Hi Gregor, Thanks for the reply. I don't disagree with what you say, I'm sure I do need to learn CSS and specifically how GWT makes use of it.
However I do want to point out that I think Google missed it a little in this area. The fundamental selling point of GWT for us at least is that we can stay with our well known programing language/technique (Java) and write a high quality web app as well. Actually in our case we are taking it one step further our app is implemented in both Swing and GWT. The Swing & GWT UI layers are as thin as possible, all the business logic is shared between both implementations. You can think of our app as a pure MVC app where the M & C are shared and only the view is separate code. However since GWT did not let us set the L&L in Java code its not really true that you can just use Java. Perhaps there are reasons for this I will understand when I learn CSS but I would have preferred that GWT provide some satisfactory L&L right out of the box and also allow developers to write specialized CSS. You are right that web apps don't typically behave like platform apps (Windows, Mac), I was only using those as examples. The simple GWT style could be something else. I will check out Ian's web site and see if I can get up to speed on CSS quickly. -Dave On Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 6:32 AM, gregor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
