Metal Interface - Just a start...

Ugo DI LUCA · October 30, 2003

Hi all,

I tried myself today with this.

I don't think I would ever use it, but some of you that would like to be Mac fashioned may.

Just some basic tabs, bars and borders, though if really someone is interrested, I could go further more on this when I've got some time.

Metalizzatov2.fp5.zip

Robert Schaub · October 30, 2003

Not Bad Ugo I could have used it when I work at the Metal Plating Shop wrote all their files. Too bad their loss.

Charles Delfs · October 30, 2003

Nice and clean

alost a shame to muddy it up with some fields LOL

do you have any other elements like button checks and the like?

A great contribution there are not enough Graphical design resources around, as a prior thread will attest LOL

Charles

Jim McKee · October 30, 2003

Ugo ...

Nice work! I like this so much more than the Aqua style. Simple, clean, uncluttered.

Very

Leb i Sol · October 30, 2003

nice Ugo

u can crop horizontal/vertical "frame-lines" even more and save on image size...and then u can re-use the same images for the web interface

take a look at the crops on http://mostarnet.com/template.asp and notice 2 tables on the left re-using the same image for diff. size

nice work! !!! !!!

All the best!

Mariano Peterson · October 30, 2003

Very nice. One suggestion to speed up layout performance: In the demo, many of the long horizontal bars are groupings of several narrow bars. Since the image is perfectly symmetrical, you can just grap one single bar and stretch it to be as wide as you need. Then, instead of having to download and render 10 different images, FileMaker only has to deal with one.

Even better if you crop the bar so that it is only 1 or 2 pixels wide. Then you'll have a very small image size, and you can stretch it as wide as necessary. This will help increase performance, particularly on list views that must repeat the body over and over on a single screen.

George TOUBALIS · October 30, 2003

Hi Ugo

Nice try... but as you said it's Just a start....

I testing metal Interface for a year now

well except the aesthetic part there is a major subject about the speed of redraw your screen.

the redraw of layout/screen shot I sent you its speedy because is a gray scale pattern (even the shadows of the windows)

I like the gray metal interface because force the user eye to the target and he don't want to look anywhere else after hours of work...

About the Icons here in Greece we said " 1 Image = 1000 words"

if you have any (I work photoshop from version 1) questions about graphics or images optimize ask me ... as I said before a week, My job is Graphic designer... the developing is a hobby.

And as I said before a week experiment with GUI is a challenge.

I use the knowledge of experts (aplle GUI designers) ,customising it for my solutions give 'em a personal touch...

George

Ugo DI LUCA · October 30, 2003

Hey...

So you liked it ?

It seemed so grey for me in this colorful world, but then it's the future trend.

Ok, so I'd extend it with buttons and more to have a new kind of usable interface for those who like metal..

Mariano, as opposed to the classic Aqua, this "MetalLike" is a little more tedious, as stretching a unique bar wouldn't give the same result.

For those using Appleworks, I'd attach to the next update all classified metal tools, so that you can reuse them at your own need.

At the moment, there are 3 differents images for horizontal, while 2 are used for vertical. Both of them use 3 separate widths, but true this could be solved easily.

You know, I just dropped this here as a way to say bye bye to this project.

But I believe there's some demand, so see you soon with a new Metalizzata Interface.

Thanks for the good words...

kenneth2k1 · October 30, 2003

Nice job, ugo. Very clean and Panther-ready

I believe Apple calls this "brushed metal."

Anatoli · October 30, 2003

Try various types of pictures for speed. I guess it was PNG, which was fastest. Personally -- I do not like any graphic on FM layouts. Only the FM is producing itself. That is always the fastest and most crossplatform. No problems on 256 colors in Terminal Services.

My solution was running quite OK over 128kb line. Try that with pictures

Ugo DI LUCA · October 30, 2003

Nice indeed George,

I didn't had in mind to use a whole metal screen, rather having it made "a la Panther" with some aqua icons and buttons to make it more happy, using the brushed metal for borders, tabs, some other graphics.

AppleWorks is limitative, but I had some bad issue with Photoshop and FileMaker redraw, so I've opted to develop all my graphics with AppleWorks.

Would definitely like to have a new go with Photoshop if it might help, with this or other designs.

BTW, are you sure you sent me anything. My mail is empty...

rjackson · November 6, 2003

I liked the idea for this type interface and thought I'd offer this quick effort. I set up a simple FMP tips file using examples from this forum. The metal interface is pure apple (and ical in particular).

Hope it is of use to anyone.

FMForum_Tips.zip

falkaholic · November 12, 2003

Good start, I'm going to start using it soon. The only thing it missing in popups.

Ugo DI LUCA · November 12, 2003

Erik,

You won't have to wait too long....

I'm working on it everyday a little, and will soon update with a complete set with buttons, menus, scrowl bars, dialogs, pop-ups, borders....

Here's one I posted a few days ago, inspired by this start...

TextParser

Do not pay attention to the demo itself. It was solved lately thanks to Queue, who certainly forgot to post back the corrected file.

Now, even if Apple received a lot of complaints about this Brushed Metal fashion, there are obviously some good points of using it, as explained by George.

The more I'm working on it, the more I feel of using it, which is contradictory with my first post.

For those interrested in the theories, here's a link that studies the difference from BMI (Brushed Metal Interface) and RAI (Regular Aqua Interface) in browsers.

BrushedMetalBrowser

You might look at all the related articles, as they all are very interresting.

For those OSX users looking for inspiration, you might download some examples at

MaxThemes

I haven't OSX my self for the moment, but IF SOMEONE DOWNLOAD THIS LATER, please contact me as I'd be interrested to get some screenshots, as I'm mainly building this Interface using screenshots.

Thanks and enjoy the links...

-Queue- · November 12, 2003

Gosh darn it! I never saw that last post in the thread. So when you said to post it back, I didn't know what you meant. Sorry. I'll post it later tonight when I get home.

John Caballero · November 13, 2003

MARZ! !!! !!!

kenneth2k1 · November 13, 2003

Hey, that's a cool name - John Cowboy

Robert Schaub · November 13, 2003

kenneth2k1 said:
It's best to avoid standing directly between a competitive jerk and his goals.

You can say that 3 times, I found out the hard way!

kenneth2k1 · November 13, 2003

I can't remember exactly where it came from, but you know those successories things? Those inspiration posters? They have other ones that have anti-inspirational phrases.

That is off one of those, and it has two kids playing soccer and one is clotheslining the other one right in the face. It just looks funny.

They have another one that says:

If you need insiprational phrases to motivate you, then you probably have an easy job; one that robots will be doing soon.

John Caballero · November 13, 2003

Heh...Actually, "vaquero" is cowoby. "Caballero" means gentleman...we Caballeros have corporate offices all over the Spanish speaking world...if you've ever gone to the restroom in an authenitic Mexican restaraunt, perhaps you've seen my name on the door.

Mariano Peterson · November 13, 2003

Hey what's up John! I just saw your post.

Ugo DI LUCA · November 13, 2003

Yeah....did you cracked the codes of this funky Virtual on Marz game

Ugo DI LUCA · November 18, 2003

Attached are some screenshots of the new "Metalizzato.fp5" file, updated with graphics, buttons and more to fit OSX Panther look.

Too big to be posted, just send me a mail if interrested.

Ugo DI LUCA · November 18, 2003

Forget about the previous screenshots.

I finally compressed the file to be posted. The only missing part is the "Bronze" Interface and the Portal part, which I'll post later when I'll have understood how this blue aqua scrowlbar works....

After all, these weren't Brushed Metal

Metalizzatov2.fp5.zip

Robert Schaub · November 18, 2003

Way Cool, waiting for your next update.

falkaholic · November 18, 2003

Wow, very nice. Good work!

Ugo DI LUCA · November 22, 2003

Thanks,

I slightly revisited the file and here's a screenshot of an adaptation "template" I'm planning to use.

Any comment greatly appreciated...

SalesPreview.jpg.zip

Robert Schaub · November 22, 2003

Looks great, I like the inverted tab look.

When is the next release?

Ugo DI LUCA · November 22, 2003

Hi Robert,

I wasn't that satisfied with the first Tab headers. I got inspired by the new version of NetBarrier at http://www.Intego.com

I have to see how it runs on a real situation, but it seems to be redrawing quicker than the first version at the moment.

Let me have these scrowlbars fixed and I'll add it to the previously posted version. Would be a fixed portal though, but an usable scrowlbar...

Thanks

Robert Schaub · November 23, 2003

Employee File with Metal

EmployeeFile.zip

Ugo DI LUCA · November 25, 2003

Nice one Robert,

Now I know who really you are...

Here's attached an adaptation of the Metal Interface tools posted earlier, with these aqua scrowlbars.

As it is originated from a real file I'm planning to use mostly as a demo of what can be done with FM, it surely won't be the easiest file posted on this Forum.

In order to use these hacked scrowlbars, one would need to implement fixed portal. The problem with these portals is that they won't scrowl as dynamically as a classic portal.

This one uses a 10 sections scrowl, but still allows to move up or down from a selected number of rows.

Let say you have 500 records and a portal displaying 20 rows.

The first move (10%) would display records from n

Multi-usePortal.fp5.zip

Robert Schaub · November 25, 2003

Thanks Ugo,

I don't know how you do it. How many hours are in a day in Paris?

I do like the look, and have 4 files of my employee package / Timeclock

mostly done , but boy it is a lot of work.

Will show more screen shots later.

Lee Smith · November 25, 2003

Hi Ugo,

[color:"blue"]Nice one Robert,
Now I know who really you are...

Now if you will take off your bicycle helmet we can see what you look like too.

Ugo DI LUCA · November 25, 2003

Hey Lee,

198 pounds, 6 1/2 feets, long brown buckled hair...

The kind of guy you won't ever see running on a "bicycle" without its helmet

And even motor-racing would be more comfortable and safe laying on the sofa....

Robert,

You see, my FM day starts at 8:00 pm...and sometimes at 01:00 am.

That's what it is for an european to keep in touch our US friends...

Robert Schaub · November 30, 2003

Ugo DI LUCA said:

Now I know who really you are...

Well it's that time of year, Ol' Chopper took a flea bath, Here's what I really look like.

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