On Tue, 2005-09-27 at 11:48 +0200, Thomas Hackert wrote: > Hello Jonathan, *, > On Monday 26 September 2005 23:15, Jonathon Coombes wrote: > > On Fri, 2005-09-23 at 15:37 +0200, Thomas Hackert wrote: > > > On Friday 23 September 2005 06:47, Jean Hollis Weber wrote: SNIP! > > > > Unless you think XForms should be covered in > > > > some other chapter? > > > > > > If someone knows how to use it, (s)he should test it before > > > writing something about it ... ;) > > > > I am certainly testing it at the moment. I am working on a > > project that will ultimately define whether the xforms is useful > > as a part of OpenOffice.org or not for large organisations. I > > must say that so far, the thought that has gone into it is very > > good and it does appear to provide distinct advantages over other > > methods. On the downside, it does take some learning and the lack > > of documentation is noticable. > > To live is to learn, or not ... ;? And if it is lacking in > documentation, write some ... "G"
That is the trouble when you run your own business, I am doing all the work, but not getting much done :) Although I am learning and once I do get it finished, I can certainly start to document what I know then. > > > > I don't know much about XForms, but my understand is that > > > > they're a really important feature. Or am I completely > > > > confused here? > > > > > > I do not know ... I think, I know less than you about the > > > XForms ... ;) > > > > The xforms are the "next generation" of HTML forms which is what > > is in OOo 1.x series and on the web. The differences are summed > > up as: > > > > * XML-based rather than HTML-based. > > * MVC model - separation of content and display > > * Allows automation using calculations based on XPath > > * Constraints and validation built in to the controls > > * Selectable relevancy of the data items > > * W3C standard (not that HTML forms are not a standard) > > Thank you for your explanation (although I have to look up "MVC" or > "XPath" in the net on Sunday ... :( )! I gave the basic definition of MVC - it separates the content and the display. MVC stands for Model-View-Control and is used in many places today in web development. You may also hear it called 3-tier or n-tier program design. Other areas that implement it are things such as template engines, java frameworks etc. It means that one group can change the look of it without knowing how to program. A bit like the CSS ideas with HTML. > > As I mentioned, they are difficult to learn, particularly in OOo, > > but once you understand the power of xforms, they will prove to > > be quite useful. I am designing my project based around xforms to > > not only allow flexibility, scalability and validation, but also > > to make it platform independent. That is, xforms should be able > > to be shifted from OOo onto a suitable web server and still > > function exactly the same as before. > > Aha, o.k. ... As I have not used forms by now (I have not needed > them - maybe later in my life ... ;) ), this is all new to me. Certainly useful for business - invoice forms, quotes, purchase orders etc. Hope to get some simple ones done and made available on our website as templates/examples for people. Regards Jonathon -- OOo Tips: http://mindmeld.cybersite.com.au/tips.rss OOo Knowledgebase: http://mindmeld.cybersite.com.au Training4Linux: http://www.training4linux.com Cybersite Consulting: http://www.cybersite.com.au
