Wishlist Items

PEFS

I would like to add a Rich Text Editor for memo type fields. I would also like to request Gannt Chart style viewer option for Project related applications. A mapping tool for data imports. The visual workflow designer would still be very cool to have.

While I am requesting items for the wish list...I would still love the ability to have more native look & feel options with your product. I have tried to integrate external products but find that the amount of additional work is counter productive. Sometimes I feel like I am driving a Lamborghini but people view it like a Buick...that stinks!

I'm frusterated that at a minimum I can't change the rounded corners color without jumping through hoops. If developers where the only people to view an application it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, we have business users who request (and require) so much more than we can offer as standard.

Sorry about the soap-box. Keep up the good work Aware. You Guys still have the best development tool available for web applications.

cchappell

To add to the Rich Text idea. I think spell checker on a text area would be cool. I know its not the highest priority.

<<While I am requesting items for the wish list...I would still love the ability to have more native look & feel options with your product. I have tried to integrate external products but find that the amount of additional work is counter productive. Sometimes I feel like I am driving a Lamborghini but people view it like a Buick...that stinks!

I'm frusterated that at a minimum I can't change the rounded corners color without jumping through hoops. If developers where the only people to view an application it wouldn't be a problem>>

I AGREE! Seems as though it woud be better to have just regular table corners that matched the colors that you select in the config tool. Then you could just select a color and not have to change the corners in a graphics program.

Couldn't their also be "text based hyperlinks" to flip to the next page of results in a list? That way you wouldn't need to recolor the icons? You could just use the config tool.

Meaning use text like |< 1 2 3 4 5 >|

Or something similar to the above.

<<A mapping tool for data imports. The visual workflow designer would still be very cool to have. >>

To add to the idea of the mapping tool......

If you develop solutions for other customers. They may want the solution hosted in the data center and then later want it in house or vice versa it would be cool to have tools built into awareim that exports and imports data as easily as you can export/import the application configuration. To be able to change the type of database would be cool too. Meaning export a solution in MSSQL and import into MYSQL (or vice versa).

<<Sorry about the soap-box. Keep up the good work Aware. You Guys still have the best development tool available for web applications.>>

I agree. Cool product!

cchappell

Can you elaborate on "Visual Workflow designer"?

What is it? What would the advantages be of using it?

Thanks.

PEFS

Hey cchappell,

Check out the links on this page. They refer to a lot of workflow designers that are available in Java.

http://www.manageability.org/blog/stuff/workflow_in_java

Great idea about Spellchecking...I get that request a lot from users.

PEFS

Unfortunately I have become spoiled using "Skins" in DotNetNuke to change the look & Feel of sites for my users. It is fantastic way to make a site completely change without any programming or major modifications to the site.

The other tool that I use that has an excellent tool for creating stylesheets that are used in the product is CodeCharge (see the on-line user guide for details)

http://docs.codecharge.com/studio31/html/

I have yet to find an exisiting Look & Feel that my Clients show me that I cannot match using their utility. The only problem is that their product is a "Buick" with a "Lamborghini" stylesheet editor...

SandyB

I want to add my two cents to these points. I agree with them. I've been designing databased business applications for 27 years, most recently in MS Access. Business users are used to good-looking screens. I love your business objects and rules approach, and I applaud the many great capabilities in AwareIM and your fantastic customer tech support.

But I'm still on the eval version because I know that I can't sell a system with the AwareIM look (what I call the grid look) to a customer who is used to the typical good-looking screens. And if I can't sell that program to anyone, what can I do with the IDE? I know that techsupp has said that we can get rid of the fine horizontal lines between rows. And that's a good thing; but not enough. You need wide choices in designing the frame, the corners, the colors and also the control placement. You need to be able, for example, to place three equally spaced controls on row one, and place four equally spaced controls on row two. I can't make that happen in AwareIM.

This is a time of rare opportunity for system developers like AwareIM. By mid-summer the largest sized group of programmers, the ones who presently use MS products are going to have to 'fish or cut bait'. If we can't find the good-looking screens, great capabilities and good pricing from someone like AwareIM, or REALBasic, or Servoy, then we will all have to bite the bullet and stay with MS. That will increase its monopoly and make life harder on all the competition. I sincerely hope that AwareIM is motivated and able to fill that need so that by this summer a purchase of the developer edition of AwareIM will be a good investment for me.

aware_support

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. We do listen very carefully to the wishes of our customers and try to fulfill them as quickly as we can.

We will be coming up with improvements in the UI area soon and we are very motivated to capture MS Access developers. Almost all items that you mention in your posts are very high on our priority list. We will be definitely including the following features asap:

1) New UI skins
2) Fix to the corners problem
3) Ability to turn off grid lines in forms
4) Rich Text Editor with spell checker (possibly)

Regarding mapping tool for data imports. What specifically do you mean? Can anyone elaborate on this?

Regarding placement of controls - you can place 3 controls in one row and 4 controls in another row. You need to place several attributes into one layout cell in order to achieve this. Did you know about this capability or we are missing something here? Are there any other specifi UI issues that you have in mind?

In relation to designing your own frame and corners we hope that the new UI skins will largely alleviate the need for this. If you still need to design your own corners you can do this by replacing the images for existing frame and corners (we can let you know where these are located, there is also a forum post somewhere about it).

Not sure also what "text based hyperlinks" are. We do have something like <1 2 3 > in our query results lists. You obviously mean something else here but I am not sure what.

PEFS

Hi Aware,

Great news about the upcoming items. Please only take my comments as constructive critism...I can't imagine developing without AwareIM..EVER 😃

For me 'Import Data mapping' would be as follows:

Currently, if someone want to import data into Aware the .csv file must follow the exact naming configuration as the exisiting fields. So often, I have clients that retrieve files from various sources that are not formatted. I have used tools (Tigerpaw CRM, Microsoft Dynamics -CRM) that offer controls that allow user to import a file into a temporary area and allow the user to select the column on the import file and select the exact "bucket" or field to import the data into in the applications database. This is SO helpful because it keeps me out of the loop and provides the end user with the ability to do less formatting and more work on their own. This is especially great for users that might only wish to import 1 field from an import file with 30+ columns of data. Obviously different formats (other than .csv) would be desirable but this has not been a major problem for me so far. XML and Delimited Text would also be nice.

Web development is a tough business. So many of our .Net counterparts have so many cool controls from ComponentArt, Infragistics, Telerik...etc

check out http://java.samples.infragistics.com/NetAdvantage/JSF/2006.2/

That's what I am up against when I go to compete for development jobs...

Thanks for listening.

PEFS

Feeldabuzz

Graphical rules editor would be good so that developers can give users the ability to control workflow / actions in certain areas of the application.

The UI Skins will be a great addition I find clients either love or hate the current UI and whilst we can work through custom presentations its a pain in the arse to do a large application.

On a positive note I think this is one of the best applications out there.

pbrad

Hi,
I agree with all of the above and am excited to have some easy to use tools to modify the look and feel, especially the corners.

My main point however is around your request for more info on data import mapping. This is an upcoming requirement for me. The client is planning to export data from their main erp software that they then need to import directly into the AwareIM app. Since their export order of columns and column headings is not the same as the IM app, I would like to be able to create a permanent 'map' that would allow the importing of the erp export without having to modify it since they carry out this task daily by low level data entry clerks.
cheers,
Pete

PEFS

Since we are throwing items into the ring...one more request:

I have a large amount of my clients that need single sign-on capabilities and would like all applications managed by Active Directory accounts. Is there a way to manage AD accounts with AwareIM (if so, I would love to know)? If not, is this something that would be considered.

I'm sure that I am not the only user who has experienced this need.

Thanks,

PEFS

jkovar

Check out DbQwiksync for moving data between databases.

www.dbqwiksync.com

It allows you to map columns of different databases and move only the data you want. It will even allow creation of new tables during the sync if needed. Biggest plus - Its Affordable.

Hope this helps some of you needing to move data between databases.

No native support for Derby yet but works with csv so should not be a problem.

tford

Re: mapping issue

I'm trialing AwareIM right now. I have a ton of existing MS Access data that will continue to be accessible by MS Access programs. My intent is to then develop newer parts of our system using AwareIM & eventually make all prior MS Access functionality part of our AwareIM system.

I'm thinking of using MySql as a database structure since it will allow the periodic refreshing of the MySql data from MS Access data using commonly available toos like DBQwikSync.

I intend to have new tables in the MySql file that will be 100% accessed by AwareIM.

So, the end result will be a MySql database with a combination of:

MS Access data that gets mapped / refreshed daily
AwareIM data that gets updated dynamically from AwareIM screens

Does this make sense as a design plan?

Does anyone see any holes in my thinking?

Thanks in advance!