UI design like Outlook

Mycroft Holmes

We use Infragistics Listbar, one of the few controls of theirs I like. It gives an excellent outlook style listbar, relatively easy to use which is a huge bonus from them. The only trouble with the ui design like you are proposing (I use it also) is when there is a large amount of detail to be displayed. I have a standard toolbar somewhere with alphabet buttons for filtering large sets. Use a DGV for detail, it's faster than a listview and easier to format.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

Vasudevan Deepak Kumar

Check out http://www.dotnetmagic.com/[^]

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Dimitris Nemtsov

In my situation, I don't have large amount of detail to be displayed, rather data grouped in distinct way... I saw (don't remember where) an approach where instead of MDI the SDI is used with custom controls. A custom control in my situation would be a detail form which could show or hide depended on which button is clicked. Not quite sure if this approach is best.

Mycroft Holmes

I let the listbar do the grouping, content is database driven. The details are only available in lists in the main form and any further information/work is done via dialogs. No data is manipulated in the main form. Dialogs of course are customised for each data type. I dislike the disappearing control paradign as I find it difficult to support and the main form becomes very bloated.

Dimitris Nemtsov

I see, However I am busting my head know how to implement the outlook approach... I mean is it MDI app and show/hide each time new form? Or do they use other pattern?

Mycroft Holmes

I can see only 2 types of data, list and calendar. Outlook may treat the sections differently but that is their choice, I suspect there are a number of user controls and a datalist tool. In my corporate CRUD life there is basically 1 type of data, lists, how you display them is just candy, can be very important but still candy. Where you do your data manipulation is more important to me as that is where the nasty bits like validation come into play. I never do this in the main form.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

Dimitris Nemtsov

So you are saying that outlook uses the approach of manipulating controls in SDI? I found an article http://richnewman.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/user-interface-design-for-business-applications/[^] Where I like the UI design "Montage Tabbed Interfaces – ‘IDE-style’ interfaces" also in the below article http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winforms/thread/e073c18f-1ffc-462b-b9d1-67444395a75c/[^] They suggest to use controls. Do you agree?

Mycroft Holmes

Net nazi stops me on the wordpress link but I understand the reply from JRQ I just don't have a requirement for that many disparate data types. I have not used MDI for many years, always was a kludge, so I can't compare, I like SDI. B/c I have only 1 basic type of data and 1 presentation style I have very limited need to communicate between controls. Mine is mainform calls dialog with an ID for the data required. Dialog return a dialogresult to the main form which updates the list from the database if required. I must admit my UI is VERY BORING for the users but then my environment is corporate CRUD where they are interested in the DATA not the eye candy. Whenever I have time I like to play with the UI a little but there is not a lot of time for pretties.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

Dimitris Nemtsov

I completely agree with you ... first of all the app should function wout problems and after it should have "eye candies":) By the way I found an sample at http://windowsclient.net/downloads/folders/applications/entry1340.aspx[^] witch might suit my needs, but it uses a control manipulation approach.

Mycroft Holmes

DevEx do some nice stuff and have a good rep here on CP.

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

Dimitris Nemtsov

Do you mean commercial components?