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Front-end interface solutions

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:17 am
by alex.barylski
I'm exploring thin-client solutions which can run natively on desktops (Linux, Mac, Windows) and easily communicate with servers via JSON/HTTP API.

extJS is what I am currently using but it's limited due to the environment it executes, so I am considering desktop solutions, here are some I am familiar with already:

1. RealBasic
2. VisualC++
3. VB

Visual C++ is way to elaborate and complex for what I need. RealBasic might work I haven't spent a lot of time reviewing it. Visual Basic is probably over kill as well. Ideally all I need is a framework as specific and light weight as extJS but complied into native Window/Linux/Mac application buttons, dialogs, etc. And the ability to perform registry updates, etc.

A powerful GUI designer would be a real plus, something as simple as access where I can literally click and drag to build the interface but instead of data sources i'm linking to JSON API :)

Anyone know of anything else? I should note that I am not looking for anything language specific, but I would prefer to avoid C/C++ frameworks like wxWidgets, Borland, Qt and any others. I would prefer a BASIC or similar language but the focus should be on the GUI builder being powerful and easy to use.

Cheers,
Alex

Re: Front-end interface solutions

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:53 am
by Jonah Bron
A couple of years ago I whipped something together with VisualBasic: it lives up to it's name, and Visual Studio makes it all really easy (including building the GUI).

Only issue is, I haven't worked with anything else of that sort, so I can't really make a comparison :) .

Re: Front-end interface solutions

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:05 am
by alex.barylski
Hey Jonah, thanks for the reply. :)

I used VB - back in version 3.0 for Windows 3.1 so it's been a long while since I experienced VB; Although I do work in Access and VBA to some degree at work.

I've considered possibly exploring PowerBuilder or maybe something like Delphi. Again the language doesn't really matter the GUI tools will. Business logic, etc will all be implemented on the server using PHP or whatever. So the client will literally call the JSON API and render the output in native windows controls.

Something as simple as VB would be grand, if I could build an interface and using the properties window simply select/enter a URI data source and have the control understand how to render JSON record sets. However the more I think about it the more I think it probably doesn't exist, so perhaps using VB and just hand writing the HTTP query and rendering the data is a solution.

Another solution would be to possible implemented a custom data source to wrap around the JSON API - essentially act like an ODBC adapter maybe achieve the result I seek with a bit of kludge.

Opinions, experiences, thoughts?

Cheers,
Alex

Re: Front-end interface solutions

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:01 pm
by Jonah Bron
alex.barylski wrote:Something as simple as VB would be grand, if I could build an interface and using the properties window simply select/enter a URI data source and have the control understand how to render JSON record sets. However the more I think about it the more I think it probably doesn't exist, so perhaps using VB and just hand writing the HTTP query and rendering the data is a solution.
Yeah, probably not. As far as I know, the interface elements are only database aware; maybe XML aware too, not sure. But not JSON.
alex.barylski wrote:Something as simple as VB would be grand, if I could build an interface and using the properties window simply select/enter a URI data source and have the control understand how to render JSON record sets. However the more I think about it the more I think it probably doesn't exist, so perhaps using VB and just hand writing the HTTP query and rendering the data is a solution.
That's the first idea I had... not too elegant, but it would work just fine.
alex.barylski wrote:Another solution would be to possible implemented a custom data source to wrap around the JSON API - essentially act like an ODBC adapter maybe achieve the result I seek with a bit of kludge.
:idea: That sounds quite plausible, and would make it much better structured. I cannot tell you more, for I do not know :)