Here are the things I really don't like/miss in this new version:
1. Tree view. Very useful in making sure your layout groups were right. Easiest way to move them around.
2. No templates or existing page copy. Used this extensively when making forms, because we have a "edit" form and a "display" form on most of our forms. Now we can't just pull in the "edit" version. Plus we had setup reusable templates that are now gone (or we don't know how to use if they are still there somewhere).
3. Page view. Default view and I have it "crashing" on me. Useless to me. I would like the ability to identify which page I want to come up, Page View or Layout View (and did I mention I really miss the tree view).
But it's not all bad. What I do like is the Field Properties and Bindings on the right so we don't have to switch back and forth between adding fields and editing values. Additionally the events are much better.
1. Tree view. Very useful in making sure your layout groups were right. Easiest way to move them around.
2. No templates or existing page copy. Used this extensively when making forms, because we have a "edit" form and a "display" form on most of our forms. Now we can't just pull in the "edit" version. Plus we had setup reusable templates that are now gone (or we don't know how to use if they are still there somewhere).
3. Page view. Default view and I have it "crashing" on me. Useless to me. I would like the ability to identify which page I want to come up, Page View or Layout View (and did I mention I really miss the tree view).
But it's not all bad. What I do like is the Field Properties and Bindings on the right so we don't have to switch back and forth between adding fields and editing values. Additionally the events are much better.
RE: Things I don't like about the new version
It is really useful for us to get feedback from customers both positive and negative to help shape future releases.
I+?+?+?ll try and answer your points below and explain our decision process.
1) Yes the Tree View was removed in v4. It was felt that this was a compromise worth making in order to get all the benefits that the new WYSIWYG Page View provides.
It would be useful if you can provide some more details on what exactly you miss from the Tree View. Was it the ability to:
We can then look if there might be other ways of achieving these goals.
2) In order to create space for the properties and bindings to be displayed on the right hand panel, the Template and Existing Page tabs that used to be available here were removed. The copying of controls was also limited to layout information, and no bindings or action related information.
However a new right-click Copy and Paste capability was added which should allow you to do everything the old approach achieved and more.
This also brings consistency as you now copy components on a page in exactly the same way as for rules within a controller.
So to copy from an existing page you would first open the source page, locate the component you wish to copy, and then use the right click menu option. You can then switch to the target page and paste it where required. One advantage this has over the old approach is that you can copy controls across projects. You can have another project open in a separate browser or set of tabs.
Note: This will become even easier in v5 as this version will make it much simpler to open multiple pages at the same time.
To replicate the templates capability, you could for example set up a +?+?++templates+?+?+? project that contains a number of pages for your different template structures. You can then copy and paste from this as and when needed. You would then be able to easily share these templates with others using the standard project import/export capability.
I appreciate that there would be some initial effort to recreate your existing templates in this new project.
3) The Page View was one of the main new features in WebMaker v4 which provides a full WYSIWYG view for designing pages. You can easily drag to resize and adjust components, and immediately see the impact of the changes you make on the Properties tab.
The fact that you are having problems with this view is definitely something we want to resolve. Can we use your other thread (http://www.hyfinity.com/node/292 to track this problem further?
With regards to the Page View being the default, this is the case, but once you switch to the Layout View this should be remembered for the rest of your session while you are working on the same project.
I hope this helps improve some of your annoyances with version 4.0, and please let us know any further feedback you may have.
RE: Things I don't like about the new version
With WebMaker 5 you can use the 'Page Design' section of the Edit - Preferences dialog to enable the Tree View display on the Page Design tab.
You can also select which of the three views (Page View, Layout View, or Tree View) should be shown by default when the Page Design screen is displayed.
Regards,
Gerard