Configurable Controls

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You can specify how a control is generated. Any property you can specify on an ASP.NET Control can be specified on all CTC Controls, Standard Controls and Custom Controls.

The CTC Configurator provides a Properties Editor as seen below, which allows the user to edit the complete set of properties for a control. Properties can be added or removed to generate the look and feel as required.

Examples of property edits:

The following shows the standard look and feel of the Push Button control.

Simply removing the Background Color property from the Push Button provides a much sharper set of buttons.

Adding a Background Image to the Style property and changing the Font and Color properties to match the background provides a different look and feel.

CTC ComboBox Control

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The CTC ComboBox control provides the AutoComplete property, which, when set, automatically completes the text field with the value from the list that matches the text as the user progressively enters the text.

Font Substitution

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Fonts painted on the forms can be substituted with any font supported by ASP.NET. When substituting fonts it may be necessary to specify a scaling factor to be applied to achieve a suitable font size.

Identification of Label Controls

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The Generator allows identification of Label controls on a form enabling the user to configure and style individual Labels in different ways. Below is an example of a label painted as the heading on all forms.

CTC Multi Level Context Menu

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The CTC Multi Level Context menu provides a number of properties unique to CTC. The Context Menu is a generic control that can be added to any ASP.NET application. The control can be styled to suit local requirements using Visual Studio. Multi level sub menus can be added to the Context Menu at design time or dynamically at runtime. For example, this allows adding a list of ispecs as a sub menu to the Context Menu providing an ‘Ispec Quick Select’ function for the end users.

Custom Controls

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Custom Controls will enhance the user interface further. For example:

• by utilising ASP.NET controls not generated by any of the standard controls such as DataList and GridView controls
• by implementing ASP.NET composite controls that combine several ASP.NET controls into one such as a DatePicker control
• by implementing Third Party ASP.NET controls. Many Third Party controls for Data Entry, Validation and Date and Time are available on the market.

Custom Controls replace controls painted on the form as in the example below where the DatePicker control replaces a date field painted as a TextBox.

Below are a few examples of how custom controls can enhance the User Interface. See complete list of custom controls delivered as part of the CTC ASP.NET WebForms Generator.

Date Picker

TextBox configured to be replaced with Date Picker for Date Fields

Standard TextBox Date Field DatePicker Control replacing the TextBox Date Field

Included with the CTC ASP.NET WebForms Generator is a Visual Studio 2005 project containing examples of how to implement different types of custom controls, such as the DatePicker, a DataList control and a GridView control.

Data List
The DataList is an ASP.NET control often used instead of the standard ListBox. The DataList allows the user to style individual items within the list. Below is an example.

Standard ListBox Control

DataList Control replacing the Standard ListBox Control

Grid View
The GridView is another ASP.NET control used for displaying multi column lists. The GridView provides a large number of properties for styling headings and individual items within the list. Below is an example.

Standard ListBox Control with Multi Columns

GridView Control replacing the Standard ListBox Control

Web Chart
The example below shows how a Third Party control like the WebChart control from Component Art can replace the Standard ListBox and dynamically provide a chart from the data that otherwise would be displayed in the ListBox.

Standard ListBox Control with Multi Columns

WebChart Control replacing the Standard ListBox Control

CopyFrom as Table

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The option 'CopyFromAsTable' allows CopyFrom regions in CopyFrom ispecs to be generated as tables. Labels painted directly above the CopyFrom region can automatically be recognized as column headers. This is controlled by the option 'CopyFromAutoColumnHeaders'. The table is generated using the standard ASP.NET Table control. This allows the table to be styled using the CTC Configurator taking advantage of all properties available on the ASP.NET control.

Below is an example of a typical CopyFrom region generated as a table.

Automatic Setup of Application Infrastructure Files

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The generator automatically installs all infrastructure files required into the bundle views directory. No manual steps are required for this. When running the generator for the first time on a new bundle, the infrastructure files are automatically copied to the output directory of the bundle. An option is provided for the generator to reinstall the infrastructure files when the files have been updated or new files have been added.

Automatic Compile and Build of the Generated Application

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As part of the generate process, the generator can automatically compile the generated application and build the necessary dll’s. This is achieved using MSBuild, which is the build platform from Microsoft used by Visual Studio. Together with the option for configuring the Runtime parameters, this means the application is ready to deploy when the generation of the user interface application is complete.

Configuration of Runtime Parameters

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Parameters for the runtime configuration of the generated application can be specified using the CTC Configurator. When any of the runtime configuration parameters are changed, the generator will update the <appSettings> section of the Web.config file. This provides a convenient way to maintain all configuration details in one place.

Configuration of View State

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By default, all ASP.NET server controls maintain their state by save state information in a hidden field that is passed in the page during round-trips between the web server and browser at runtime. Disabling the View State by setting 'EnableViewState=false' can save a considerable amount of data being transferred to/from the browser especially for controls like List boxes and Combo boxes. Typically, EAE and AB Suite systems do not benefit from saving the view state, as a new form is always returned from the EAE and AB Suite host system for every transaction. Turning view state off by configuring this option will reduce the amount of data sent to and from the browser. As with all options, this can be configured for all controls or for individually selected controls.

Keep Session Alive

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For some web applications where data entry is a critical part of the application, it can be very disruptive to the end-user when the session with the web server times out while filling in the form and before the data is submitted. The generator provides an option which prevents the session from timing out. This option can be configured for all or individually selected forms. When set, a background request is sent from the browser 30 seconds before the session is about to time out.

Sample screen shots - Before and After

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The screen shot below shows the CUST screen from the Sample system as generated by default without configuring any enhancements.

The screen shot below shows the CUST screen as generated after configuring enhancements.

The following enhancements to the look and feel have been configured:

• Action buttons at the top: removed background property to achieve rounded buttons.
• Credit Limit text box: replaced the standard text box with the SliderExtender-AJAX custom control.
• Date field text box: replaced the standard text box date field with the CalendarExtender-AJAX custom control; the Calendar icon is an integral part of the custom control; the screen capture shows the control in its open state with the calendar dropped.
• List box: replaced the standard list box with the ASP.NET Grid View control displaying multiple columns; Vertical and Horizontal scrollbars are automatic.
• MAINT buttons at the bottom: added background image and changed the font and foreground color properties.
• Form background: added alpha filter specifying gradient background color.
• Context menu: added the CTC Multi Level Context Menu with dynamically created ‘Ispec Quick Select’ sub menu.