Mdi???

[Joe Mamma]

why is everyone using MDI?

I thought MDI, while still available, is not a recommended/is archaic GUI paradigm.

 

[mutant]

I personally dont like MDI and never use it .

 

[Joe Mamma]

I personally dont like MDI and never use it .

Yeah. . . Neither do I.

I use the explorer paradigm

 

[Robby]

I rarely create WinForms lately and if I did I wouldnt use MDI either. It would be like using Frames in web apps. (Ok maybe not as bad)

 

[Derek Stone]

Theres generally nothing wrong with MDI. Its how it is implemented that matters.

 

[Diesel]

what is the explorer paradigm?

 

[Joe Mamma]

what is the explorer paradigm?

Windows explorer, SQL Enterprise manager, Windows Media player, Regedit, etc

TreeView on left -> details on right.
Never seen an MDI app that couldnt be more simply implemented this way.

 

[Nerseus]

How would you go about having multiple "child" windows open at once? As an example, it bothers me to no end that I cant view two procs at once in Enterprise Manager. How would you view two table structures at once?

-ner

 

[Joe Mamma]

how do you view two word docs at once? web pages? xl spread sheets?

 

[samsmithnz]

Actually Im developing a MDI app at the moment that has windows like that - with a tree view and then multiple frames, all within one child MDI form .

I think it works pretty well when you have multiple instances of forms open and you want to try and manage them.

 

[Arch4ngel]

Well its easy Joe Mamma. Open your 2 document (which are both in different window) and right click on the TaskBar and..... WOWWWWWW... you have the same menu than MDI Parent Window menu. You can tile and cascade all your window and even minimize them all.

Window has been built from MDI from a long time ago. Im not for MDI application. But I must admit that MDI have their use because theres time when you want to see 2 thing at a time.

What about mIRC ? If it wasnt MDI it wouldnt have been so great. MSN ? Well... every conversation are in a different window... and as you know, Windows is an MDI parent... so.... lol

 

[Diesel]

Joe Mammas question was rhetorical

 

[Arch4ngel]

Well... Im more practical than rhetorical.

 

[Nerseus]

Id be curious as to what spawned the question? Did you actually see something that said Mdi is not recommended, or just your personal opinion?

Id go either way - like most solutions, it has its place in certain situations.

-nerseus

 

[Arch4ngel]

Im with you because I know that MDI as their uses. If they hadnt... well... nobody would still use it. I just say that I dont link the MDI look and try to build good interface without them. But theirs time when you cant avoid MDI and that your interface will become simply not understandable so... MDI time. Well... maybe its because I didnt do too much of MDI that I dont like them.

Like someone said..... make me change my mind !

 

[Jay1b]

I love MDI interfaces, bring back good old winfile

 

[Divil]

Tabbed document and SDI interfaces seem to be more popular these days. In fact, in the new Avalon framework, there is no MDI mechanism at all.