Need Help W/ Dhtml Question

DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Dockable windows?</div>At work the boss wants us to develop a page w/ some stuff on it, and he wants said stuff to be drag-and-dock (similar to how the toolbar works in Office, how you can move it around but it 'snaps' to certain locations).

We were about to get off lucky cause none of us thought it was possible to do w/o doing a java applet or something, but then he found a page that does just this. Unfortunately I can't link it to you guys to show you exactly what I mean beause its a private site that requires login w/ our company info. Doh.

So now he wants me to come up w/ something similar, and I have absolutely no freaking idea how to do it. I know some of you here are into the creative side of web content rather than doing SQL queries all day, so I figured I'd ask here to see if anybody here had any inkling whatsoever of how this was done and hopefully get some direction of where to at least start to look for this stuff...

Thanks.
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Comments

  • Vulgar_MenaceVulgar_Menace Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22118Members
    try <a href='http://www.dynamicdrive.com' target='_blank'>here</a> they have some good stuff.
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  • NiteowlNiteowl Join Date: 2002-09-04 Member: 1274Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    two ways

    1) flash (possibly the simplest)
    2) dhtml using IE specific DOM. remember that site with all the spaceships from days of yore? and the proportions thereof? you could drag and drop those badboys. well, i think that uses DHTML.
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  • UnCriticalUnCritical Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 73Members, Constellation
    edited November 2003
    Can you not just view the sorce code of the example page he found and see if you can pick it apart?

    Edit - Or <a href='http://www.brothercake.com/scripts/dock.php' target='_blank'>here</a>
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  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    - Flash is out, as this data must be generated via mysql statements. and there's going to be about 200 items in a list
    - Anything IE only is out too, as being compatible on a variety of browsers is a very important ideal to the application & the company.

    I'll check out the sites linked though, thanks!
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  • MedHeadMedHead Join Date: 2002-12-19 Member: 11115Members, Constellation
    Here's something *close* to what you want. Just shows what DHTML can do.

    <a href='http://dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex8/dhtmlwindow.htm' target='_blank'>http://dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex8/dhtmlwindow.htm</a>
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  • ZeroByteZeroByte Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3057Members
    edited November 2003
    Doom, how do you want the window to dock? On the top, or what?

    Ehh here's a script I did... it only docks to the top and doesn't push the other stuff out of the way tho. Contact me on IRC or som'n if you need changes to it. Tested in Firebird and IE6 and Opera 7

    <a href='http://zerobyte.servebeer.com/m00/doom/dockbar.html' target='_blank'>http://zerobyte.servebeer.com/m00/doom/dockbar.html</a>
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  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    Well those look nice but they don't really dock at all anywhere...

    I'll ask at work today if there's a public example I can show you guys to show you exactly what we need...

    Thanks though! :D
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  • Supra_SoldierSupra_Soldier Join Date: 2003-02-02 Member: 12993Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Nov 26 2003, 08:40 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Nov 26 2003, 08:40 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well those look nice but they don't really dock at all anywhere...

    I'll ask at work today if there's a public example I can show you guys to show you exactly what we need...

    Thanks though! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Umm ZeroByte's docks in the upper left if you actually tried it...

    Is your boss paying you for this? Most people that design web pages make 200-1000 dollars a page depending on the design quality, make shure your not getting ripped off <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->.

    GL, I hope you find what your looking for.
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  • NiteowlNiteowl Join Date: 2002-09-04 Member: 1274Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    flash can talk to a DB backend, btw.
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  • TenSixTenSix Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7932Members
    You could always ask who did the page and then e-mail that person...
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  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    w00t, upon further inspection, I've found that <a href='http://www.brothercake.com/scripts/dock.php' target='_blank'>this</a> is exactly what I want! Thanks UnCritical!
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  • ScinetScinet Join Date: 2003-01-19 Member: 12489Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--DOOManiac+Nov 26 2003, 12:54 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Nov 26 2003, 12:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> w00t, upon further inspection, I've found that <a href='http://www.brothercake.com/scripts/dock.php' target='_blank'>this</a> is exactly what I want! Thanks UnCritical! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    That one didn't work on my Netscape 7.1. IE handled it OK, though.
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  • FamFam Diaper-Wearing Dog On A Ball Join Date: 2002-02-17 Member: 222Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Just a quick correction: Flash can certainly do mySQL based operations (and there are many different ways of doing it too), and it can sometimes do it more effectively than your typical X/HTML/PHP site, because it can save the data between 'pages' (or whatever you are using to display such data in Flash) rather than requesting a new recordset every time you go to a new page. It can also request the data with delays which, while increasing SQL statements and CPU load, can allow large recordsets to be loaded in in small batches, allowing the user to start browsing before all data has been recieved.

    [insert more Flash propaganda here <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> ]
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  • NiteowlNiteowl Join Date: 2002-09-04 Member: 1274Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    *looks askance at 'Macromedia Inside' tatoo on Fam's forehead*

    that's.. err... interesting..

    <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    yeah, just to back up what mr flashman said, some banks actually use a flash frontend since it's tougher to hack and/or get info about the backend system; compared to an applet or jsp/php/asp/cfm.
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  • FamFam Diaper-Wearing Dog On A Ball Join Date: 2002-02-17 Member: 222Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    I did a whole website using Flash and PHP remoting recently, take a look: <a href='http://www.brilliantlybirmingham.com' target='_blank'>http://www.brilliantlybirmingham.com</a>, where everything is database driven, the menus, the content, the map positions, even the images are loaded in dynamically from a reference in a database table. If its broken, its not my fault, was working fine when I handed it over to the people who had hired me. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Here is a Flash shoutbox I made recently using similar techniques: <a href='http://www.box7.co.uk/flash_apps/shoutbox/shoutbox.html' target='_blank'>Flash Shoutbox</a>.

    Then there is my other Flash work <a href='http://fam.deviantart.com/' target='_blank'>here</a>. And I'll stop taking over the thread now, but I just get angry when people insult Flash/Actionscript. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
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  • NiteowlNiteowl Join Date: 2002-09-04 Member: 1274Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    good god, that is some NICE actionscripting there fam, gj <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->

    especially like yer tower nodes and such.

    programming in actionscript was some of the funnest coding i've done
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  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    Well again, Flash simply just isn't an option.

    As it turns out, the page I thought had the answer earlier, didn't. So bleh. I actually spent all day long today at work just trying to figure this out (its quite high priority in the boss's eyes) and I'm still no further than where I started... :/
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  • ZeroByteZeroByte Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3057Members
    edited November 2003
    Prolly nobody else but DOOM needs to know this, but I'm such an attention ho' that I'll do it anyway!

    <a href='http://zerobyte.servebeer.com/m00/doom/dragndock/dragndock.html' target='_blank'>http://zerobyte.servebeer.com/m00/doom/dra.../dragndock.html</a>

    You can move the windows around the 3 columns... still needs a lot more work though. This is a very basic script. [nm, my bad]
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  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    Public Service Announcement time:

    OMG THAT ROCKS!!!!!!! :D

    That's like, EXACTLY what I need! :D :D :D :D

    /me humps ZeroByte's leg
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  • FamFam Diaper-Wearing Dog On A Ball Join Date: 2002-02-17 Member: 222Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    It causes a script error when you drag something to somewhere which is not dockable, but other than that, thats a very tasty script.
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  • GlissGliss Join Date: 2003-03-23 Member: 14800Members, Constellation, NS2 Map Tester
    Took you long enough, Doom, I figured it out the instant I saw it.
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  • TenSixTenSix Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7932Members
    So how much a percentage of your pay does Zero get now? <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->

    Flash isnt bad, its just very very abused. 90% of all Flash advertisments don't need to be in flash, they could get their point across just as well with a simple animated GIF. Most business sites don't need flash either. Don't even get me started on flash intros.

    Of course, if I had enough money to throw around to not care about spending $500-$1000 extra for a flash site, I would take the complete opposite stance and not give a damn.
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