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VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:46 am
by azhan
hey guys,
Im just curios, can I replace my php based browser into my own design of interface using VB?
Because im designing this one system of data entry system for local clinic. Currently i use firefox as the browser to retrieve any data stored in the local server but the networking doesnt involve internet at all and im using firefox as for the communicator/platform.
Can i design my own VB interface and just replace it with link contains .php file?
thanks!
azhan
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:31 pm
by alex.barylski
I'm not sure what your asking but...
You could develop a HTML renderer wrapper application and override many of the events. Basically the engine that renders the HTML is a separate component that can easily be added to VB, C#, etc applications then you have full control over the GUI, not just using JavaScript, etc.
Additionally if you are on a network but not ocnnected to the Internet you could setup WAMP/LAMP internally and just use localhost
I'm not sure I understand your requirements completely though
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:53 pm
by azhan
yess..thats what i want to know...thanks pcspectra...i use Xampp for my mysql and my apache...and currently i use web browser to retrieve or upload any data to the database.....I want to know how I can learn to use GUI/VB to design my own interface (like button etc)...my friend told me that there is a VB software that u could even skip the programming and can start design the interface and put function behind every button....
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:08 pm
by alex.barylski
Why would you want to control the interface? Using HTML is even easier than click & drag that VB offers.
In any case, one approach would be to have your application intercept the HTML, parse it and using the data build a dynamic interface in VB.
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:18 pm
by azhan
like i just said...the system doesnt involve connection to the internet..the system would be use by staff in the clinic....and i would prefer my system doesnt look like a website...rather i just want it to look like a "software" that could retrieve and upload data....
hurmm.....is the browser better?...if u are the staff in the clinic...what would you prefer to look at? a "web" that could retrieve and upload the data from another PC inside the same clinic...or....u would prefer a special design interface doing the same function but doesnt look like a web...look more like a software generated look a like.....
heheh...if u said using browser is better..than i guess i'll stick to browser...
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:51 pm
by Doug G
Maybe you should consider not using a web-based application at all, and just write your own complete app in VB or some other environment.
But you can easily create your own browser in VB using the IE engine, IE offers the webbrowser control that you can instantiate and use from your own code. Somewhere in the msdn library there is a sample VB browser code, it's pretty simple to implement.
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:59 pm
by josh
Just provide a web service ( over their local LAN of course ) from PHP and write a GUI in VB or C# or whatever you're using that will query the PHP web service to gather and persist data. Using your own modified browser isn't going to change the fact its a webpage, if you want a desktop app you're probably going to have to write a desktop app
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:26 pm
by jack_indigo
You could use VB, but perhaps a simpler approach would be to learn XULRunner from Mozilla (which I think was recently renamed?) and then install that on the PCs. Then, build your app completely in PHP, but mix in AJAX and jQuery so that you give it a more of a snappy interface without having a web kind of feel, and to make it run faster. And, if you want to extend it even more, take the XUL browser and amend it so that it has custom menu items at the top or perhaps an Outlook style sidebar or an Explorer-style treeview sidebar. XUL gives you a lot of options without much effort.
Here's why I dislike the VB approach versus the XULRunner/XUL approach talking back to a PHP website (with or without jQuery and AJAX thrown in):
* You have to pay for VB. Mozilla's XULRunner is 100% free.
* You have to pay to upgrade. Mozilla will not ask you to pay for anything.
* Microsoft wants to find an excuse to make you upgrade every 2 years. Even if they have to rename the APIs and only add one more extra function or something. XULRunner changes only slightly every year.
* VB isn't cross-platform. We might all be running Macs in the future if Windows 7 turns out to be a huge flop like Vista did. Or your office may want to go with Suse, RedHat, or Ubuntu workstations, or you may end up wanting to put one of those in your office. So, with XULRunner, you should be happy to know that it is cross-platform.
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:08 am
by panic!
if you don't have internet access you must still access the local network. Host the site on a local server. Use a web browser or make a custom web browser around a IE-Shell with realbasic or visualbasic (shouldn't take very long at all).
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:49 am
by papa
Press F11 and spend more time on the actual software instead.
However there are a couple of cool ideas presented here.
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:31 am
by josh
papa wrote:Press F11 and spend more time on the actual software instead.

LOL. If I remember from VB you can just drag and drop a webpage OLE ( same one IE uses in windows ) and disable the nav bar. I don't think you can disguise the fact it's a web page though because if I remember users can still right click and "reload" or "go back", etc.. which is why I recommended a VB app that gets its data from a network SOAP feed
Re: VB interface design replacing web browser
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:03 am
by azhan
thanks so much u guys,
u guys really differentiate it a lot, i know VB would much use in interfacing with hardware but for now i think im going to go through XUL runner like jack_indigo mentioned..
Any more comment are most welcome! hehehe