Groups | Search | Server Info | Login | Register

Groups > comp.databases.ms-access > #876

Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access?

Show all headers | View raw

"David-W-Fenton"  wrote in message 
news:Xns9EBF88A1DDAE7f99a49ed1d0c49c5bbb2@74.209.136.92...

>>
>> So, you can still optimize your applications quite well despite
>> not having some of those new controls.

>If they can't type, then it's a read-only application, right? This
>seems to me that it would make many Access applications completely
>inappropriate for use on these devices.

Well, they can type, but your point still stands well.
So it just that some things are not ideal. For example if you touch a Access 
combo box on a form with a tablet (or smartphone), the device senses that 
keyboard input is possible, and then a huge keyboard pops up that covers 50% 
or more of the screen. For some of those touch options I would rather not 
have the keyboard pop up on the screen.  At the end of the day tablet 
devices are really great for consuming content, but not great for forms that 
need lots of data entry.  If one can make everything on the form a point and 
shoot choice, then it works very well.

>That seems to me to indicate that you'd need two different
>UIs, one for your read-only users (optimized for portable devices
>like iPad and smartphones) and the other for the people who do the
>actual work in the database (i.e., entering data; and, yes, I mean
>to be pejorative there).

Yes, the above is quite much how I also see this. These devices are great at 
consuming content and not creating content. A computer sales rep I know 
about 3 months ago switched over to using a iPad all day long in place of 
his laptop. He uses remote desktop to his windows computer for some company 
email and to get at some documents etc. However during the day of checking 
emails and status of sales orders works etc, he not doing much data entry. 
And in a pinch he can respond to some emails that do not require a much 
typing. So this is very much read only work most of the time, and the 
instant you need to edit a letter then the on screen keyboard simply sucks 
at that this kind of task.

>Seems to me the natural separation would be
>to implement as web forms the UI for the mobile device users, and
>use regular client forms for the desktop users. Naturally, anything
>that would be usable by both sets of users would be implemented as
>web forms.

>Thoughts?

I think that of all of the office programs (Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc.), 
Access moves to the web the best. The reason for this that Access 
applications are built around forms which translates rather well to web 
based forms in a browser. I mean, Excel or even a word processor on the web 
has to scroll and move around a ton of text around on the screen where 
Access does not.

So, once web forms are built, they run well on both desktop and on these 
devices.  While Access client forms are great, I have to admit that most web 
form works (built with any system)  well enough for most types of Access 
applications and users.

The real issue is good touch applications require VERY good response. As 
noted this explains why so many people prefer to download + install 
applications on their iPhone or iPad since they are so much more fluid then 
just a 100% web based system.  So I do think that a native application is by 
far the best in terms of user experience on these devices. The scrolling and 
native screen controls like combo box and date pickers etc. are optimized 
for touch.

However, next in line is RDP and I think RDP works better then the web in 
terms of quick response and is quite much like windows desktop.

The web systems however are great from a easy deployment option.

-- 
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Pleasenospam_kallal@msn.com 

Back to comp.databases.ms-access | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? TC <existential.philosophy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-05 17:56 -0700
  Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal@msn.com> - 2011-04-06 03:50 -0600
    Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? TC <existential.philosophy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-06 08:33 -0700
    Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "David-W-Fenton" <NoEmail@SeeSignature.invalid> - 2011-04-06 17:21 +0000
    Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "David-W-Fenton" <NoEmail@SeeSignature.invalid> - 2011-04-06 17:25 +0000
      Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? TC <existential.philosophy@gmail.com> - 2011-04-06 12:51 -0700
        Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? The Frog <mr.frog.to.you@googlemail.com> - 2011-04-07 00:29 -0700
          Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "David-W-Fenton" <NoEmail@SeeSignature.invalid> - 2011-04-09 21:23 +0000
        Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal@msn.com> - 2011-04-08 11:14 -0600
          Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "David-W-Fenton" <NoEmail@SeeSignature.invalid> - 2011-04-09 21:25 +0000
      Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal@msn.com> - 2011-04-08 11:11 -0600
      Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal@msn.com> - 2011-04-08 11:11 -0600
  Re: Are There Good Touch Screen Controls for Access? "James A. Fortune" <CDMAPoster@FortuneJames.com> - 2011-04-06 20:53 -0700

csiph-web