How do you apply ExtJS?

[mschwartz]

Just curious about how people are using ExtJS.

For the most part, I've done a lot of desktop or viewport style ExtJS - basically web apps. But you can renderTo markup and use ExtJS on web pages that scroll as well.

[jay@moduscreate.com]

Ugh, desktop style apps are wasteful.


Eh... I can't speak because i'm working on an OS X style dekstop :)

[Animal]

The desktop is a whizzy show of what Ext can do, but it's too general purpose for an application to be used by donkeys (even if it is written by lions)

[mschwartz]

Seems like a lot of people have tried to make general purpose web desktop sites and they don't fare well with the public. I wonder if a specific application that really makes use of the desktop would fare better?

By general purpose, I mean desktop style apps such as e-mail client and news reader and that sort of thing. Why duplicate what the real desktop does?

By specific application, I mean something like a message board. The icons would be: UserCP, FAQ, specific forums (help, open discussion), etc.

[jay@moduscreate.com]

The "WebTop" can be successful if done right and used for the right purpose. There is one character, "FeyaSoft" that uses the Ext WebTop as his business page, which i think is just foolish.


Once DOM manipulation can get noticeably faster, the webtop will not penetrate the web applicatoin space.

[joeri]

The desktop is a good compromise when mixing a lot of unrelated applications. In a web app suite, usually there are clear relationships between the apps, so you can make a more sensible layout than just randomly placed windows that the user has to arrange themselves.

Besides, even on the desktop most users just maximize all their windows and use the task bar as a tab control. It makes a lot of sense to just show a panel and embed new (closable, reorderable) tabs in that as necessary.

[harley.333]

I'm using ExtJS to write "desktop-style" applications. I'm not re-inventing the desktop (there's no start button or any of that crap). But these applications use the entire Viewport, they don't post-back (ever), and they look like desktop applications.

In other words, there are no data "tables" (like traditional web-sites); there are only data "grids" (like traditional desktop-apps).

So, what category do these type of apps fall into? :)

[jay@moduscreate.com]

Harley, most apps that have UIs entirely managed by Ext are written with the viewport as the base UI container. I would not classify as a webtop,etc. I would say you have a 'workspace'

[MikeB]

Well I have a client that I am using a variation on the "Desktop" sample as their "Portal" environment.

It starts out looking like the standard "Desktop" example (skinned to the client's own requirements) with custom icons on the desktop as well as additional applications accessible via the "Start" button.

The "Desktop" is actually a front end to a SharePoint environment. The client found SharePoint too cumbersome to use and wanted something simple, so I showed them the desktop sample in Ext and they loved it said that's just what they wanted so I took that and ran with it. Each "application" within the desktop is merely another SharePoint site that I did a set of custom RESTful web services to allow Ext components to call to retrieve the data to render in individual windows within the desktop.

I had thought of using the Ext Portal example at first but when they liked the ease of the desktop sample (when I demonstrated the example, including the "Start" button they replied "Hey that looks just like Windows! It's perfect"), I decided to just go with what already worked.

Mike B

[Animal]

I suppose it depends on the core audience for your app. Data entry clerks, or accountants will use different interfaces.

[deanna]

My main project is based on the desktop design. I'm building a site for gaming guilds and a gamer social network. It lends itself well to the desktop metaphor. I started with the sample code as an example, but very little of that ended up in the actual application - I still have a tad of it in the taskbar. I added action/acl's , fisheye toolbar, wizards and lots of gaming guild specific stuff.

[mschwartz]

I'm using ExtJS to write "desktop-style" applications. I'm not re-inventing the desktop (there's no start button or any of that crap). But these applications use the entire Viewport, they don't post-back (ever), and they look like desktop applications.

In other words, there are no data "tables" (like traditional web-sites); there are only data "grids" (like traditional desktop-apps).

So, what category do these type of apps fall into? :)


Harley, most apps that have UIs entirely managed by Ext are written with the viewport as the base UI container. I would not classify as a webtop,etc. I would say you have a 'workspace'

That would be a vote for the viewport style application.

My thinking is there are three basic styles of apps with ExtJS. One is a standard scrolling kind of WWW page like the demos with Ext components sprinkled about. Another is viewport style, which looks like an application in the browser. The third is desktop, which the browser is the desktop and you have start menu, icons, use Ext Windows and that sort of thing.

(for clarification purposes)

[BenJaminPrater]

I'm doing cross-platform AIR apps. So I'm desktop development. No ExtJS web stuff, yet.

[BenJaminPrater]

I'm doing cross-platform AIR apps. So I'm desktop development. No web stuff, yet.

[jay@moduscreate.com]

That would be a vote for the viewport style application.

My thinking is there are three basic styles of apps with ExtJS. One is a standard scrolling kind of WWW page like the demos with Ext components sprinkled about. Another is viewport style, which looks like an application in the browser. The third is desktop, which the browser is the desktop and you have start menu, icons, use Ext Windows and that sort of thing.

(for clarification purposes)

to be honest, i'm using the viewport for my "OSExt (http://tdg-i.com/61/os-ext-dock-animation-demo)" webtop tool.
http://tdg-i.com/img/screencasts/2009-01-19_2209.png (http://tdg-i.com/61/os-ext-dock-animation-demo)

[churcho]

Hi Folks,
What in your own view is the best way to go with extJs? Desktop? Web? Which field is it best employed, I don't want to go for an overkill, just want to do it right.

Any guidance will be highly appreciated.

[Animal]

As I said above, I think it depends on the sophistication of your main user base.

For high powered, or creative users, a desktop might offer them the flexibility they demand.

For data entry drones, a menu-driven application in an easily understandable layout would be better.