Creating Tabbed Content on Android
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:28 pm
I've read what I can find on this topic, and this is what I believe I've found. I'm looking for verification/correction on this:
The basic issue is the need to create a panel of content on the screen of the phone which
a) Displays a different set of controls to the user depending on which tab is selected
b) Allows the user to change tabs
c) Ensures that the state of tabs is preserved between tabs (i.e. the user is working on Tab A, can change to Tab B, then come back to Tab A to continue working)
Here is what I think I understand about this:
The Tabbed Panel
1) That the "tabbed panel" control is not really a panel, and cannot contain other objects.
2) It is really only a simple outline object with push buttons, over which other content can be displayed
3) Cannot be reskinned for Mobile devices
4) Does not provide any built in support to actually change the tabs, the tabbing functionality must be emulated with "Hide" and "Show" commands
The Substack
1) The substack feature works on Android
2) Does not work well for a smaller-sized substack, as one would like to see in a tabbed application, it leaves the underlying objects partially exposed, partially covered, and non-functional
3) Cannot be resized (true or false?)
The Card
1) Covers the entire screen, and cannot be used for a smaller panel (true or false?)
A Group
1) Contains multiple objects
2) Can be scripted (True/False?)
3) Can be hidden or shown
4) Retains it's state when hidden, so when it is shown again it is in the same state as when it was hidden (true/false?)
My Summary
Substacks do not work well for Android
Cards are not suitable for panel type functionality
The "Tabbed Panel" does not provide tabbing OR panel functionality
Groups is the best/only way to provide this kind of functionality.
The basic issue is the need to create a panel of content on the screen of the phone which
a) Displays a different set of controls to the user depending on which tab is selected
b) Allows the user to change tabs
c) Ensures that the state of tabs is preserved between tabs (i.e. the user is working on Tab A, can change to Tab B, then come back to Tab A to continue working)
Here is what I think I understand about this:
The Tabbed Panel
1) That the "tabbed panel" control is not really a panel, and cannot contain other objects.
2) It is really only a simple outline object with push buttons, over which other content can be displayed
3) Cannot be reskinned for Mobile devices
4) Does not provide any built in support to actually change the tabs, the tabbing functionality must be emulated with "Hide" and "Show" commands
The Substack
1) The substack feature works on Android
2) Does not work well for a smaller-sized substack, as one would like to see in a tabbed application, it leaves the underlying objects partially exposed, partially covered, and non-functional
3) Cannot be resized (true or false?)
The Card
1) Covers the entire screen, and cannot be used for a smaller panel (true or false?)
A Group
1) Contains multiple objects
2) Can be scripted (True/False?)
3) Can be hidden or shown
4) Retains it's state when hidden, so when it is shown again it is in the same state as when it was hidden (true/false?)
My Summary
Substacks do not work well for Android
Cards are not suitable for panel type functionality
The "Tabbed Panel" does not provide tabbing OR panel functionality
Groups is the best/only way to provide this kind of functionality.