[izpack-devel] Multi-Panel Panels

[Klaus Bartz]

Hi Hal,

Am 08.01.2006, 21:04 Uhr, schrieb Hal Vaughan <hal at thresholddigital.com>:

> I have an idea for a panel that would search for specified versions of an
> application and report if it is on a computer or not.  In my case, this  
> would
> help because my application needs OpenOffice 2.x.  If it is on the  
> computer,
> I need the path to it, if it isn't, I need to know where I can install  
> it.
>
> This would require multiple steps:
>
> 1) Ask end user if app is present
> 2) Search (if needed) to see if it is present and create list of  
> locations of
> different versions or instances

Or look (on windows) into the registry. There are all regular installed
version registered. For Unix you can do an other way, may be search the
common dirs for applications.

> 3a) If app is present, ask end user which instance or version to use

Do not forget to implement a range mimik (like in JDKPathPanel), or is your
application able to use any version of OpenOffice ?.

> OR
> 3b) If app is not present, ask end user where it can be installed.
>
> I've noticed most panels are simple, like many installers.  This keeps  
> things
> easy for the end user, allows for uncluttered panels (that are less
> confusing), and also takes into account that different languages and
> translations may require different amounts of space.
>
> To do what I want to do would require either a cluttered panel where the  
> lower
> portions would change according to input on the upper sections or several
> different panels (some that would appear under some conditions, others  
> under
> other conditions).
>
> Is here any problem with a "panel" that needs to have 3-4 panels in a  
> row?  In
> the Panels section of the install.xml file it might look like this:
>
> <panel classname="ApplicationFinderPanel" stage="1"/>
> <panel classname="ApplicationFinderPanel" stage="2"/>
> <panel classname="ApplicationFinderPanel" stage="3"/>
> <panel classname="ApplicationFinderPanel" stage="4"/>
>

You know the problem with additional attributes in the <panel> element of
install.xml. Why not use four different panels? May be one with the base
outfit and three or four only with the additional different layout.
In IzPack there is only one panel which can exist in more than one stages,
the UserInputPanel.
Look into UserInputPanel. Would you write a secound one?
It is a little bit complex. What is better, four simple hard coded panels  
or one
really complex panel for which the most questions on this mailing list  
will be come.

> Of course they would have to always be listed in order, but I think it is
> better to put requirements on the developer to set it up correctly than  
> on
> the end user to keep track of what is going on.
>
> Would such a setup be acceptable?
>
> Hal
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>

Cheers

Klaus