R
Rob Meade
Hi all,
I have a small 'calculator' type app, there are about 7 input boxes, once
filled in this calculates values for 64 other text boxes.
As a result I have for now only done the form for the data entry, this is
500x400 in size, what I would like to do is open a new window based on the
'calculate' button being hit to display the results in (as I'm pretty much
outta space on the main form), this raises me a couple of questions.
1. If I open a new form, I dont want the user to have to close it each time
to re-enter data in the input boxes, ie, they may have just made one tiny
mistake, so they update one box and hit calculate again, I wouldn't want
'another' form to open, but I would want the values to be updated - can this
be achieved? I have already added a small menu across the top, with an
"About" etc, when I do click this in the app I get the new window but then
it has focus the window behind has not, and until I close the new window I
cannot get back to do anything on the other one - in this case this is
acceptable, but in the above it wouldn't be.
2. Assuming I can open a new window and do what I want to do it 1, I will
need to be able to scroll up and down within it (I'm assuming) as with 22
boxes down the form, in 3 columns I cant see that all fitting on a 'small'
monitor screen (I'm assuming at least 800x600 for the users of this app -
they probably have larger). Is this possible, ie to have a section of the
form that you can scroll up and down in which contains all of the input
boxes, I would prefer they are all visible at once but if not this might be
my only other alternative. If so, what would I need to add?
I would have ideally liked the output to have just been below the input
boxes, but as that would make the form go off the bottom of the screen (even
on my 1024x768) it would throw the old usability out of the window (and I'm
still not overly sure about 2 windows!)..
I was thinking also of maybe making the calculator split in two, ie the one
form, input boxes on the left and then output on the right, but I'd end up
with a load of dead space on the left at the bottom...could pop a branding
logo in there but that would be about it, I was also trying to ensure that
the users would be able to see their desktop behind so that they might click
back onto another opened application (such as Outlook or something to send
someone the info from the calculator)..
Anyway...any info on the above would be appreciated, for reference I'm using
Visual Studio, quite new to it, .Net and especially the Windows side of
things, have done more with VS / .Net for the web so far..
Regards
Rob
I have a small 'calculator' type app, there are about 7 input boxes, once
filled in this calculates values for 64 other text boxes.
As a result I have for now only done the form for the data entry, this is
500x400 in size, what I would like to do is open a new window based on the
'calculate' button being hit to display the results in (as I'm pretty much
outta space on the main form), this raises me a couple of questions.
1. If I open a new form, I dont want the user to have to close it each time
to re-enter data in the input boxes, ie, they may have just made one tiny
mistake, so they update one box and hit calculate again, I wouldn't want
'another' form to open, but I would want the values to be updated - can this
be achieved? I have already added a small menu across the top, with an
"About" etc, when I do click this in the app I get the new window but then
it has focus the window behind has not, and until I close the new window I
cannot get back to do anything on the other one - in this case this is
acceptable, but in the above it wouldn't be.
2. Assuming I can open a new window and do what I want to do it 1, I will
need to be able to scroll up and down within it (I'm assuming) as with 22
boxes down the form, in 3 columns I cant see that all fitting on a 'small'
monitor screen (I'm assuming at least 800x600 for the users of this app -
they probably have larger). Is this possible, ie to have a section of the
form that you can scroll up and down in which contains all of the input
boxes, I would prefer they are all visible at once but if not this might be
my only other alternative. If so, what would I need to add?
I would have ideally liked the output to have just been below the input
boxes, but as that would make the form go off the bottom of the screen (even
on my 1024x768) it would throw the old usability out of the window (and I'm
still not overly sure about 2 windows!)..
I was thinking also of maybe making the calculator split in two, ie the one
form, input boxes on the left and then output on the right, but I'd end up
with a load of dead space on the left at the bottom...could pop a branding
logo in there but that would be about it, I was also trying to ensure that
the users would be able to see their desktop behind so that they might click
back onto another opened application (such as Outlook or something to send
someone the info from the calculator)..
Anyway...any info on the above would be appreciated, for reference I'm using
Visual Studio, quite new to it, .Net and especially the Windows side of
things, have done more with VS / .Net for the web so far..
Regards
Rob