slow interface

[Olivier Zimmermann]

Hi,

I have tried a few user interfaces featuring tab controls with either
numerous terminals or large clustered structures in it. These interfaces
seem to considerably slow the whole processing.

Can anybody explain the mechanisms behind this behavior, and suggest
solutions (alternative data storage or display solutions, rules of
thumb, terminal disable options, tab control good practices.....) ?


Merci - oz

[mikeporter]

Basically, the issue gets down to good interface design practices.
Very complex, graphicaly busy displays will take longer to open and
update--that's just the way the world works. You have to resist the
temptation to designing what I call a "wall o' numbers" interface.

Logically group values that go together and place those logical
groupings on different pages. This is where being in conversation with
the software's eventual end users will be of great help. Sometimes
things that seem logical to us come-out horrible for the users. Avoid
complex, busy interfaces and your users will love you -- and not just
because the code runs faster.

Mike...

[Greg_McKaskle2]

> I have tried a few user interfaces featuring tab controls with either
> numerous terminals or large clustered structures in it. These interfaces
> seem to considerably slow the whole processing.
>
> Can anybody explain the mechanisms behind this behavior, and suggest
> solutions (alternative data storage or display solutions, rules of
> thumb, terminal disable options, tab control good practices.....) ?
>

I suspect the problem is that the controls are frequently being redrawn
due to property changes or value changes. Parts of the tab control have
to be redrawn when certain objects inside of it have to redraw.

By surrounding the sections of code that update lots of properties with
Defer Panel Updates properties, you can typically amortize the redraw
ing
and speed it up quite a bit.

It is also the case that the style of control placed in the tab has lots
of affect as does overlapping and transparency. You might want to
experiment a bit and see ow that helps.

Greg McKaskle