GUI Design

[Anna Hays]

I am just started on the GUI design... I am wondering if 1 screen too dodgy?? I don't see there is a need for more than 1 screen.

[Mark Spritzler]

In my submission I only had one screen, and a JDialog to display the booking results.
I did not lose any points on my GUI score.
Mark

[Maria Lepschy]

Hi all,
I have also a question concerning GUI Design. I have only one screen.
I implemented also a sort functionality on the table columns. So, if I sort the owner column, the user can see all the booked records. In this case, I don't think that a dialog to show the booked records is necessary. What do you think?
Regards,
Maria

[Anurag Mishra]

Hi,
While developing my SCJD Project GUI, i have used Tabbed Pane to develop, My idea behind this is to show all the functionality in one window so that user can easily navigate between the panes. I hope this make GUI more User Friendly & easy to operate.
Anurag

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Maria,

Originally posted by Maria Lepschy:
Hi all,
I have also a question concerning GUI Design. I have only one screen.
I implemented also a sort functionality on the table columns. So, if I sort the owner column, the user can see all the booked records. In this case, I don't think that a dialog to show the booked records is necessary. What do you think?

Sounds fine. You do also have a place on the screen for the user to enter search criteria, right?

[Maria Lepschy]

Hi George,
Yes, I have the 2 comboboxes, name and location as search criteria and a search button.
Regards,
Maria

[Maria Lepschy]

Hi all,
I have another question. It is important to have the TAB functionality well working? I mean, the tab order should be ok and the user should have the possibilty to go with pressing the tab key the button "Search" for example and perform the action. How it is possible to perform the action in this case (I mean for example with the "Return" key to simulate the click).
Regards,
Maria

[Seid Myadiyev]

Hello Mark and everyone,
Mark, when you say you have only "one screen and JDialog" do you mean that these two frames is all the GUI there is in your application? Or more GUI controls can still be invoked from main frame's menu bar, such as: File open dialog for locating the database, additional dialog for viewing/editing properties file, and error message boxes for notifying user?
Thank you,
Seid

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Seid,

Originally posted by Seid Myadiyev:
Or more GUI controls can still be invoked from main frame's menu bar, such as: File open dialog for locating the database, additional dialog for viewing/editing properties file, and error message boxes for notifying user?

I had all the GUI controls you mention in my project, although the dialog for locating the database and the dialog for viewing/editing the properties file were, in fact, the same dialog.

[Flavio Nobili]

I had all the GUI controls mentioned too. And also a GUI to the server, which is not required but I think it's more elegant.

regards,
Fl�vio.

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Fl�vio,

Originally posted by Fl�vio Fran�a:
I had all the GUI controls mentioned too. And also a GUI to the server, which is not required but I think it's more elegant.

I also had a GUI when the application ran in server mode, but rather than just an elegant extra I actually think it is required. When the application runs in server mode the database file has to be configurable. If we don't have a GUI display when the application runs in server mode, then how can the database file be configurable? Remember we're prohibited from introducing any additional command line parameters.

[Seid Myadiyev]

Hello George,
Thank you very much for your reply. For specifying the location of db.db file did you use JFileChooser? If yes, then how could the same control be used for viewing and editing properties file? Or did you create a custom control to be used in both ways?
Thank you in advance!
Seid
[ March 06, 2004: Message edited by: Seid Myadiyev ]

[Simon Ingram]

Hi Maria,
If I understand you correctly, all you need to do is
button.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_S);
with this keyword, you press ALT S on your keyboard and it activates the same function as pressing the button.
Hope this helps.
best wishes
Simon

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Seid,

Originally posted by Seid Myadiyev:
For specifying the location of db.db file did you use JFileChooser? If yes, then how could the same control be used for viewing and editing properties file? Or did you create a custom control to be used in both ways?

I created a custom dialog that could be selected from the File menu. This dialog allowed the user to edit the configuration items (loaded from the suncertify.properties file) in text fields. In the case where the configuration item was the database file location I followed the text field with a browse button. The browse button opened a JFileChooser. So the user could type the database file location in the text field, or press the browse button and select the database file location using the JFileChooser.
[ March 06, 2004: Message edited by: George Marinkovich ]

[alzamabar]

Originally posted by George Marinkovich:
Hi Seid,

I created a custom dialog that could be selected from the File menu. This dialog allowed the user to edit the configuration items (loaded from the suncertify.properties file) in text fields. In the case where the configuration item was the database file location I followed the text field with a browse button. The browse button opened a JFileChooser. So the user could type the database file location in the text field, or press the browse button and select the database file location using the JFileChooser.
[ March 06, 2004: Message edited by: George Marinkovich ]

Does this mean that the db had to be there before actually starting the application?

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Marco,

Originally posted by Marco Tedone:

Does this mean that the db had to be there before actually starting the application?

I don't think I understand your question. Why wouldn't the db file be there before you start the application? The application uses the database file specified in the suncertify.properties file, or if that file is missing then the database file specified in the hard-coded defaults. If a valid database file is found, the application displays the GUI to the user. If the database file specified is incorrect, the application displays an error message to the user and allows the user to specify a different database file. After the application displays the GUI to the user, the user may wish to change the database file. If so, the user selects File->Edit Preferences and enters or selects a different database file. This causes the application to start using the new database file.

[alzamabar]

Originally posted by George Marinkovich:
Hi Marco,

I don't think I understand your question. Why wouldn't the db file be there before you start the application? The application uses the database file specified in the suncertify.properties file, or if that file is missing then the database file specified in the hard-coded defaults.

The reason is that I haven't recevied my exam yet, so I don't really know what goes on. I thought that the assignment didn't ship with an already existing database, therefore I didn't know how the FileChoose control could let the user specify a database. Does the assignment ships already with a database?
In this case the FileChooser is perfectly reliable.

[Satish Avadhanam]

Originally posted by Marco Tedone:

The reason is that I haven't recevied my exam yet, so I don't really know what goes on. I thought that the assignment didn't ship with an already existing database, therefore I didn't know how the FileChoose control could let the user specify a database. Does the assignment ships already with a database?
In this case the FileChooser is perfectly reliable.

Well, I don't know if it helps. Some new versions of assignments do come with a database and one instructions html file. Whether the assignment comes with a db or not, using JFileChooser helps to locate the file anywhere on system and so many people use it. Also there will be a requirement for the exam that we need to specify the location of db when the application starts and not hard code it.
Hope it helps.

[George Marinkovich]

Hi Marco,

Originally posted by Marco Tedone:

I thought that the assignment didn't ship with an already existing database, therefore I didn't know how the FileChoose control could let the user specify a database. Does the assignment ships already with a database?
In this case the FileChooser is perfectly reliable.

Sorry, I just assume everyone on the forum has already downloaded the project. The assignment you download from Sun contains two things: an instructions.html document (the assignment instructions, portions of which you see quoted on this forum), and a database file. The format of the database file is described in the assignment instructions. The assignment instructions also specify an interface comprised of database methods that must be supported in your project.

[Maria Lepschy]

Hi Simon,
Now I have seen your answer and I tried again with setting the mnemonic. Indeed, it is working!
Many, many thanks.
Regards,
Maria.

[Mark Spritzler]

Hi all, sorry I was in San Diego for a few days.
So, what George said.
The reason why I only had 1 real screen, and a popup that only shows success after booking, is because my assignment was before the newer assignment.
Yes having a screen for chosing data location options is needed for this newer assignment.
Really, my main point, as is always in all my posts. KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!.
Mark