Alvin Bruney said:
Never did say that. I said it was an option. You argue it should be used
here and there.
Actually, you DID say that (you said the following):
"I'll concede that the only thing i've found that flow is good for is screen
resolution issues. Now, the applications built with gridlayout mode
we will be problematic for the visually impaired since their resolutions
will cause a HUGE mess on screen. Also, users who are prone to
adjust their browser text size to the extreme settings may be mildly
affected by gridlayout."
....And guess what? These issues (resolution & text size) are applicable to
absolutely EVERY web application built. They are not exceptions to the
rule, they are the rule.
But your argument is not convincing. The large majority of desktops run a
standard size screen resolution with just
a few clients running outside that range. So using that as an argument to
justify flowlayout doesn't cut it.
Wow are you mis-informed! LOL
The vast majority of desktops use 800x600 thru 1280x1024. Gridlayout works
just fine in these modes.
So build your applications with that setting in mind and test for that
resolution range.
800x600 thru 1280x1024 is a range. What you build (using GridLayout) for
one resolution will look very different in another. You don't build for a
range, you build for a specific resolution. That is how you approximate a
client application. Also, you can't really say that GridLayout works in one
mode or another...GridLayout works in ANY mode, the problem is when you are
in a different mode than the one that the app was designed for (which is the
whole point).
That is why internet sites sometimes have a recommended resolution
setting.
The popularity of that idea stopped about 5 years ago. Very few sites today
require a user to change their resolution to meet the UI. Again, this is
the whole point. As UI's have become more complex and technology has given
us more UI choices, we no longer need to have the user meet us, we can meet
the user.
I have used GridLayout for ALL my UI development in the few days that I
have been developing web applications.
What?!! You've only been doing web application work for a few days?!!!
OMG!!! Why are we even having this conversation then? You are putting up
positions that have been tried and tested for many years (by the web
community and myself as well) and basically telling us all that in the "few
days" that you have been doing web development you've somehow figured out
that we're wrong!?
I have not had any problems with different browsers or resolution settings
that I could not quickly adjust in code.
I build web applications that compete for and replace windows desktop
applications.
These customers require their interface to look and behave exactly like a
windows application in form
This has nothing to do with our conversation.
and function. If they shrink the browser size for instance, they don't
want to see a server control flow to the next line.
Who says that this will happen using FlowLayout mode?! A control wrapping
to the next line down is not a Grid vs. Flow issue at all. It's a matter of
knowing how to code HTML properly.
It doesn't do that in windows desktop and that is exactly their
expectation.
Again, this is irrelevant since it doesn't happen in FlowLayout mode either.
Until these
customer requirements change, that is what i will be giving the customer.
It's their money and their product.
And the sure do want to make sure that EVERYONE who uses their application
will experience the EXACT same UI. The GridLayout solution won't do that, a
properly designed FlowLayout will.
You have to take all that into consideration before you go blindly saying
that FlowLayout is the best for most
UI development because different problem domains require different
options.
Alvin, it is clear to me that you have very limited knowledge of HTML and
very limited experience in correctly testing the UI layer of a web
application. That's a dangerous place to be in if you want to defend a
position. If you had that experience it would be clear as day to you that
everything you have been saying is hogwash.
You keep bringing up your customer's wants and needs and how I am "blindly"
saying that FlowLayout is the way to go. The truth is that GridLayout
causes problems that must be overcome and FlowLayout prevents those problems
in the first place. So, they both can be used to accomplish the goal, BUT
FlowLayout will get you there faster and with less problems along the way.
I've also said that absolute positioning of particular controls here and
there (CSS Level 2), not to be confused with GridLayout mode (where ALL page
content is absolutely positioned using CSS Level 2) can be useful (when used
properly).
Of course you are entitled to your opinion and if you can get the job done
with GridLayout then "more power to you", but you may want to listen to the
advice of those who have been doing this for a decade or so and can clearly
look at both sides of this coin. You may even find that by taking some
advice, your job gets easier and your customers are happier.
