Kiosk mode window handling

[Lorick]

The app I'm building will be a kiosk mode interface to a database that will run on computers with a variety of screen sizes. I really want to assume at least 1024x768, but I know that some users will only have 800x600 - and others would love to take full advantage of their 1280x1024. I've been looking over books and FileMaker docs and it's beginning to look like managing layouts and windows is going to be a real pain - if I want to try to optimize the app's behavior to all these environments. Can anyone point me to a good discussion of layout design and window management in the presence of various screen sizes? (It doesn't have to be specific to kiosk mode, but it would help if it discussed it.)

Thanks,

Rick

[SteveB]

I don't know of any discussions about window size relating to kiosks, but I can tell you that you'll need layouts for each screen resolution you want to handle, and the layouts have to be precise for each resolution, otherwise you'll get either horizontal or vertical scroll bars if a layout is 1 pixel larger than its brothers. Having worked on a kiosk for the better part of 2 years, I would strongly suggest you switch to a runtime and use either Dacons Menu Control or Secure Menu from New Millenium. You've already done virtually all the work necessary to make your app work with either plugin. The runtime will occupy the full screen, not some inner, smaller area.

A kiosk is a really wierd beast, and users will find it very disconcerting when they learn that they can't minimize the kiosk and get to their desktops. What's more, your app will look like other Windows apps, and users will immediately feel comfortable.

Steve

[Lorick]

Thanks, Steve. I found descriptions of both (http://www.dacons.net/fmplugins/menucontrol/ and http://www.newmillennium.com/). I'm looking into them (sent an inquiry to Dacons).

Rick