Design guidelines

Use the Application Designer and, if necessary, the application XML files, with an appropriate design process to develop applications that are easy and efficient to use.

Review user goals

Before you start developing or modifying an application, review the user goals for the application. Divide users into groups, based on the tasks that they perform. Instead of creating one large application to serve all users, consider creating smaller applications that serve specific needs. Give users only what they need, and nothing more.

Prioritize information

Consider the circumstances when users need access to secondary information and choose where to locate this information from the following options:
  • On a separate tab.

    If you place secondary information on a separate tab, it does not load until the user clicks the tab, which makes start up performance faster. The information is available with one click when the user needs it.

  • Below the screen area (fold line)

    Users can ignore information at the bottom of the screen and can scroll down to see it when it is necessary. Including the information on the lower screen can increase load-time, but vertical scrolling is easier, faster, and less error-prone than clicking.

When you design an application that requires a lot of data entry, arrange the input fields to optimize the use of the Tab key to navigate between fields. The tabbing order of a window goes from top to bottom and from left to right.

If you want to change the location of a number of data input fields in an application, consider duplicating the application and then changing the order of the input fields. When you are modifying an application, you can delete fields that are not needed for data entry, or move those fields to another screen.

Use appropriate controls

Controls are predefined components, such as text boxes, buttons, and tabs, that are used to build the application user interface. In the Application Designer, you can select a control from the Control Palette and drag it to the workspace to add it to the user interface. You then configure properties for the control, for example specifying an image file to use for a button control or setting a text control as a required field.

The following controls are the main layout controls:
  • Presentation
  • Page
  • Dialog
The presentation control is the main control for an application, representing the presentation.xml file that defines all of the user interface components. Each application has just one page control, typically the main tab of the application. Use tab controls or dialog controls to create additional windows. These controls are the outermost containers for application components. Other container controls include:
  • Section
  • Tab group
  • Table
  • Push button group
Within a container control, you can place multiple controls such as placing multiple text boxes, combo boxes, and list boxes into a section, or placing multiple buttons into a button group. There are a number of benefits in grouping related content within the same container control. The grouping provides a logical order and convenience for the user and, if you move the container to another location, all of the controls that it contains move with it.

Organize navigation

The application framework includes a number of predefined navigation structures that you can use to provide quick and easy access to your application and application components. Use the following navigation structures:



Feedback