Application page for GBC

The application interface consists of a main container, a sidebar, a window list, and a chromebar.

Figure: GBC application page


Main container

The main container displays the application. It may contain topmenus, toolbars, forms, and action panels.

Figure: GBC main container


Sidebar

The sidebar lists all applications that are open and active. For example, if an application is launched using a "RUN command WITHOUT WAITING" instruction, both the calling and called applications are simultaneously active, and both appear in the sidebar.

If only one application is active, the sidebar does not display.

Switch between active applications by selecting from the application list. The selected application displays in the main container. When you close an application, it is removed from the application list.

You can use the arrow at the bottom of the sidebar to expand it to its maximum width, or contract it to its default width.

On mobile devices, the sidebar is not visible by default. It can be accessed from the icon located next to the window name in the title bar.

Topmenu

If an application has a topmenu, the default rendering is based on the front-end in use:
  • In desktop browsers and in desktop front-ends, a topmenu uses classic rendering and always appears on the top of the window.
  • In mobile browsers and in mobile front-ends, a topmenu uses the sidebar rendering and is displayed on the left of the window, when you click the hamburger icon.

You can override these defaults using the Genero presentation style (.4st) attributes topmenuDesktopRendering and topmenuMobileRendering. For more information, refer to the Topmenus section in the Genero Business Development Language User Guide.

Window list

The window list is a drop-down menu containing all open windows. Switch between windows by clicking on the window list and selecting from the menu. The selected window displays in the main container.

If the selected window is inactive, the window list displays an arrow. Click on this arrow to return to the active window.

If only one window is open, the window list menu is not active.

Figure: Window list


A new window will open and be added to the window list if your code includes:
  • An "OPEN WINDOW" instruction.
  • A "RUN command" instruction that launches an application with an OPEN WINDOW instruction, but that does not specify the "WITHOUT WAITING" clause.

For further information about the RUN and OPEN WINDOW commands, see RUN and OPEN WINDOW in the Genero Business Development Language User Guide.

Chromebar

The chromebar displays icons for selecting windows, changing settings, viewing status, debugging the application, and closing the application.

Important:

For applications using GDC-UR, the chromebar does not contain the settings and debug icons, as settings and debugging are solely controlled by the GDC monitor. Please refer to the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for details about settings and debugging with the Genero Desktop Client.

Figure: Chromebar default icons


The icons you see on the chromebar will depend on your current mode and customization. By default:

  • In normal mode, the chromebar displays the Settings and Close icons.
  • If a file is being uploaded, the chromebar also displays the Upload status icon.
  • If the GBC is waiting for a response from the server, a progress bar displays above the chromebar, indicating the Runtime status.
  • In debug mode, the chromebar also displays the [Debug] AUI Tree icon. For more information, see Debugging.

You can modify these defaults by customizing the chromebar.

Hovering your mouse over the icons shows text that describe their function.

Settings
Opens the GBC Settings dialog.
Figure: Settings dialog in debug mode


The settings dialog allows you to specify:
  • GBC version - displays information about the build and version number of the GBC. When in debug mode , information is given about the runtime (FGL) version, the GAS (if available), and the platform (browser, GDC, GMA, or GMI).
  • Interface language - The language for GBC messages. This setting is independent from (and does not affect) the localization of the application.
  • Interface theme - The theme currently used by the existing application. Changing the theme immediately changes the look-and-feel of the application.
  • Stored Settings - settings that save user modifications to the user interface.
    • If the Enable Stored Settings checkbox is selected, your modifications are stored and used the next time you launch the GBC.
    • If Enable Stored Settings is cleared, the GBC uses the default values.
    If you run processes that clear out the local browser cache, it is not recommended to remove the information in these Local Storage keys:
    • history_gwcJS stores a list of apps run recently by the GBC in the current browser, to include the name, description, URL, and so on of the apps.
    • storedSettings_gwcJS stores the global settings of GBC such as (but not limited to) default theme, debug levels, and so on.
    • storedSettingsLayout_gwcJS stores Genero application settings such as (but not limited to) table column configuration (order, show/hide, sort order, and so on).
  • Debug & QA (Only available in debug mode)
    • The Typeahead duration is used to simulate a slow network and force the typeahead mechanism to be triggered. The default is 5ms, meaning the layout request would be delayed for 5ms. It could be less, but the difference might not be visible or relevant. Typeahead cannot be disabled.
    • Log level.
    • Log types
Upload status
Indicates that a file is being uploaded into your application. This displays first as an icon and then as a percentage. When all files are uploaded, the upload status disappears from the chromebar. If the upload is fast, you may never see the upload status. To change the icon, see Change file loading icon. To center the icon and percentage on the screen, see Center file loading icon.
Runtime status
Displays a progress bar that indicates the GBC is waiting for a response from the server.
Tip:

You can see this progress bar in the GWC demo directory. Navigate to User Interface > UI Basics > Widgets and doubleclick the ProgressBar application.

By default, this progress bar displays at the top of the screen. To display instead a spinning circle in the center of the screen, see Change progress indicator.
Close window
Closes the selected application. Upon closing, you are taken to the next open application in the sidebar. If there are no more applications in the sidebar, the GBC displays the application ended page.
Note:

The Close window icon may not be shown while an application is expecting user input or other action.

Tip: Closing application DVMs

We recommend that you always use the Close window action to exit applications. Avoid closing the browser tab to stop applications as application DVMs may stay running on your server until sessions time out. The close action ensures that application DVMs are properly stopped on the server side.