A Developer's thoughts on Synergy 2007
Paul Anthony, Asckey Data Services Ltd
The persistent theme of Synergy this year was that of presentation and this was clearly shown with the implementation of the new menu system in VDF 12.1. I'm sure everyone would agree that the current menu system in VDF is looking dated and, I've always felt, a bit clunky to use as well.The new system is a vast improvement with themes to match Microsoft Windows®s' and Office®s' own menus, adding more functionality such as grab handles. If there's one thing all applications have in common it's a menu system, so a change here will be very effective in updating programs to have a contemporary look-and-feel throughout the whole of the application.
The new menu system uses as an external control which is part of the CodeJock suite, and much effort has been spent integrating it seamlessly (and cost free!) into the studio. New menus can be added and manipulated WYSIWYG style using the Studio's modeling view, all the while magically updating source code to reflect the changes. Structure-wise, anyone familiar with XML will be used to the concept of nested collection objects and the menu system's hierarchical design will seem very natural.
If having played with the menu style options has whetted your appetite for visual design then a presentation by our own Martin Pincott would certainly interest you. By tapping into the way Windows draws components and applying styles to them a whole application can be skinned resulting in a very different look and feel, and with very little expenditure of effort.
Codejock, who provided the menu system, have a control to neatly encapsulate this all for you. By inserting literally 3 lines:
Object oSkinControl is a asSkinControl
End_Object
Property String psSkin_Scheme "Luminair.msstyles"
an existing application can have a facelift to look just like MacOS, if you are that way inclined. You can even let the user pick their own style if you give them a list of styles to chose from! Chip Casanave was so impressed by this feat that Data Access extended their negotiation with Codejock so you will now find the skinning system also included in VDF 12.1.
For a look at just one screenshot of what can be done, click here
Before and
After (if these initially look blurred, wait until fully downloaded then expand the picture to full size). A more familiar application (the sample application "Orders") given the same treatment can be seen
here (before) and
here (after).
And for Martin Pincott's presentation, with a number of very "interesting" screen shots,
here .
Asckey were not the only Brits at the Synergy conference, and with two presentations and a place on the panel discussion, the small Brit contingent was well represented.
Eric Green (Bibliographic Data Services Ltd) from Dumfries was extremely enthusiastic about what he saw:-
VDF 12.1 is the most exciting release of DataFlex I have ever seen. The new development Studio is in any case brilliant, but adding in the CodeJock visual capabilities makes new development a really exciting prospect. It makes me want to get back to actual development and coding! The new Menu Builder alone is worth the annual subscription. As for AJAX - our own non VDF development is using AJAX principles, so we are really happy to see this being supported by Visual DataFlex. Now give us a WYSYWIG Ajax supporting studio and we will be in heaven!"
//Ed - that skinning "trick" was actually worked up in the UK after the March VDF Sig meeting. Martin Pincott, Martin Kelley and Ian Smith were all convinced it could be done - and worked together to make it happen! Great stuff, guys!
Other Subjects
The VDF Ajax framework was also presented in some depth, but this has been reported on previously in VDF Sig meetings and news. Some new example applications are due very soon, so watch this space for their availability.
Many more topics at Synergy of course. Watch this space for when all the presentations become available for download, and a summary of the more important ones.
One last thought:-
VDF 12 was for developers. VDF 12.1 is for end users!
VDF 12 is going to let you build Windows applications with maximum visual appeal. VDF has always been the best development system for building complex applications, particularly if you have an eye to Web as well as Windows capability. However the "look and feel" element has become a little lacking. No more - just take a little bit of time, and it really isn't going to be much, and banish those mutterings about VDF look and feel!
If you need a "jump start" into this area, come to us on a half day "Drive in Support" and we can get you up to speed on making the best use of these new features.
And remember
"If it looks good, it must be good"
Maybe not always, but get into VDF 12.1 and blow your clients away with how good your VDF applications look as well as work!
Closing off the conference was a celebration - Data Access is 30 years old, coincidentally the same age as Microsoft®. Those present at the Synergy were treated to a cruise around the Miami bay area, sampling the highlife that we hope the success of our own products will enable us to attain.
July 2007