wood@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (T_Rex) (11/02/90)
Hello, I'm in the process of writing a X based front end for a database. I'm running into some confusion and conflicts in the process..I thought the collective net.wisdom might help me clear this up. In a nut, I'm converting a text-based database front end. The functionality of the original front end must be retained, and, hopefully, the improved display tech. will allow for displaying data in a fashion that reflects (some of ) the relationships between data items. Two main problems have arisen..a) it seems that as I attempt to appease both 'old' and 'new' functionality of the front-end, I'm getting further and further away from the event-driven approach that seems to be at the heart of X. Rather than waiting around for whatever it is the user decides to do, I'm forcing sequences of actions on him/her. ...b) finding a way to elegantly incorporate the old functionality....most of these queries simpley return some amount of text, and it seems like an awful waste of time to just return reams of data in a window..what's the point? I guess what I'm looking for is input and/or references on building graphical front ends intelligently...literature on this topic seems to be scarce. I could go on about this, but for now.. Comments, Suggestions? Thanks, Pete Wood
thp@westhawk.UUCP ("Timothy H Panton.") (11/08/90)
wood@rutgers.edu writes: > I'm in the process of writing a X based front end for a database. > The functionality of the original front end must be retained I've been around this loop, and there are 2 issues. 1) User interface. My experience is that trying to stick closely to a ascii based gives unsatisfactory results. The problem is that the limitations (screen size, bandwidth etc)that defined the layout and menus etc. aren't there anymore. Users are very soon aware of this and grumble about it not being flexible. If you can get the management agreement it is probably best to go to a "full" X multi windowed style first. You will almost certainly end up doing it in the end. 2) Internal program design. Many of the current crop of X programs are just frontends to ascii programs (Xmh, xdbx etc). I've written one, and it alows one to stick with the event driven approach. The only difference is that there are 2 sources of events, the Xserver (user) and the backend (data-base). Xt handles this very well. In your case I'd try to find a low level interface to the database (SQL??) to talk to. Hope that helped. Tim +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Tim Panton, Westhawk Ltd. "... avoiding vain and profane babblings." | |Phone: +44 928722574 -1 Timothy 6:20. | |uucp : ..!mcvax!ukc!westhawk!thp | |Paper: Westhawk Ltd. 26 Rydal Grove, Helsby, Cheshire, WA6 OET. UK. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+