Looking for suggestions on interface

[YYZ]

I've got an app that is a way for our users to add/maintain loans.
I've intially set it up like this: The user can select a loan (froma
search screen) and open it. The "loan" (usercontrol) gets loaded into
the main form dynamically. The user can leave that loan open
indefinitely (yeah, I've got it locked in the database). The user can
open up many different loans if they wish -- each loaded into a new
instance of the Loan usercontrol. They have a menu option that lets
them choose the loan they want to be viewing at any one time (like the
Window List menu item -- you know what I mean).

Now here's where I'm not sure where to go. In any given loan, they can
click on a button called Employers and I can open up, modally, a window
with the employers for that given loan. The user can add/modify/delete
all of those employers on that screen.

What if, while doing that, they get a phone call and have to switch to
a different loan? They can't because the employers form is open
modally. I know that is how many applications work, but I'm trying to
figure out a way to be more flexible than those.

Should I open the employers window non-modal -- seems like they might
lose those windows behind the main window sometimes, and get confused
about which window belongs to which loan? Should I load the employers
as a usercontrol, so that it can be a "sub" usercontrol of that
specific loan's usercontrol? How should I manage that if they close
the application?

Has anyone done an interface like this before? Any insight you can
give me on pitfalls or why this is bad or how to structure my objects
is greatly appreciated.

Matt

 

[Guest]

For this type of application, I prefer to show multi-pane windows of
information instead of popups. For example: How Visual Studio IDE displays
the tons of information it has to display.

 

[Marina]

Don't know if it will work for you, but what about your user control having
tabs, and the employers would be list on one of the tabs in that user
control. That way there is no dialog to speak of.

I'm not sure having a modal dialog is that big of a deal. I think most
people have learned that certain areas of applications have those, are used
to them, and would know to close that dialog before trying to do something
else, even if they are on a call.

 

[YYZ]

Don't know if it will work for you, but what about your user control having

tabs, and the employers would be list on one of the tabs in that user
control. That way there is no dialog to speak of.

Good idea -- I was going to try to shy away from that, only because I
don't know yet how many things like Employers we would have to show...I
don't want to give them 50 different tabs. <g>

But I may be able to define all the possibilities, and if that number
is under, say, 5 or so, then tabs would be a pretty good idea...