ASPX user interface dilemma

[Martin]

Hi all,

We're planning to rewrite a VB6 Windows app as a VB.Net Web app. This VB6
app had an MDI user interface (more accurately: a TDI interface). This
interface allowed the user to have multiple windows open simultaneously in
this app. On many occaisions this is essential. When admitting a patient, I
would like to make a sidestep to the patient data to change his address, or
insurance coverage.

As a webservice this would run in IE. When I select a function from the
menu, it would replace the current function. Now of course they could rely
on the back-button to return to the admissions-page after editing the
patient data, but that seems pretty tricky to me. In fact I was thinking of
switching off those back/forward buttons in the browser and let the app take
care of the navigation.

Another option would be to open every single window from the menu in a new
instance of the browser. But this may lead to lots of open windows, and even
duplicates. Quite messy I would think. Besides, I'm not sure how this would
effect session management.

Any thoughts on this subject? Would love to hear them...

Thanks in advance,
Martin

 

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Martin,

First of all, you are with this not using a WebService. A Webservice can be
used in a WindowForm and in a WebForm environment and is to give pieces of
information to a client.

Secondly think before you begin replacing your VB6 program to ASPX, you will
probably need 5 times more time than that you convert it to VB2005.

As thirth if you have not to small clientcomputers and there is not a real
deployment problem (the right to deploy an application on the client
computers), than if you do it well (click once with a check), than your
deployment with WinForms will not be much more work than with ASPX.

Just some answers that came in my mind.

Cor