Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Browser Central - my second widget
From now on. . . .I save my posts before I submit. Blogger crash. Argh!!
Below is my second widget.
I thought my last (first) widget did what it was supposed to do. I wanted an app that could market the self-service tools that we were deploying yet be unobtrusive.
I think that I accomplished what I set out to do. But I thought it could be better.
Instead of describing what each tool did and launching a separate browser, why not integrate the browser into the app? Or if made full screen, use the browser as a kiosk?
So first a drawing:
I use the same template I used before (thanks Brad Wardell). Resize it a bit here and there.
I use the ActiveX control for IE and throw some script to accept URLs from the buttons.
I set the functionality of the buttons to send the URL.
Pretty much done at that point.
I moved the buttons from the side to the top to allow more screen space. I also grouped the forward and back buttons at the top. Why ,make a user go all over everywhere?
I didn't want to search the web for arrows that we public and matched so I used text to control going forward and back in the browser.
I used the TabletPC to create my own font based on my handwriting. DesktopX lets me embed the font (or whatever else really) into the object. So a user without my font, can still use it.
Things I would like to do (am thinking about doing): {updated}
Download: link
Requires DesktopX.
Below is my second widget.
I thought my last (first) widget did what it was supposed to do. I wanted an app that could market the self-service tools that we were deploying yet be unobtrusive.
I think that I accomplished what I set out to do. But I thought it could be better.
Instead of describing what each tool did and launching a separate browser, why not integrate the browser into the app? Or if made full screen, use the browser as a kiosk?
So first a drawing:
I use the same template I used before (thanks Brad Wardell). Resize it a bit here and there.
I use the ActiveX control for IE and throw some script to accept URLs from the buttons.
I set the functionality of the buttons to send the URL.
Pretty much done at that point.
I moved the buttons from the side to the top to allow more screen space. I also grouped the forward and back buttons at the top. Why ,make a user go all over everywhere?
I didn't want to search the web for arrows that we public and matched so I used text to control going forward and back in the browser.
I used the TabletPC to create my own font based on my handwriting. DesktopX lets me embed the font (or whatever else really) into the object. So a user without my font, can still use it.
Things I would like to do (am thinking about doing): {updated}
Show an alert if there is no internet connection.I added some code that puts up an alert box. Maybe do something about it?- Show the descriptions of the tool (website in this example)
- I removed the minimize image in the upper right-hand corner and repalced it with a Under score. It looks more like a standard minimize button.
- I changed the setting on the title to allow it to move the whole app.
- I resized the buttons and lined up the text
Download: link
Requires DesktopX.
