Pointui » Home 2 General Customization

Home2Pro - integration or 'disintegration' ?

(27 posts)
  1. michaelp
    Member

    Calling Themers and Appleteers! My Humble view
    For Home2Pro to really fly it must present a seemless feel and flow to the user. With only a few exceptions, this approach is being made difficult by the fragmented developments of the past 3 months, though much good has come of the work so far. Each effort is a work of art in it's own right but usually don't appeal to all.

    However, if a core group of people set out to develop a borderless UI;
    - where applets could be called from within each other,
    - icons were common across the selected applets
    - Users could drop the functions they desired into a host applet manager,

    the outcome would be a more presentable professional looking product.

    Some fundamentals;
    - No data is duplicated on any one screen (eg date or time!!)
    - Icons are conventional and consistent in look, location and action (eg 'tap n hold' weather summary opens ImaleWeather applet, settings icons are consistent and in the same location on each screen)
    - Toggle navigation is optimised where possible for option selection (faster than multiple screen loads)

    We already have the beginnings of this eg, AmanaUI, SlideToday, WildWideHome and under the energetic collaboration of Nimche, Monte, Jo-keks, and others.

    My efforts to combine and standardise screens may help to explain my thoughts in pictures. Don't be distracted by the content of these screens, just look for the common feel and flow across what were originally very different looking screens.

    Anyone up for it?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. I guess you are the boss. Suggest solution and I am sure people will help.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  3. michaelp
    Member

    Some concept screens. (I'm not a coder, just a dreamer)

    If Monte's Wild Wide Home weather summary called my preferred weather applet,


    and
    WWH calender called


    and
    if Jo_keks notification panel called MessagesV2


    and
    other applets appeared similar in form and function

    Attachments

    1. Appointments.png (108.8 KB, 5 downloads) 1 year old
    2. messages.png (116 KB, 1 downloads) 1 year old
    3. home.png (98.3 KB, 3 downloads) 1 year old
    4. Calendar.png (104.5 KB, 2 downloads) 1 year old
    5. RSSFeed.png (125.4 KB, 3 downloads) 1 year old
    6. ImaleWeather.png (161.7 KB, 3 downloads) 1 year old
    7. SlideToday1.png (109.6 KB, 2 downloads) 1 year old
    Posted 1 year ago #
  4. michaelp
    Member

    When Microsoft (love them or hate them) develops code, they have a voluminous forms guide that defines form and function to the lowest level. That's why we can go to any MS application (except perhaps WMxx) and do what we need to do as a result of consistent form and function in the design.

    Home2Pro could be refined to integrate, not 'disintegrate'. The flare and variation demonstrated over the past 3 months in PointUI should be available as customisable options within an established framework of constancy and predictability.

    What do you think?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  5. Totally AGREE - especially

    Home2Pro could be refined to integrate, not 'disintegrate'. The flare and variation demonstrated over the past 3 months in PointUI should be available as customisable options within an established framework of constancy and predictability.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  6. jo_keks
    Member

    I think this is a must for PointuiPro! the thing is to call an other applet and the

    host applet manager
    Developers need a method like CallApplet(Weather); and in the applet manager you may define Weather=ImaleWeather.

    Hey joel isn't it a challenge?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  7. All Pointui fans and addicts here know that a lot of work have been done since the very first version of Home. You also know who deserve recognition and congratulations.

    Now, with Home 2, Pointui has reached a new dimension: a complete open platform (always remember Shane's words : "Possibilities are endless..."), very accessible and in perpetual evolution.
    Thanks to Community for all contributions and feedbacks, various developments, themes, projects and ideas, it becomes better and better.

    But it's a long way to get your perfect Home, a personal UI like no other.
    Every themers and appleters understood that.
    Because of its possibilities, you can find a lot of different stuffs here, with various styles, concepts and inspirations.

    I clearly understand michaelp's wishes.
    It could be called "Harmon.ui Quest"
    After the youth effervescence, It's nice to enter in a maturity time... Even if it's not necessarily easy.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  8. Hi jo_keks, there does seem to be a fair bit of shared code between applets, and also shared data. For shared code there is the ability to including other script files into your applets that could contain shared classes and stop unnecessary duplication. However, there are a few tweaks that would need to occur as currently only script files in the same folder can be included. What we probably need to have is that it checks the current applet folder first, if not there checks the main AppletRibbon folder, and if not there checks the current theme folder. This way you can provide common scripts for a group of applets in the AppletRibbon folder, but could also have dependent scripts in the theme folder to allow applets to be also customizable based on the current theme. Not saying you need to do this, and it would be a bit complex to design and manage, but at least the possibility would be there if required.

    For shared data we have already implemented one thing that really helps - when you use a lot of the functions that expect a path they will look in the current applet folder, then in the current theme folder, then in the default theme folder. This way it's possible to share graphics for a series of applets by including them in the theme folder for instance. Also, we have recently been building support for Sqlite (Pro version only though) that will give you access to create databases and this will probably be a big step forward in helping to organize and consolidate data and allow easier sharing.

    I actually don't think there is much to do to enable this to happen technically speaking.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  9. jo_keks
    Member

    Hi Joel,

    thanks for your your statement. I think we misunderstood a little (maybe it's my poor english). Things I thought about doesn't need to go as far as you mind. I just want the ability to activate a loaded applet, like I can do as user with the applet-button. So if i script something like CallApplet(Weather); (assigned to a Click-Event) Pointui shows the (loaded) Weather-Applet. To coordinate duplication in scripting and to get a matched look and feel can't be yours, therefore we've got this community.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  10. Ok, the AppletRibbon object currently allows an applet to be displayed by calling ShowApplet("appletID"), but the trouble is the applet ribbon runs in the global script context which is not accessible by each applet which run in their own individual script context. I could add a method on the Applet class so that it can talk back behind the scenes and get access to the ribbon to allow you to show an applet. Have I got it right now?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  11. jo_keks
    Member

    Exactly! Would be a great thing...

    Posted 1 year ago #
  12. @Joel, this will be superb, as usual, you guys are top notch not just in terms of your product, but also your responsiveness to your customers/community.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  13. afreeb
    Member

    guys - i've been following this all day at work but couldnt reply - is great to see people thinking about combining applets - as we have some great individual components would be great to see them implimented - only thing i would say is that the way you explained things Joel would (i believe) be a much better way of running things than just calling an applet from within an applet - my concern with this is what would happen when you are done with that aspect of the applet... you got to scroll through the applet to get back to the 'main' one... perhaps implementing some kind of single click on the poiunt.ui logo returns you to a 'default' applet and a long click takes you to the quick launch menu?

    hope that makes sense guys... am just an ideas guy and not a developer...

    Posted 1 year ago #
  14. michaelp
    Member

    I like what I'm hearing people. Keep up the chatter!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  15. afreeb
    Member

    am keen to get more input on this topic guys - c'mon... any thoughts?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  16. jo_keks
    Member

    returning directly to the "main" or "calling" applet would be nice, the "called" applet need a kind of return button... it's a thing for pointui-team to give this methods.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  17. afreeb
    Member

    exactly what im thinking jo_keks - but am figuring a reconfig of the point.ui button would be an easier option to code lol...

    Posted 1 year ago #
  18. Two of the items above have been added to the roadmap: 1) ability to ShowApplet(), and 2) speed up performance of "using" so that applet devs can organize code better in multiple .cs files.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  19. costp
    Member

    Excellent !!!

    Now one more... The possibility to have global variables accros applets ?
    That would be really nice ...

    Posted 1 year ago #
  20. jack.guo
    Blocked

    I like this skins!!!!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  21. jo_keks
    Member

    now we can start thinking 'bout pointui 4.0 ;-)

    Do you know this?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  22. Global vars across applets just not a possibility - they run in completely isolated script contexts and there is no sharing of data. Shared data would have to be through file system means at this stage - either through files written like xml files, or using the Sqlite capability in Pro.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  23. jack.guo
    Blocked

    The skin can be sent to me? Thank you!
    my email: jack.gz.guo@gmail.com

    Posted 1 year ago #
  24. costp
    Member

    Joel,

    One question then, If i need to store values that have to be checked often, should I use a file or the registry and use the Registry Event? I mean wich one would be the most efficient in terms of cossumption ?

    Regards,

    Posted 1 year ago #
  25. Yeah for single values etc registry is probably best, and there is already the capability to subscribe to changes. Although, just make sure applets aren't continually trying to update as the registry value changes - i.e. applets should switch off their notification when Deactivated, and switch it back on when Activated so only the currently focused applet actually is doing stuff.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  26. Joel,

    this is very exciting indeed (for you to add the two items in the roadmap)

    it means that we can now create our own quicknavigation button, which could change when we go from applet to applet :D

    Posted 1 year ago #
  27. michaelp
    Member

    Jack.guo the details for the screens above are found here...

    Posted 1 year ago #

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