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asp.net webcontrols : MS_POSITIONING="flowlayout"


Kelly
11/12/2004 4:34:34 PM
Hi all -

I'm just wondering about something. I have been using gridlayout for my
project, but was recently told why flowlayout would be best (for my project
anyway). So, I went into the HTML and changed my MS_POSITIONING to
flowlayout, but the auto sizes, locations, and positions are still there for
my controls. I've saved it, closed and re-opened it, etc and none of this
has worked.

Know what I mean?

The body tag still says
<body bgColor="powderblue" MS_POSITIONING="flowlayout">

so I'm not sure why the sizes, positions, locations, etc are still showing
up in my HTML.

Any ideas?

TIA!
-Kelly

Kelly
11/12/2004 4:54:53 PM
Thanks, Scott!

PS. I changed my code to what you suggested (re: datagrids) yesterday and it
works great!

-Kelly

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Scott M.
11/12/2004 5:51:00 PM
Items that you have already placed on the form will not be affected by the
change of this setting. You must change their positions for them to conform
to the new setting. Any new controls you add will conform to the new
setting.

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Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/12/2004 5:58:20 PM
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Rubbish! Who told you so?
(that's actually what i was thinking, to put it politely)

Many uninformed developers rooted in ASP and HTML programming champion
flowmode while disparaging designmode. I'm sure you aren't one of them by
the way.

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Scott M.
11/12/2004 7:08:40 PM
We are talking about FlowLayout vs. GridLayout, not flowmode vs. designmode
(2 different sets of things).

GridLayout (IMO) is definitely NOT the way to build up a UI. GridLayout
simply uses CSS Level 2 to absolutely position elements on the page. Now
there are exceptions to every rule, but I have never advocated building the
whole UI with absolutely positioned elements since when developing for the
Internet, we don't know the resolution and monitor sizes of the client. Not
to mention that absolute positioning is more difficult to design the layout
of the page with since it requires knowing the exact pixel sizes of
everything on the page.

FlowLayout, by contrast allows us to simply drop a table of a certain width
on that page and work within that width boundary. Now, getting back to the
exception for every rule....If I have something I need to absolutely
position, I can still do it for that one control without switching the
entire page into GridLayout.



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Scott M.
11/12/2004 7:09:49 PM
Oh, and by the way, I would consider myself an extremely well informed
developer with many many years of practical
experience. :)



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Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/12/2004 9:34:04 PM
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I'm not, i will graduate this year and start looking for work in the real
world for the first time.

I was paying enough attention to catch your implication that experienced
developers use flow!

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/12/2004 9:34:11 PM
I've spent countless hours arguing the EVILS of flow so i won't go over it
here - feel free to google for it.
At the end of the day, nobody has changed sides.And it is a bitter debate.
The default for whidbey is flow and i will be fighting tooth and nail to get
it back to grid - the way it should be.

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That's what i mean by disparaging remarks. It's an option in the IDE, learn
to use it properly.
If it didn't have a bona fide use, it would not be included - it wouldn't
even be the default in two released versions.
That by itself should be meaningful in and of itself.


* Why does the control I put beneath my DataGrid become covered up by
my DataGrid when it has too many items?
* My users are complaining because they have to horizontally scroll,
how do I fix this?
* I have a user with an older browser version, and the page looks like
junk. What's wrong with ASP.NET, why won't it work for older browsers?

All these concerns have extremely easy fixes that I trust you are imparting
as a responsible and objective teacher.
But you did hit the nail on the head. Windows programmers stick to grid,
HTML and ASP programmers stick to flow. And there are very little
backsliders.

My take is that the web has evolved from simple web submission forms to
complex applications that run in a browser - functionally equivalent to a
windows application in a browser.
For that type of programming, gridlayout is a must. For all other options,
use gridlayout (that's not a typo either).

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
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Scott M.
11/12/2004 11:00:04 PM
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Actually, you can only change it on a project by project basis.

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You mean in the same way that the validation controls only work in IE
because the use the MS DHTML model, rather than the W3C DOM?

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Yes, the fix is to use FlowLayout.

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Actually, you couldn't be more wrong on this one. Most VS.NET newbies think
that Grid vs. Flow layout is a .NET thing. Experience web developers know
that is is an HTML vs. CSS Level 2 thing. Most of the experienced web
developers I know, know to only use absolute positioning for an element here
and an element there, not the whole UI.

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Your assesment makes no sense! The web *was* where complex applications ran
in a browser and it still is. Form submissions are not relevant to this
discussion.

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Scott M.
11/12/2004 11:03:59 PM
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You hit the nail on the head with this statement!! I own and operate an IT
training company myself and have been teaching web development (as well as
doing commercial web development) for over 10 years and completely agree
that if you know and understand good page layout and page design (as well as
understand the pitfalls of CSS Level 2), you would not use it for the
complete page UI. Now, don't misunderstand me here, absolute positioning
has its place, but that place isn't building the total UI using it.

Scott Mitchell [MVP]
11/13/2004 2:00:38 AM
I concur 100%. GridLayout is deceptively evil, and I wish Microsoft
hadn't made it the default in Visual Studio .NET 2002/2003. I teach
about six ASP.NET courses during the course of the year, and the number
one thing that developers coming from a WinForms background do is become
wed to GridLayout.

By the time they come to my class, some of the #1 questions are:

* Why does the control I put beneath my DataGrid become covered up by
my DataGrid when it has too many items?
* My users are complaining because they have to horizontally scroll,
how do I fix this?
* I have a user with an older browser version, and the page looks like
junk. What's wrong with ASP.NET, why won't it work for older browsers?

etc., etc.

Now, I believe once we have Longhorn with a significant marketshare, and
the Web moves from the current HTML markup to a richer, UI-focused
markup, then the GridLayout concept will work great, and be the de facto
way to create Web pages. But with the current technologies, GridLayout
causes more pain among new developers than not.

--

Scott Mitchell
mitchell@4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.4GuysFromRolla.com

Scott Mitchell [MVP]
11/13/2004 3:03:34 AM
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Just because something exists as an option, doesn't mean it isn't a
feature that will cause more harm than good.

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Agreed, but there are things that cause more harm than good, regardless
of if they are options. For example, Option Explicit does not need to
be included in a VBScript/old school VB program, but should be, always,
and shouldn't have to be added to be included, agreed?

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Naturally. I show them the workaround, and then encourage them to
explore FlowLayout in more depth. With my students, I find that it's
ignorance that makes them hesitant to switch. They come from a non-Web
background, so they are not familiar with using <DIV>s, <table>s, or
other HTML elements to position content. This is all fine and good, but
the point is my experience of people who are proponents of Grid over
Flow are those who don't have a firm grasp on laying out a page without
absolute positioning. I believe in an earlier comment in this thread
you mentioned you had some good reasons for using Grid over Flow, I'd be
interested in hearing them.

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We're getting there, yes, but HTML is not going to be the markup to take
us there, XAML will. So I agree that GridLayout will be very important
in the future, but right now I find it to be substandard.

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I take it you are developing your Web apps on an intranet, where the
browser is guaranteed? Do you still promote GridLayout when you know
you'll have visitors who, for example, might be coming from 2nd world
nations or universtities, where they might not be using the latest and
greatest browsers?


--

Scott Mitchell
mitchell@4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.4GuysFromRolla.com

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 10:28:19 AM
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Yes, i do develop on intranets where the browser is guaranteed IE. But
that's because the application
functionality that our customers require can only be found in IE browsers.

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Yes. Because i know how to fix the cross browser formatting issues so i am
not boxed in to using flowlayout.
I am free to use whatever I want. At that moment, it is gridlayout.

I am not talking off the top of my head. I am currently building an internet
commerce site open to all browsers and I am running into brick walls
with the front-end guy who is an HTML tables and flowmode oldschool guy
exhibiting what i term as grid prejudice.
I've downloaded 4 different browsers and set my default browser to firefox
to conclusively prove to this guy that there are no cross compatibility
issues,
still he set in his ways. But i convinced his boss who allowed me to go
ahead with my approach.
The days of building a page with a whole bunch of HTML tables
flowing all over the place is no longer necessary for cross browser
compatibility.

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This is my position. If you are a customer who isn't running an up-level
browser, I am not interested in your business.

I'll concede that the only thing i've found that flow is good for is screen
resolution issues. Now, the applications built with gridlayout mode
we will be problematic for the visually impaired since their resolutions
will cause a HUGE mess on screen. Also, users who are prone to
adjust their browser text size to the extreme settings may be mildly
affected by gridlayout.

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Agreed.


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My page is lighter, so it loads faster. Gridlayout co-ordinate calculations
is based on integer math. This is faster than loading
extra tables, divs, and other html elements whose only purpose is screen
layering. We do still have people using dial-up and our
applications should cater to them. I know you have seen those pages with
tables inside of tables inside of divs inside of tables...
Have you stopped to consider how heavy that page is to load?

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 10:30:36 AM
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I did not call your experience into question.

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On the contrary, I prefer not to box myself in to using one approach when
other approaches
offer the same, or even added benefits.

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 10:45:31 AM
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Well, now that is a Microsoft implementation issue right?

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That is only one solution. The other solution is to adjust the web config
file so it renders the correct HTML to all browsers.
You do realize that this cross browser issue was exacerbated by Microsoft's
poor implementation
of the HTML rendering process - a situation that is remedied in whidbey -
right?

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Yes, and most windows programmers who have moved to the web know it the
other way around.
You aren't going to discredit them by imposing your own agenda right? Like
it or not, windows programmers
are moving to the web in droves - that is the impetus behind .NET.
My position is that they are free to use whatever tools they think can get
the job done on
budget and on schedule and within the bounds of customer satisfaction.
If that means using flowlayout, then by all means, flow. If it means using
gridlayout, then grid.

Notice that i do not force my gridlayout position compared to your forcing
flowlayout, i simply leave it as an option because impositions
always tend to stifle creativity and slow forward movement.


--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Scott M.
11/13/2004 1:20:50 PM
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I never said you did.

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Then you should consider the approach I'm describing... FlowLayout for most
of the page, Absolute Positioning when needed. Using GridLayout for
everything actually limits the end result possibilities.

Scott M.
11/13/2004 1:25:21 PM

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This has been my point all along and is why FlowLayout is the better choice.
The only situation where GridLayout wouldn't cause the issues above is where
the monitor size, screen resolution and browser options are locked down.
That is pretty rare. Even in corporate intranets, the monitor size and
screen resolutions vary.

Scott M.
11/13/2004 1:33:07 PM

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You said if the feature was there, it must have value. Validation controls
are there, but they have no client-side value if you aren't using MS IE.
So, just because a feature is there, doesn't make it the best choice to use.

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It's not a cross-browser issue at all. It's a screen resolution and browser
text size setting issue. You do realize that right (rhetorical question
since you've agreed to this is a previous post in this thread)?


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These were not my comments in the first place so I have nothing to add here.
You have confused the posts of Scott Mitchell with me: Scott M. (not the
same Scott).

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Well, you've been pretty adamant that GridLayout is the way to go. On the
other hand, I have said that there is a place for absolute positioning. My
comments have nothing to do with .NET (since this isn't a .NET issue) and
have everything to do with good UI design. Because monitor size, resolution
size and text size can't be known for the client, GridLayout is very
dangerous to use. That's not an opinion, it is a fact (and you've agreed in
an earlier post in this thread). Given that information, how can you
seriously say that building the whole UI in GridLayout is the better
approach for most UI development?!

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 4:54:27 PM
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Never did say that. I said it was an option. You argue it should be used
here and there.
But your argument is not convincing. The large majority of desktops run a
standard size screen resolution with just
a few clients running outside that range. So using that as an argument to
justify flowlayout doesn't cut it.
The vast majority of desktops use 800x600 thru 1280x1024. Gridlayout works
just fine in these modes.
So build your applications with that setting in mind and test for that
resolution range.
That is why internet sites sometimes have a recommended resolution setting.

I have used GridLayout for ALL my UI development in the few days that I have
been developing web applications.
I have not had any problems with different browsers or resolution settings
that I could not quickly adjust in code.
I build web applications that compete for and replace windows desktop
applications.
These customers require their interface to look and behave exactly like a
windows application in form
and function. If they shrink the browser size for instance, they don't want
to see a server control flow to the next line.
It doesn't do that in windows desktop and that is exactly their expectation.
Until these
customer requirements change, that is what i will be giving the customer.
It's their money and their product.
You have to take all that into consideration before you go blindly saying
that FlowLayout is the best for most
UI development because different problem domains require different options.



--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Scott M.
11/13/2004 5:46:41 PM

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Actually, you DID say that (you said the following):

"I'll concede that the only thing i've found that flow is good for is screen
resolution issues. Now, the applications built with gridlayout mode
we will be problematic for the visually impaired since their resolutions
will cause a HUGE mess on screen. Also, users who are prone to
adjust their browser text size to the extreme settings may be mildly
affected by gridlayout."

....And guess what? These issues (resolution & text size) are applicable to
absolutely EVERY web application built. They are not exceptions to the
rule, they are the rule.

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Wow are you mis-informed! LOL

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800x600 thru 1280x1024 is a range. What you build (using GridLayout) for
one resolution will look very different in another. You don't build for a
range, you build for a specific resolution. That is how you approximate a
client application. Also, you can't really say that GridLayout works in one
mode or another...GridLayout works in ANY mode, the problem is when you are
in a different mode than the one that the app was designed for (which is the
whole point).

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The popularity of that idea stopped about 5 years ago. Very few sites today
require a user to change their resolution to meet the UI. Again, this is
the whole point. As UI's have become more complex and technology has given
us more UI choices, we no longer need to have the user meet us, we can meet
the user.

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What?!! You've only been doing web application work for a few days?!!!
OMG!!! Why are we even having this conversation then? You are putting up
positions that have been tried and tested for many years (by the web
community and myself as well) and basically telling us all that in the "few
days" that you have been doing web development you've somehow figured out
that we're wrong!?

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This has nothing to do with our conversation.

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Who says that this will happen using FlowLayout mode?! A control wrapping
to the next line down is not a Grid vs. Flow issue at all. It's a matter of
knowing how to code HTML properly.

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Again, this is irrelevant since it doesn't happen in FlowLayout mode either.

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And the sure do want to make sure that EVERYONE who uses their application
will experience the EXACT same UI. The GridLayout solution won't do that, a
properly designed FlowLayout will.

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Alvin, it is clear to me that you have very limited knowledge of HTML and
very limited experience in correctly testing the UI layer of a web
application. That's a dangerous place to be in if you want to defend a
position. If you had that experience it would be clear as day to you that
everything you have been saying is hogwash.

You keep bringing up your customer's wants and needs and how I am "blindly"
saying that FlowLayout is the way to go. The truth is that GridLayout
causes problems that must be overcome and FlowLayout prevents those problems
in the first place. So, they both can be used to accomplish the goal, BUT
FlowLayout will get you there faster and with less problems along the way.
I've also said that absolute positioning of particular controls here and
there (CSS Level 2), not to be confused with GridLayout mode (where ALL page
content is absolutely positioned using CSS Level 2) can be useful (when used
properly).

Of course you are entitled to your opinion and if you can get the job done
with GridLayout then "more power to you", but you may want to listen to the
advice of those who have been doing this for a decade or so and can clearly
look at both sides of this coin. You may even find that by taking some
advice, your job gets easier and your customers are happier.

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 6:40:57 PM
****For that type of
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I guess you couldn't see the humor there either. If you had stopped to
consider the statement within the context of what i said, it would have been
clear that there was humor involved. Permit me to re-iterate my point.
Both Grid and Flow are valid. ASP and HTML programmers disparage Grid while
touting flow. That's wrong on all accounts. Use the best tool for the job.
Would you disagree with that?

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/13/2004 7:29:57 PM
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No. You build for a range, and you test for a range otherwise you force your
users to run the app for the specific setting.
You can't force me to run an app in 800x600 just because that was the only
resolution you wrote your app to handle.
I'm sure that isn't you argument. It absolutely can't be.

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You just said you don't build apps for resolution ranges. You build for a
specific resolution so exactly which user are you meeting?

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I don't see why you should bother call my expertise into question. It has no
relevance here.
If i make a point, you cannot disregard it based on whether i am a student
or
20 year veteran. Instead, discredit it based on the content of the matter
and how i frame the argument.
Name calling gets you no where in here.
But it does show what position you are arguing from.


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sure it does. Customers drive business. That's the bottom line.

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Are you serious? You are suggesting that I start coding in HTML to fix this
issue?
Take a moment to drop two controls on a webform, alternate the layouts and
resize
the browser. I guess you can hide behind the fact that everything boils down
to HTML in a browser but you would be missing the whole point of the
argument.

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What? You are using humor right?

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Name calling? You know i avoid these arguments because they are without
merit.
Please learn that even a student or a carpenter can make a point in a public
forum and you should have the decency to only discredit based on the content
of the argument.
I could very easily claim that I am a 20 year veteran, a student or a
TRAINER who owns his own school!. I am neither by the way (but how can you
tell?)
I get sick to my stomach when people like you think that who you are is
important when framing an argument.
I am expecting an apology by the way, for the name calling.


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you haven't supported that position thus far with anything but name calling.

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That's what its about? You need recognition for your years of development
experience?
I don't. I learn from students and veterans alike. The source of the
knowledge is not important to me.
But the knowledge is.

Anyway, it is clear you have degenerated an otherwise spirited discussion
into name calling. And that's turning me off.
You need to apologize and learn to keep it clean. You could end up working
for me someday.

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
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Scott M.
11/13/2004 11:00:48 PM

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I absolutly can and its done everyday. Go to abc.com, cbs.com, nbc.com or
virtually any other major web site. It was built for 800 x 600 regardless
of what your particular setting is. I'll go one step further than that,
look at the source code for all these sites and search the code for <TABLE>.
You'll find that this is how they are all built, not by absolutly
positioning everything.

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It can be if you know something about developing a web UI. Go to cnn.com or
msnbc.com or any other major web site with your screen resolution set at 800
x 600 and you'll see that the UI was built specifically for that setting.
Change your setting to 1024 x 768 and you'll see that the page stays the
same but you now have extra white space on the right edge. The site wasn't
built for a range of resolutions, it was built for a specific resolution.
This is my point. It is just obvious that you don't have any experience
with this if you don't see that.

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The one that is the target of my application OR (as mentioned above) I can
build one UI that dynamicly adjusts for any resolution.

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I have done that. I've given you point by point descriptions of why Grid is
bad and Flow is good, but you've turned a deaf ear on all of the experience
and expertise of those who have struggled with this issue before you.
You've just responded with one basic point that says that you've built
applications that are supposed to look like a Windows application. You
haven't addressed the facts about the use of that application..That's just
ignorance.

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I am not trying to get anywhere "in here" and I never called you any names.
I said you are inexperienced and by your own admission, this is a fact, not
an insult. I said that your argument was hogwash. That's also not name
calling. It is a statment about your lack of knowledge (another fact) in
this area. I am trying to give you some very good advice based on years
actual experiences using both tecniques that we have discussed. I've been
clear as to what the issues are and you've already conceded that I'm right,
but then dismissed these issues and proclaimed that you were right
anyway....That tells me that you are stubborn and aren't really interested
in developing your skills.

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LOL. And applications that don't work for the clients of those customers
generally don't get the developers of those applications more work. It IS
irrelevant what your app does or who you are building it for. If you are
building web pages, then they need to render in a browser on a monitor.
What's relevant is that we can't control what browser that will be and what
resolution that will be, so we build applications that ensure that they will
render the SAME in all environments. Now read this next part
carefully...GridLayout is not capable of doing that. It's not and that is a
fact. If you dispute this point, then you really don't have any idea of how
web UI rendering works.

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Are YOU serious? Do you not realize that the basis for EVERY web page is
HTML? Do you really believe that you can be a good web developer and not
know or work with HTML?

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I have no idea what point you are even trying to make with your exercise
here. If you are trying to take us back to your "controls will wrap when
the browser is resized" point from earlier, then I'll repeat what I said
earlier. This is not a layout issue it is a fundamental issue of knowing
how to write good HTML. You call this "hiding" behind the FACT that
everything boils down to HTML. And, you say that this is missing the point,
but this is the EXACT point.

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No, I'm talking about something that I guess you haven't learned how to
control in HTML.

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What name did I call you? No, I stated (by your own admission) a FACT. You
have limited experience with the technologies you are trying to educate us
on.

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You should have the presence of mind to be able to separate an insult from a
fact that you may not like to hear. Having little experience in an area is
not an insult or a name. You are also posting in a public forum that is
frequented mostly by folks that have much more experise and experience in
this area as you. What do you expect someone to tell you when they have the
knowledge and experience in this matter and they know you are mistaken? And
what would you make of someone who adamantly defends a position widely known
Scott Mitchell [MVP]
11/13/2004 11:05:30 PM
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Eep. So do you have a big message on your page, "ALL PEOPLE WHO CAN'T
AFFORD THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT - GO AWAY!"

I can't imagine that is good for the bottom line.

--

Scott Mitchell
mitchell@4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.4GuysFromRolla.com

Scott Mitchell [MVP]
11/13/2004 11:09:16 PM
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I believe you said exactly this, no? To quote:

"My take is that the web has evolved from simple web submission forms
to complex applications that run in a browser - functionally equivalent
to a windows application in a browser. ****For that type of
programming, gridlayout is a must. For all other options, use gridlayout
(that's not a typo either).****"


--

Scott Mitchell
mitchell@4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.4GuysFromRolla.com

Scott Mitchell [MVP]
11/14/2004 2:55:12 AM
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I wouldn't disagree with that, no, but let's look at your first reply in
this post:

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(emphasis mine)

If Flow layout has its place, as you agree, then why would you have the
foresight to tell him "rubish" when our original poster noted that flow
layout would be best for his project? (Assuming you knew nothing about
his project, which I take is the case, unless you personally know the
original poster or have communicated with him about this project
beforehand.)

In any event, this whole thread basically boiled down to a flamewar. I
doubt we'll be able to influence one another's firm beliefs. My belief
is aligned with Scott M.'s, that FlowLayout is best and, where absolute
positioning is needed, it can be employed. Personally I think having
GridLayout be the default was a mistake on MS's part, since (in my
experience) it causes desktop application developers more troubles than
it's worth, and typically they do not even know about FlowLayout!

--

Scott Mitchell
mitchell@4guysfromrolla.com
http://www.4GuysFromRolla.com

Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/14/2004 9:58:05 AM
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What i was getting at was that a certain class of developers discredit
gridlayout without reason and out of prejudice.
I wasn't sure if that was why OP was told to use flow over grid or if there
was actual merit to using flow.

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I believe they do know about it. They choose not to use it. I've found that
those who choose grid over flow are typically
windows programmers who have moved to the web. ASP and HTML programmers
stick with flowlayout. Hence the war.
The default for whidbey was made flowlayout simply because a large number of
programmers from the other side of the fence
complained rather loudly about it - not because it worked better than
gridlayout. The issue is clearly divisive, but each option does have its
merit.
I guess that is our only common ground.

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
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Scott M.
11/14/2004 10:25:08 AM
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Alvin, that is your opinion and is based, not in fact, but in your
perception. The reason that ASP and HTML developers (collectively known as
web developers) suggest FlowLayout is because their EXPERIENCE WITH WEB
DEVELOPMENT tells them that Grid causes problems and Flow is better. It
isn't prejudice and we're not dismissing Grid without giving it any thought.
It is based on our collective EXPERIENCE using the two choices (GridLayout
is not a .NET thing and we've had the ability to work with it for many years
now). What part of this don't you get?

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See above. Windows developers see GridLayout because iit is the default and
they don't know any better. Web developers know better. Any other former
Windows developer I've come across starts out liking Grid because it makes
them feel like they are working the same way as when they did Windows apps.
But, as soon as they begin to understand the unique UI issues that come up
in web development, they dump Grid and can see the value of Flow. There is
no "war" as you have said. In all honestly YOU are the only person I've
come across (and I have worked with thousands of former client developers)
that seems to want to fight about this.

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On what basis do you say that? What study have you seen? What statistics
are you quoting from? This has been your problem all along. You make these
"pronouncments" about why something is a certain way with no knowledge or
experience in what you are talking about. I wish you could hear how foolish
you sound spouting out these rediculous statements that are not based in
anything but your desire to have them be true.

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It's only divisive with you.

By the way, I'm just curious here. You say you are an ASP.NET MVP? How did
that happen when you have no practical experience in web development and
know very little about HTML?

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Alvin Bruney [MVP]
11/14/2004 2:46:59 PM
I do an annual talk on .NET at a local university so my experience comes
from interacting with this group. I cannot say with certainty that their
choice is due to the influence of a teacher or their personal preference, or
knowledge/lack of the feature. I wouldn't be willing to hazard a guess at
this point because I don't teach a class so I have no way of probing the
reasons for their decision.

--
Regards,
Alvin Bruney
[ASP.NET MVP http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx]
Got tidbits? Get it here... http://tinyurl.com/27cok
[quoted text, click to view]