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Metal Interface - Just a start...


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nice Ugo wink.gif

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 laugh.gif

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!

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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.

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Hi Ugo

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

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. smile.gif

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

My_metal.jpg

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Hey...

So you liked it ? smirk.gif

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. crazy.gif

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

Thanks for the good words...

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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 frown.gif

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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...

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Erik,

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

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...

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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.

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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

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Nice one Robert,

Now I know who really you are... wink.gif

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

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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 grin.gif

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. crazy.gif

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

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