simulating MDI in ASP.NET

The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
WinForms only as a last resort.

One of the departments has specified that they need to have
multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.

Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?

Thanks!
TimoIn ASP.NET your code is rendered by a web browser. I don't thing there is a
browser that implements MDI. What you should rather do is to open customer
records in a separate browser window. You can achieve it on client side
using JavaScript call window.open (...).

Eliyahu

"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
news:MPG.1af58ec65cfeb1499896ef@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
> above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
> this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
> WinForms only as a last resort.
> One of the departments has specified that they need to have
> multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
> windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
> call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
> and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.
> Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?
> Thanks!
> Timo
Hi Eliyahu,
Thanks for the reply. Window.open with javascript can certainly
open multiple windows, but I was thinking perhaps there was a
custom control that simulated MDI using multiple panes inside a
single webform or something like that. I was also hoping it might
be possible to get the panes to move around the screen using drag-
drop if such a control implemented CSOM (which is beyond my
programming experience) or to have one of these pseudo-forms
superimposed upon another using z-index. BTW, this would not have
to be a cross-browser solution; we're using IE6.
Timo

In article <#2UqfPtKEHA.2624@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl>,
removemeegoldin@.monarchmed.com writes...
>In ASP.NET your code is rendered by a web browser. I don't thing there is a
>browser that implements MDI. What you should rather do is to open customer
>records in a separate browser window. You can achieve it on client side
>using JavaScript call window.open (...).
>Eliyahu
>"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
>news:MPG.1af58ec65cfeb1499896ef@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
>> The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
>> above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
>> this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
>> WinForms only as a last resort.
>>
>> One of the departments has specified that they need to have
>> multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
>> windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
>> call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
>> and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.
>>
>> Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Timo
>>
>>
>>
>
You might be able to do this with IFrames. I suspect, however, that to
achieve the results you really want will require a bit of DHTML coding.

"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
news:MPG.1af58ec65cfeb1499896ef@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
> above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
> this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
> WinForms only as a last resort.
> One of the departments has specified that they need to have
> multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
> windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
> call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
> and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.
> Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?
> Thanks!
> Timo
Web-based applications have their own GUI culture, it is not a good idea to
make a web application look and feel exactly as a Windows one. I remember
early 90s when Windows started taking over MS-DOS. Imagine a Windows program
that would look exactly as MS-DOS one.

Eliyahu

"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
news:MPG.1af5b551d33a800a9896f0@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> Hi Eliyahu,
> Thanks for the reply. Window.open with javascript can certainly
> open multiple windows, but I was thinking perhaps there was a
> custom control that simulated MDI using multiple panes inside a
> single webform or something like that. I was also hoping it might
> be possible to get the panes to move around the screen using drag-
> drop if such a control implemented CSOM (which is beyond my
> programming experience) or to have one of these pseudo-forms
> superimposed upon another using z-index. BTW, this would not have
> to be a cross-browser solution; we're using IE6.
> Timo
>
> In article <#2UqfPtKEHA.2624@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl>,
> removemeegoldin@.monarchmed.com writes...
> >In ASP.NET your code is rendered by a web browser. I don't thing there is
a
> >browser that implements MDI. What you should rather do is to open
customer
> >records in a separate browser window. You can achieve it on client side
> >using JavaScript call window.open (...).
> >Eliyahu
> >"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
> >news:MPG.1af58ec65cfeb1499896ef@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> >> The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
> >> above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
> >> this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
> >> WinForms only as a last resort.
> >>
> >> One of the departments has specified that they need to have
> >> multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
> >> windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
> >> call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
> >> and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.
> >>
> >> Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >> Timo
> >>
> >>
> >
Using Framesets is similar to MDI in some respects (although you should know
that Frames need to be used in moderation).
Obviously that won't give you the movability, but then you might want to
reconsider whether that would provide the best user experience anyway.
Many people would find it confusing/annoying.

"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
news:MPG.1af5b551d33a800a9896f0@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> Hi Eliyahu,
> Thanks for the reply. Window.open with javascript can certainly
> open multiple windows, but I was thinking perhaps there was a
> custom control that simulated MDI using multiple panes inside a
> single webform or something like that. I was also hoping it might
> be possible to get the panes to move around the screen using drag-
> drop if such a control implemented CSOM (which is beyond my
> programming experience) or to have one of these pseudo-forms
> superimposed upon another using z-index. BTW, this would not have
> to be a cross-browser solution; we're using IE6.
> Timo
>
> In article <#2UqfPtKEHA.2624@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl>,
> removemeegoldin@.monarchmed.com writes...
> >In ASP.NET your code is rendered by a web browser. I don't thing there is
a
> >browser that implements MDI. What you should rather do is to open
customer
> >records in a separate browser window. You can achieve it on client side
> >using JavaScript call window.open (...).
> >Eliyahu
> >"Timo" <timo@.noneofyer.biz> wrote in message
> >news:MPG.1af58ec65cfeb1499896ef@.msnews.microsoft.c om...
> >> The IT Manager where I'm working prizes "no touch" deployment
> >> above all else. The instructions I've been given are basically
> >> this: if it's possible in ASP.NET, write it in ASP.NET; use
> >> WinForms only as a last resort.
> >>
> >> One of the departments has specified that they need to have
> >> multiple Customer records open at the same time, in different
> >> windows. If they're handling a call from CustomerA and another
> >> call comes in from CustomerB, they need to put CustomerA on hold
> >> and open CustomerB's record, etc etc.
> >>
> >> Any suggestions for simulating MDI in ASP.NET?
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >> Timo
> >>
> >>
> >
Timo,

First, I would ask around to see if Citrix is in house.
I'm in a similar situation concerning the deploymnet issue,
and to me it often makes more sense to put complex window apps on a
server rather than try to replace them with browser apps.

On the other hand, one possible take on your problem would be to create
a User Control to hold the customer info, and
set up a page where you could hold multiple copies (hopefully not too
many) of this control. Then you could populate them and make them
visible as you worked with the customers. If they're on the same page
you could toggle the visibility of each control without losing the info.

Jim

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