SDI vs. MDI

[srdiamond]

What are the advantages of an SDI interface? Except in that one respect, the features of UR are cutting edge. But Kinook chose to buck the trend toward tabbed interfaces. Of course it is easy enough to open another file simply by opening a copy of UR, but MDI comes into its own when applied to infoitems, not to files.

These days the outline-based pims that provide for a tabbed interface for infoitems are: TexNotes and TexNotes Pro http://www.gemx.com), InfoRecall (http://www.phantech.com), WhizFolders Organizer Pro, and HyperClip (http://www.risksoftworks.com). So it might be significant that the three that are arguably the most technically advanced, UR, Idea!, and MyInfo stick with a single document interface when applied to items (MyInfo3 allows opening multiple files in tabs). So maybe there's good reason for sticking to SDI that I am unaware of.

Stephen Diamond

[kevina]

We made a decision to support the SDI interface because we felt it was best suited for the Ultra Recall application, and best modeled the way Ultra Recall was designed. We did carefully consider both designs, but ultimately chose SDI.

We also agree that allowing multiple tabs (for different Info Items) within an Ultra Recall instance could be a benefit, and we have this capability on our future enhancements list.

The reasons that complicate providing a "tabbed" interface in Ultra Recall include:
1) The extensive undo/redo capability provided
2) Go Forward/Go Back navigation
3) The numerous related Panes in the Ultra Recall application
4) Truncating of titles for each tabbed Info Item might limit the usefulness of the interface change.
Etc...

[Viggo]

Greetings,

Any chance for reconsidering Tabbed MDI ?

I think Tabbed MDI is much more userfriendly, where one can very easily Ctrl-Tab between several open databases, and also arrange to see more than one open databases at the same time. I understand that MDI may add more challenges to the programmings with threading etc., but I would consider it well worth it.

Regards
-Viggo.

[cnewtonne]

Srdiamond ,
What does InfoRecall use for its data storage? Also, what options do you have capturing content from browsers?

Thank you

[kinook]

Originally posted by Viggo
Any chance for reconsidering Tabbed MDI ?

I think Tabbed MDI is much more userfriendly, where one can very easily Ctrl-Tab between several open databases, and also arrange to see more than one open databases at the same time. I understand that MDI may add more challenges to the programmings with threading etc., but I would consider it well worth it.

You can assign Ctrl+Tab to Window | Next Database to use that shortcut to switch between multiple databases instead of tabs within a database (Tools | Customize | Keyboard).

You can see more than one database at the same time by setting 'Tools | Options | General | Windows taskbar entries' to 'Always one for each open database', restarting UR, then positioning each database window as desired.

[Ivan]

Can a search be conducted across multiple open datafiles under the current interface?

[kinook]

No.

[Ivan]

I think that is the strongest argument for a tabbed MDI interface. The ability the load up all the data files and run one search on all is a great convenience.

[kinook]

You can achieve that by using a single database, opening multiple tabs in the database, and hoisting the tabs to different items. Searches can be done on the whole database.

[Ivan]

If I put everything I need to keep track of in one database that would solve the problem of multiple searches, but wouldn't ur slow down noticably as the size of the data gets really large?

[kinook]

Probably not, as long as the db size is not gigantic (like 300MB to 400MB or less).
http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthread.php?threadid=709
http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthread.php?threadid=731

[Ivan]

Could you add the option to open all the databases that were open when you last closed ur?

[kinook]

It does by default, as long as you exit (File | Exit) with the desired databases open.

[Ivan]

Yes - thanks for that - works great.

[Ivan]

Also if you open the database toolbar you have something that looks a lot like a tabbed interface.