Outlook Framework Example

Company time and expenses recording application

In common with many software development companies, Desynit has an application for recording time and expenses which has evolved over a number of years.  As is often the case, this application also serves as a real world testbed for development techniques and technologies.

The application is written in CA Plex and has been upgraded to make use of the YouEye Outlook framework pattern.  Originaly the application supported the management of one employee at a time.  With the addition of YouEye we were able to reuse existing application screens and assemble a workspace which facilitated the management of teams and the production of reports, all in a single desktop window.

My Team

The database structure of the application already supported team structures, but the previous version was never able to display team member's information without loging out and in again.  Using the workspace layout we were able to add an additional grid (standard Plex grid) as one of the menu panes.  It was then a simple process to wire up the events to change the timesheet display in the main window for the selected employee.

All Staff

Extending the team idea, it suited our way of working to provide visability to all employees for administrative users.  The All Staff view was added and secured by user, regular employees would not see the pane in their own instance of the application.

The timesheet window received further enhancement of a second tab allow navigation by week.  The timesheet window is now comprised of two child windows (native Plex), there was no need to change the timesheet entry function, only to send it an event when the week number was selected by the user.

Reports

A number of report prompt windows could be drawn together into the application menu and displayed within the workspace.  The report prompt screens did not require modification and were added to the workspace using the menu configuration utility.  The report availability is controlled using user security.

Setup

The setup configuration was divided into two subgroups, demonstrating the flexibly of the pattern and ActiveX control.  The YouEye setup group ties in the maintenance options for the operation of the pattern, including the menu which is modeled using a tree control.

Application Options

The maintenance functions for the application were incorporated into the framework without changes.  Access to the menu pane and the functions was secured by user.

Explorer Workspace Example

YouEye Demo Downloadable Application

This was the first framework shipped with the YouEye pattern library.  It offers a explorer style menu navigation and a tabbed document workspace. 

The sample application modeled a very simple order entry concept to demonstrate the ability to manage applications written using CA Plex. 

Document Setup

The tabbed display below is showing the documents configured for use within the application.  Each entry is a Plex generated program with additonal properties added to manage appearance and behaviour.

Dialog Windows

Windows do not have to be loaded within the workspace.  Windows can be displayed as with any MS Windows application.  The window can block the operation of the application until delt with or act as a floating window, all under the control of the pattern.