[FX.php List] [OT] (mostly) CTRL-N in browser

[Joel Shapiro]

Hi Steve

I think this is interesting, and it sounds like what you've done so  
far is pretty cool.  Can you say a little about why you're re- 
creating the FMP interface on the web -- and why you're switching  
over in general from client to web-based?  I agree that more apps are  
heading to the web, but as Dale mentioned, FMP and the Web each have  
their own strengths.  Are you trying to mimic the FMP GUI as well?   
Because here at least it seems that a web interface can be so much  
more user-friendly, with CSS and JavaScript...  (Which I think makes  
FM9's brand new "Conditional Formatting" feature seem so limited and  
elementary. ;)

Any chance this site is public, to see what you've done?

Best,
-Joel


On Sep 5, 2007, at 7:54 AM, Steve Winter wrote:

> Hi Dale,
>
> All good and interesting points, however with the increasing  
> convergence
> between the web and the 'client-server' world that is occurring, I  
> guess I
> was trying to push the boundaries a little here...
>
> With the exception of the new browser window opening I had in fact  
> been able
> to code a solution which works as seamlessly on the web as it does  
> in FMP
> client. When the user selected CTRL-N the webpage refreshed to a blank
> record from the one that they were viewing, and they could begin  
> entering
> data. As soon as they entered a field, entered some data, and then  
> left that
> field Ajax created the record and wrote that data back into the db,  
> as well
> as setting a php session flag with the recID of that record, as  
> they moved
> from field to field this seamlessly happens in the background, just  
> like it
> does in the FMP client... maybe a nice idea before its time...
>
> Cheers
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org
> [mailto:fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org] On Behalf Of Dale  
> Bengston
> Sent: Wednesday, 5 September 2007 3:44 p.m.
> To: FX.php Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [FX.php List] [OT] (mostly) CTRL-N in browser
>
> Hi Steve,
>
> I think it's important to let a browser window be a browser window
> and a FileMaker window be a FileMaker window. There are certain
> things that will just work differently from one to the other.
>
> While control-n can be used to create a new record directly in
> FileMaker, no such mechanism exists in a web browser because the
> browser window is not directly connected to the data; it is by nature
> separated from the data. (I consider this one of the great advantages
> to using the web as an interface - I don't have to create an
> environment in FileMaker if I want to separated data from structure
> from interface.) At best, you could hope to use control-n to fake out
> a browser to load a web page that allows the user to enter data for a
> new record and then submit it to FileMaker. This is already different
> than creating a new record in FMP and filling it in.
>
> So, I guess my long-winded point is, play to the strengths of your
> environment. The web may offer you some better ways to do certain
> things than straight FMP client-server, and some workflows will
> probably have to change because you can't replicate certain FMP
> behaviors. Import and export come to mind. I also recall someone on
> the FBA list once lamenting that FMI had not arranged it so they
> could pop up custom dialog boxes via the web like they could in FMP.
> (Huh?)
>
> My rule of thumb is, when developing FileMaker client-server, I think
> like a FileMaker developer. When developing for the web, I think like
> a web developer.
>
> Dale
>
> --
> Dale Bengston, Partner
> Streamline Studio, LLC
> (a division of The Whole Brain Group)
> Member, FileMaker Business Alliance
>
>
>
> On Sep 5, 2007, at 1:51 AM, Steve Winter wrote:
>
>> Hi Kevin,
>>
>> Thanks for your reply... that's much as I feared would be the case,
>> i.e. bad
>> luck, can't be done...
>>
>> And yes, Exchange web client is definitely using ActiveX, and
>> you're quite
>> right that I don't want to go anywhere near that...!!
>>
>> I guess my only option is to locate key combinations which no browser
>> currently recognises, but at that point there's no point, since I
>> won't be
>> able to use the regular FM ones like CTRL-N, CTRL-S etc so I should
>> just
>> save myself the grief... wasn't really critical, just a 'nice to
>> have' cool
>> feature...
>>
>> Thanks
>> Steve
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org
>> [mailto:fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org] On Behalf Of Kevin
>> Futter
>> Sent: Tuesday, 4 September 2007 11:23 p.m.
>> To: FX.php Discussion List
>> Subject: Re: [FX.php List] [OT] (mostly) CTRL-N in browser
>>
>> On 5/9/07 12:18 AM, "Steve Winter" <steve at bluecrocodile.co.nz> wrote:
>>
>>> Nice thought, but no cigar... browser still does it¹s own thing,
>>> as well
>> as
>>> loading my desired page L
>>>
>>
>> There's no way around that Steve. The browser intercepts all calls
>> first and
>> then passes them to the JavaScript interpreter as appropriate. If  
>> your
>> keystroke or combination already invokes an action in the browser,
>> it's
>> already happened before JavaScript gets to see it. The Outlook Web
>> Client
>> probably uses ActiveX in IE to manage it, and those features are
>> probably
>> not available to other browsers.
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Kevin Futter
>> Webmaster, St. Bernard's College
>> http://www.sbc.melb.catholic.edu.au/
>>
>>
>>
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