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

Joel Shapiro jsfmp at earthlink.net
Thu Sep 6 11:35:17 MDT 2007


On Sep 6, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Joel Shapiro wrote:
> Because here at least it seems that a web interface can be so much  
> more user-friendly, with CSS and JavaScript...

oops.  and of course with PHP.


On Sep 6, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Joel Shapiro wrote:

> 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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