So I'm asking other programmers: how have you done the portings ?

[mrduck]

I'm interested in the user interaction with the program...

also programs written in HMG3... can anybody share some screenshots ?

In HMG 3, I have created many DBF and business applications. I am glad to share some shots for you.

Thank you rathinagiri, nice forms.

I understand you use standard windows menu (no toolbars), MODAL windows (one thing a time), I may imagine how the "invoice entry" form works...

[Rathinagiri]

As you guessed, yes, I used standard window w.o. toolbar and modal windows.

I make it simple and I fill the main window with colorful buttons highly prominent and modal window was required by the user.

Ware-soft is inventory maintenance software created for a client and given as open source.

[Roberto Lopez]

Hi Roberto,
probably I was not clear in my message. I try to explain better and more openly.
<...>

Ok.

If you are porting, you should use modal windows only.

You simply has to replace your CLS...@...GET...READ blocks with DEFINE WINDOW... @...TEXTBOX...END WINDOW...ACTIVATE WINDOW blocks instead and you'll have a similar experience.

You should take a look at minigui extended, since it has an alternative to TEXTBOX called GETBOX. AFAIK, this control, supports @...GET PICTURE clause, that in the case of intensive porting could make the things faster.

Despite porting, my experience tells that many users confuses with multiple non modal windows opened at the same time.

As rathi, I always use only one active window (a modal one) in my applications. It give me great results.

Another thing (for medium to large sized projects) is to not use data bound controls.

I simply open tables, make the queries and load data in arrays and close tables. Using grids to edit and display only.

This model makes easy to change backends, in the case you need to connect (ie) to some flavor of SQL.

You should think that sooner or later, some of your apps, will need to have its data in a MySql server on the web, allowing queries from any place and any device.

I'm finding more and more people with iPhones and iPads that want access their data from such devices too (at least for query).

[mol]

hi mrduck!

I'm working now on my billing system.
You can easily download it frow http://www.molsystemy.pl/faktury/f4setup.exe
It in polish language, but, I think, you can easy install it and watch effects of my work.
I can share sources on pv

PS. I'm using now modal windows, I've tried few possibbilities with childwindow in the pass, but with some problems...

[danielmaximiliano]

So I'm asking other programmers: how have you done the portings ?

Hola Mrduck:
comenze portando la aplicacion de consola (D.O.S) que tenia 12 años de uso.
primero con la parte de indices, de DBF/NTX pase a DBF/CDX.
despues las consultas que son mas faciles de manejar ya que un error no afecta al sistema en si.
estas consultas de pasaron de consola 25,80 a graficas con un buen tamaño de ventana conteniendo mas datos para visualizar.
se agrego un Toolbar para opciones mas comunes que el usuario utiliza.- prontamente voy a ver como implementar un Toolbar inteligente que agregue botones para las opciones del Main Menu mas usados por el usuario. (en VFP tengo hecho uno)

las consultas ahora se cambiaron a un control Tree porque me permite multiples consultas por NIP sin necesidad de Multiples Window Child

[danielmaximiliano]

So I'm asking other programmers: how have you done the portings ?

Hola Mrduck:
comenze portando la aplicacion de consola (D.O.S) que tenia 12 años de uso.

excuse the translation, my English is bad

[Rathinagiri]

Nice work Daniel.

Mol, I have installed your software and it is so great and elaborative and extensive use of HMG. Thanks for sharing man.

[mrduck]

Thanks for your answers.