Chris, I"ve been developing handheld applications for over 10 years.
Started with IRL, PPG, and plenty of the other of the proprietary languages
that were available - the only thing available - for handheld development
at the time. Then C, then VB full version, when they tried putting Windows
full blown onto the devices. ouch.
I know the ins and outs of handheld development - every one of my apps out
there is still in use today. I attribute that to their usabliity - because
as we all know, there are easier ways to develop for these things out there
today - but they choose to stay with my apps because they work and the users
love working with them.
So, back to the horizontal scroll on the listbox. I doubt, and I'm sure
you'll agree, that this person intended to write a paragraph. There are
times when users just don't want/need to interpret vague codes - but would
rather see human understandable words. I commend folks for attempting this.
I've gone so far as building another column into pc based databases -
specifically for exporting shorter descriptive texts handhelds for drop down
lists. Because, you put a label on a form, along side your listbox, and
room is at a premium for display. You know that.
Rather than a scrollbar, I'd rather see the api method I've used in VB6 in
the PC model, to expand widthwise, the size of the dropdown area of a
listbox. This would be more ideal. Horizontal scrollbars, I admit, would
be intrusive. But no more than cryptic listbox items.
I haven't tried to develop a listbox using this method of expanding the
default width -but I'd like to see if its available.
-Mike
"Chris Tacke, eMVP" <ctacke[at]OpenNETCF_dot_org> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> At this point we could go into a long diatribe about standardized user
> interface models, examples of successful UIs that somehow manage to work
> without this feature, usability studies, the expectation differences with
> Pocket PC applications and a whole host of other items, but there's not a
> lot of point. It's like argiuing with someone who's trying to stuff a
> thousand items into a list and wants to fix the 'slowness'.
>
> The entire point of this discussion, in the billions of flavors it seems
> to
> have taken over the years, is that this is a device with limited real
> estate
> and limited resources. Trying to take the desktop model for a UI and port
> it to the device is a quick road to failure and user dissatisfaction.
> Most
> of us make recommendations not because we feel some superiority, but
> becasue
> we've been there and done that. We've all probably written UI failures by
> trying to do the same thing other newcomers to the mobile space are trying
> to do, and excuse us if we try to prevent others from doing the same
> thing.
> I certainly don't apologize for that.
>
> -Chris
>
>
>
>
>
> "Wapiti" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Yah Chris, thats EXACTLY what I implied... full paragraph per item, no, I
>> meant a full freaking novel on each line.
>>
>> Why be an ass? (I changed that from "what an ass")
>>
>>
>> "Chris Tacke, eMVP" <ctacke[at]OpenNETCF_dot_org> wrote in message
>> news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
>> >I agree. Full paragraph list items should be the norm. I love
>> >scrolling
>> > left and right, it makes for a joyous user experience.
>> >
>> > -Chris
>> >
>> >
>> > "mikeb" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> > news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
>> >> What? Flawed? Because the descriptive items in a listbox are long?
> The
>> >> width of a pda screen doesn't support many characters, especially if
> your
>> >> listbox isn't flush to the left edge of the form - which hopefully
>> >> they
>> >> aren't. Extra characters in a list means NOTHING in terms of a
>> >> flawed
>> >> design. It means this person is trying to make the program easy for
> the
>> >> users.
>> >>
>> >> If he had many ITEMS in a list, I can see that being a design problem.
>> > But
>> >> longer, descriptive, items in a listbox? Naw. I'd like to see more
>> >> developers help their users out this way -- cryptic acronymic code
> names
>> >> help the programmer feel smart, it certainly doesn't help the user.
>> >>
>> >> Sorry, this post wasn't much help to your horizontal scroll question -
>> >> but
>> >> hopefully you will get an answer. It would be a very helpful thing to
>> > have.
>> >>
>> >> Mike
>> >>
>> >> "Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]" <ptobey no spam AT no instrument no spam DOT
> com>
>> >> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> >> > You need to think very carefully about your user interface design if
>> >> > you
>> >> > think that you need to have a large number of items or very wide
> items
>> > in
>> >> a
>> >> > combo box. It probably means that your design is flawed. Think
> about
>> >> > filtering the list in some way, based, perhaps, on a selected set of
>> >> > options, search criteria, etc.
>> >> >
>> >> > Paul T.
>> >> >
>> >> > "Cheli via .NET 247" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> >> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> >> > > Help! Need expertise.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Pocket PC screen is too small and I need to display long texts on
> my
>> >> combo
>> >> > > box, is there a way to add a property or to implement Horizontal
>> >> > > scrollbars on Combo boxes?
>> >> > >
>> >> > > If possible, can you please provide sample code and sample
>> > application.
>> >> > >
>> >> > > Thanks in advance...
>> >> > > --------------------------------
>> >> > > From: Cheli
>> >> > >
>> >> > > -----------------------
>> >> > > Posted by a user from .NET 247 (http://www.dotnet247.com/)
>> >> > >
>> >> > > <Id>W45UyF8mcEKRUNYAYlD9Rw==</Id>
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
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