ANN: formsPlayer uses XForms to extend the browser / formsPlayer 1.2 / <repeat> as a grid

Hello everyone,

formsPlayer 1.2 is now available from our web-site:

  <http://www.formsPlayer.com/download/>

The formsPlayer home page shows an extra 'tab' on the menu which will open a
side-bar with samples and tutorials, once you have version 1.2 installed.


CHANGES

Major changes are:

1. Side-bars, toolbars and footer-bars can be added to Internet
   Explorer using XHTML, XForms and CSS.

2. The <repeat> control can now be rendered as a grid.

3. The 'per control' branding that appears when viewing an
   unlicensed site has now been replaced with 'per page'
   branding.



BROWSER EXTENSIONS

Whilst Mozilla can be extended using XBL and XUL, Internet Explorer has had
no such 'standard' method for producing extensions. Adding toolbars or
side-bars usually involves compiled code that is distributed to end users,
and installed using specific installers.

The formsPlayer Soft-bar Extensions allow new bars to be added from within
an XForm, and for the forms themselves to be defined using standard mark-up.
Using XPath functions to carry out the installation means that authors can
build any type of form they like to enable their soft-bars. And using XHTML,
XForms and CSS means no C++, no Java ... and no XUL!

We will also shortly be releasing a further extension that will allow an
XForm to create messages that display on the system tray.

A number of Flash videos showing the soft-bars in action -- including
searching Amazon and Google -- are available here:

  <http://www.formsplayer.com/demo/soft-bars/sidewinder_soft_bars.html>



GRID CONTROL

formsPlayer 1.2 now allows a grid to be created using @appearance="compact"
on a repeat. The behaviour is as follows:

 * if a control in the repeat has a text label then this becomes
   the column heading;

 * in-line mark-up is also moved, which means that images will also
   become the column header;

 * controls affected include <group>, which means that one column
   can be set to contain a number of controls;

 * if the control has a label defined with @ref or @src, then this
   remains with the control, which allows for per-row labelling;

 * the 'working part' of the control appears in the grid -- for
   example the date selector part of a date control, or the list
   part of a <select1>.

A full example which also shows the new pseudo-classes which allow the
headers and cells to be formatted, will be available shortly.



BRANDING CHANGES

When formsPlayer renders a web-site that doesn't have a license it no longer
places default branding on each control, but instead places the formsPlayer
logo at the side of the page.


Regards,

Mark


Mark Birbeck
CEO
x-port.net Ltd.

e: Mark.Birbeck@x-port.net
t: +44 (0) 20 7689 9232
w: http://www.formsPlayer.com/

Download our XForms processor from
http://www.formsPlayer.com/

Received on Friday, 10 December 2004 18:58:58 UTC