Hi Dave, I think you really need to get to grips with CSS, the HTML box model and learn to use GIMP/Photoshop to work effectively with GWT - or hire a graphic designer to get you off the ground. As Ian says, you get the L&F for free in Swing, SWT or .NET, but you don't in javascript/HTML
JS libraries with GWT wrappers like the Ext family and SmartGWT offer out of the box windows L&F and widget sets. But this comes at a heavy price in terms of performance since it all has to be meticulously drawn in HTML bit by teeny bit. They may look very pretty, but your users will soon tire of that if they have to wait seconds for the app to respond every time they click a button. I would revisit your UI design strategy and assumptions. IMO you do not need to slavishly follow windows idioms to write a good business application UI in GWT - and GWT apps work like greased lightning if you don't. You just need to think out of the box and play to javacript/ DHTML and the browser's strengths rather than fight against the grain of how they work. Another thing to consider is that most everyone knows the difference between a desktop app and a web app - they use both every day - so they are comfortable with both styles. The more windows style idioms you put in a GWT application the more signals you are giving the user that "This app works like a desktop app" so you find yourself on a slippery slope of having to make *everything* emulate the desktop style to meet that expectation. Very expensive to write and performance sapping. On the other hand your users might equally say "Ah ha, this app works like a web app. It works really fast too. Cool". Ask yourself why Google didn't copy Outlook when they designed GMail's UI. regards gregor On Dec 7, 3:25 am, "Ian Bambury" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Desktop apps are styled by the OS to fit the look and feel. You don't get > many desktop app designers. Some, but not many. No one asks for VB and > PhotoShop. > People don't expect web sites to look exactly like a Mac. Especially not on > a Windows machine. > > HTML doesn't come with a standard (or any) look. Nor does JavaScript. And > GWT is HTML and JavaScript. > > And no-one wants their web site to look exactly like someone else's. > > Sorry, but I think you are going to have to let your creative flair loose. > You might even get to like it. > > Ian > > http://examples.roughian.com > > 2008/12/7 David Hoffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > Well I'm new to GWT and I don't know CSS. > > > What I would like is CSS for the standard GWT widgets & panels that > > would give some some standard look (such as a Windows platform look). > > I applied one of the standard GWT themes and it helped some, > > especially menus but buttons, trees, etc look quite bad. > > > As another example, I would like DialogBox panels to have a > > frame/window around them; currently there is no frame so they don't > > don't even look like a modal frame with a caption bar that you can > > drag around, etc. Essentially I would like the GUI to look like a > > Windows or Mac application. With this look I can begin to show the > > application to gain acceptance of GWT, with the current look they are > > not likely to be impressed. > > > I would have thought someone would have created standard CSS for this. > > Perhaps I don't understand how CSS works in GWT. > > > -Dave > > > On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 6:56 PM, Arthur Kalmenson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > > What do you mean provide simple information? The standard theme gives > > > you some basic GWT themes while you work through your application. The > > > CSS class for each widget is available in the Javadoc. > > > > -- > > > Arthur Kalmenson > > > > On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 10:50 AM, dhoffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> I'm coming from a Java background and new to GWT and I don't know > > >> CSS. Is there some sample/basic CSS available I can use until I am > > >> able to get up-to-speed on CSS? > > > >> I am using <inherits > > >> name='com.google.gwt.user.theme.standard.Standard'/> in my xml file > > >> but that only seems to provide very basic style information. > > > >> Does someone have some standard/simple CSS available for standard GWT > > >> widgets/panels? > > > >> -Dave --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Google Web Toolkit" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Web-Toolkit?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
