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Comments: 10 | Views: 820
#Sep 11th @ 12:47 PM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
We all know that simple anchors/docks and Flow/Table Layout Panel don't suffices professional layout management need of Windows Forms. Taking cue from this need of any Winforms developer, Smart Components have released a powerful and easy layout manager for Winforms. It is named SmartLayouts. It contains 5 Controls with a Visual studio plugin.
It is powerful because you can create all types of Forms layout using this. It is easy because it is natural and unobtrusive. You don't need to change your normal flow of GUI designig.
So, Visit http://www.smart-components.com/ . to try the trial version.
It is also offering Special Discount offer of a few days. See the website for details.

#Sep 11th @ 2:06 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???

well first this is not the right place for this post, it should be in the coffeehouse.

second you should hire someone to proof-read your web site, several places the english reads wrong.

 

#Sep 11th @ 9:09 PM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
May I get to know where did you find mistakes?
Thanks.
#Sep 12th @ 7:17 AM
vesuvius
vesuvius
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.

SmartLayouts is a layout manager for Windows forms on the .Net platform to ease the design and development of GUI. It assists in arranging of various winforms GUI elements, and controls the behaviour of those elements when the form is resized or repositioned.

GUI designing is often an unnecessarily time-consuming and annoying part of software development. Arranging controls with pixel-based design tools proves to be a laborious task, and usually you still don't get what you desired. Even after that, you require manual coding for repositioning and resizing of controls for various resolutions. If you need to change your GUI in the long run, your work increases exponentially. Although .Net provides basic layout managers, but they are insufficient for any professional GUI development.

SmartLayouts fills the gap left by .Net platform. It uses a unique methodology and algorithm for almost all of your layout tasks. Unlike many similar solutions, it is natural and unobtrusive. It doesn't get in your way when designing your GUI . Your form design flow remains as previous, but you don't need to bother about pixel-perfect design. After that, adding SmartLayouts to your form is very easy. The result is resolution-independent, maintainable GUI within the least possible time.

*******************************************************

Some tips.

  1. Never start a sentence with the word "And".
  2. the Krypton Tool kit is free and you get the Office 2007 look and feel. For the money you are charging, you could get a Ribbon Control and Navigator and the New docking system out next week.







#Sep 13th @ 1:16 AM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
Thanks for help!
Do you think that SmartLayouts' value for programmers or efforts to make this components is less than Krypton Ribbon/Navigator ?
I came to know about Phil Wright through his blog and his MicroISV show.  I admire him for the effort he has put in.
However, there are so many competitiors of krypton product with almost similar result.

My product was made because I was frustrated with solutions available. I always stress "powerful" because similar solutions were not so, if easy. I also stress 'easy' because powerful layout system were also complex and more time-consuming.
People may have different perception and that is always okay.
#Sep 14th @ 5:20 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???
well to be honest I find that the windows panels, grid and docking work fine for 90% or more of all layouts.
in very few cases do I find them to now work as needed.
and given that you are offering one control.... it just does not seem worth it.

In my experience most developers who have layout problems just do not know how to use the layout tools they have already.

yes there are some cases where more can be done, but in the few cases I can handle the issues with a bit of tewaking and some custom code.
#Sep 15th @ 9:00 AM
vesuvius
vesuvius
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.
Completely right, I've never felt the need to use a layout manager, once you know how to use the traditional controls well. The important thing to take from this is, whether it is Krypton or DevExpress, they all offer a suite of controls not just the one which you are doing at the moment.

There is a similar start-up guy here, and he offers far much more than you do. I have the utmost respect for control developers because it is difficult, and unless you can offer a lot more than what is on code project, then you will find it difficult.

You need a suite of controls or better put, you need a toolbox with loads of different tools to help me create something. As it is you have just a screwdriver, and I need far much more than that.

Good Luck!
#Sep 15th @ 11:22 AM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
I know that many people are comfortable with whatever they are used to. However, there are also people(mostly in OSS community) who are comfortable with a text editor for programming instead of IDE. That doesn't diminish the value of Visual studio.

I have always used very good layout manager. When presented with solutions in .NET, I was frustrated with their primitive layout management. I was not ready to resort to programming for simply GUI management.

At the workplace, I found out that people were simply turning off resizing option in Form to get rid ot repositioning problem!
I think that if you just calculate the time, which you wasted in layout troubles, you would find them more valuable than 149$.
#Sep 15th @ 2:42 PM
figuerres
figuerres
???
I have done a ton of coding and forms. I used to run machines running Sun OS, Linux, Mac, the Amiga and others.

as for "At the workplace, I found out that people were simply turning off resizing option in Form to get rid ot repositioning problem!
"

so they did not know how to use the builtin layout tools. that does not mean they would have to manualy calculate the control locations and do lot's of work.

they just need to know how touse the tools they have.
Hey I am not saying you have not done some cool work to make it better....
but I am saying that often folks never take any time to really learn how to use the tools they have.


#Sep 17th @ 12:45 AM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
I want to clear a confusion, SmartLayouts is not just 1 control. It contains 5 Controls with a Visual studio plugin. It basically solves a purpose, layout management. It was not named "SmartLayouts Suite" unlike devexpress ones.

"The important thing to take from this is, whether it is Krypton or DevExpress, they all offer a suite of controls not just the one which you are doing at the moment. "

Both of them offers solution to One problem and sells them. Devexpress has a good competition to my product. Both of them produces Ribbon Controls. All of them has more than one control but presents just one solution.

Your are right about people not knowing how to use the in-built controls. In fact, I told them how to use it. Before emabrking upon SmartLayouts, I did understand the in-built solutions. But none of those in-built options are surrounding controls aware.
So my opinion was that we need something better. Hence SmartLayouts born.
"I used to run machines running Sun OS, Linux, Mac, the Amiga and others." May be you should experience once SkyOS, ReactOS and Syllable/Atheos Wink . They have really done marvellous job.


#Oct 7th @ 9:33 PM
vkhaitan
vkhaitan
Based upon feedbacks, the price has been reduced to 95$. With the economic recovery, prices will be changed back to original level.

Thanks.