Main Form (launching pad)

As expected, the visual design of a traditional "desktop" form exposing the main services of an application is different to the latest touch-enabled user interfaces. The first design assumes the use of a high precision device, a mouse, instead of a fat finger which is the usual "device" for the second. It is also common in old-school user interfaces to access services through the "main menu".

Both user interfaces will give access to the same services, and a good implementation should keep the differences in the user interface code, sharing the same business logic.

Desktop Main Form

dMainForm

unit Main;

interface

uses
  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics,
  Controls, Forms, Dialogs, uniGUITypes, uniGUIAbstractClasses,
  uniGUIClasses, uniGUIRegClasses, uniGUIForm, uniGUIBaseClasses, uniLabel,
  uniButton, uniToolBar, uniBitBtn, Vcl.Menus, uniMainMenu;

type
  TMainForm = class(TUniForm)
    UniToolBar1: TUniToolBar;
    btnEditUsers: TUniToolButton;
    btnEditOrders: TUniToolButton;
    btnReportSales: TUniToolButton;
    UniMainMenu1: TUniMainMenu;
    Main1: TUniMenuItem;
    Exit1: TUniMenuItem;
    Administration1: TUniMenuItem;
    EditUsers1: TUniMenuItem;
    Operations1: TUniMenuItem;
    EditOrders1: TUniMenuItem;
    Reports1: TUniMenuItem;
    ReportSales1: TUniMenuItem;
    Logoff1: TUniMenuItem;
    procedure Exit1Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure Logoff1Click(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
  end;

function MainForm: TMainForm;

implementation

{$R *.dfm}

uses
  uniGUIVars, MainModule, uniGUIApplication;

function MainForm: TMainForm;
begin
  Result := TMainForm(UniMainModule.GetFormInstance(TMainForm));
end;

procedure TMainForm.Exit1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  ModalResult := mrCancel;
end;

procedure TMainForm.Logoff1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  ModalResult := mrOk;
end;

initialization
  RegisterAppFormClass(TMainForm);
end.

There are just two lines of code in this form which are redundant, showing the difference between logoff and closing the session. Except for these two optional lines of code, the only link between this form and the MainModule is the link between menu items and toolbar buttons to actions.

The visual design is exposed in its structure:

dMainFormStructure

Touch Main Form

mMainForm

unit Mainm;

interface

uses
  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics,
  Controls, Forms, Dialogs, uniGUITypes, uniGUIAbstractClasses,
  uniGUIClasses, uniGUIRegClasses, uniGUIForm, uniGUImForm, uniGUIBaseClasses,
  uniLabel, unimLabel, uniButton, unimButton, uniToolBar, unimToolbar,
  uniBitBtn, unimBitBtn, uniGUImJSForm, unimPanel, unimMenu;

type
  TMainmForm = class(TUnimForm)
    btnEditUsers: TUnimBitBtn;
    btnEditOrders: TUnimBitBtn;
    UnimContainerPanel1: TUnimContainerPanel;
    btnReportSales: TUnimBitBtn;
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
  end;

function MainmForm: TMainmForm;

implementation

{$R *.dfm}

uses
  uniGUIVars, MainModule, uniGUIApplication;

function MainmForm: TMainmForm;
begin
  Result := TMainmForm(UniMainModule.GetFormInstance(TMainmForm));
end;

initialization
  RegisterAppFormClass(TMainmForm);
end.

The only difference between this code and the previous code is the absence of the main menu.

The structure is also similar.

mMainFormStructure