[Building Sakai] "Full-Window" Helpers

[Noah Botimer]

I agree. This is what I had implemented with SimpleModal: full-screen  
mask and viewport centering.

Thanks,
-Noah

On Mar 20, 2009, at 12:25 PM, Steve Swinsburg wrote:

> One query I have regarding a full window mask for the modal window,  
> is that since the tool initiates it, where will the modal window be  
> positioned? Most position themselves in the horizontal (and  
> sometimes) vertical centre of the viewport that opened them.
>
> So modal windows from tools in an iframe sit in the centre of the  
> iframe with the rest of the iframe masked. This looks ok except the  
> rest of the screen is not masked, which is one issue. The other  
> issue is that a full screen mask will look odd with the modal  
> window sitting in the centre of the iframe as it will appear to the  
> right and below centre.
>
> So would the modal window be positioned in the absolute centre of  
> the screen, regardless of the tool iframe? If so, when it closes,  
> focus will need to return to the tool iframe.
>
> I think the solution needs to be a full screen mask with an  
> appropriately positioned modal window that works well with the tool  
> iframe, since it's off centre.
>
>
>
> cheers,
> Steve
>
> ---
> Steve Swinsburg
> Portal Systems Developer
> Centre for e-Science
> Lancaster University
> Lancaster
> LA1 4YT
>
> email: s.swinsburg at lancaster.ac.uk
> phone: +44 (0) 1524 594870
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 20 Mar 2009, at 16:14, Noah Botimer wrote:
>
>> I will have to check back through this thread later. I think there  
>> is value in solving both of these problems. My original thought  
>> was that a modal would be less-favored for this specific problem.  
>> But for this email...
>>
>> I've done this "escape the iframe" thing with SimpleModal. It was  
>> kind of a pain, but it worked pretty easily and well once built. I  
>> was just talking with Jim and Gonzalo here last week about this  
>> issue with respect to the jQuery UI Dialog (which is what I think  
>> should be in trunk, rather than jqModal -- watch the commit logs).  
>> This is something we really want to do and make easy and consistent.
>>
>> The last time I ran through the code, they didn't support a target  
>> container/document, but it may be implemented by now. I'll be  
>> checking into this issue sometime soon. If it's not there, I will  
>> hack it in and try to contribute it back to jQUI -- maybe with the  
>> help of some of our Fluid buddies, who are certainly better with  
>> JS than I am.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> -Noah
>>
>> On Mar 19, 2009, at 4:35 PM, Daniel McCallum wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not sure that quite does it b/c the modal's display area is  
>>> limited
>>> to the iframe. I suppose theoretically I could have a script in an
>>> iframe specify the content location for a modal container in the  
>>> parent
>>> frame and register trigger events with that container. I'm not a  
>>> js/css
>>> expert by any means, but it's not obvious to me how one pulls off  
>>> that
>>> trick. If you have code examples, I'd love to have a look. Or  
>>> perhaps
>>> I'm just missing something obvious in jqModal?
>>>
>>> Thanks again.
>>>
>>> - Dan
>>>
>>> Stephen Swinsburg wrote:
>>>> Hi Daniel,
>>>>
>>>> just implement a modal window with the contents of your helper. The
>>>> background gets a mask that renders it unclickable until the modal
>>>> window closes. If you have a web accessible path to you helper  
>>>> app then
>>>> you can supply the window with a URL to use as the contents.  
>>>> They will
>>>> also have an onClose handler that you can use to perform your
>>>> refresh/redirect. Many JS frameworks around can do this, but  
>>>> trunk is
>>>> now using jqModal, so you might be best using that one. Thickbox  
>>>> is also
>>>> great.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> cheers,
>>>> Steve
>>>>
>>>> ---
>>>> Steve Swinsburg
>>>> Portal Systems Developer
>>>> Centre for e-Science
>>>> Lancaster University
>>>> Lancaster
>>>> LA1 4YT
>>>>
>>>> email: s.swinsburg at lancaster.ac.uk  
>>>> <mailto:s.swinsburg at lancaster.ac.uk>
>>>> phone: +44 (0) 1524 594870
>>>>
>>>> On 19/03/2009, at 5:52 PM, Daniel McCallum wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a requirement to render a helper tool in what amounts to
>>>>> full-window mode. That is, the helper tool is launched in such  
>>>>> a way
>>>>> that it hides the portal's site and page navigation so that  
>>>>> only the
>>>>> helper's UI is clickable.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there a canonical way to meet such a requirement?
>>>>>
>>>>> This is Sakai 2.5.x. The tool launching the helper is rendered  
>>>>> in an
>>>>> iframe. Both the launching tool and helper tool are SpringMVC+JSP.
>>>>>
>>>>> Here's my idea...
>>>>>
>>>>> 1) Custom portal handler or markup which generates crippled portal
>>>>> chrome around the normal output (tool iframe) of /portal/page.
>>>>>
>>>>> 2) JS link in launching tool which directs the portal frame to
>>>>> /portal/[my-handler]/{pageId}?toolstate-{toolId}={toolState} where
>>>>> {toolState} triggers rendering of the helper.
>>>>>
>>>>> 3) On helper completion, redirect to value of  
>>>>> Tool.HELPER_DONE_URL as
>>>>> usual. That URL serves a response which fires a client-side  
>>>>> redirect of
>>>>> the portal frame to an uncrippled state with appropriate tool  
>>>>> state info
>>>>> ... e.g. a /portal/directtool/{toolstate} or
>>>>> /portal/site/{siteId}/{pageId}?{toolstate}
>>>>>
>>>>> All of this seems much more difficult to get right than simply  
>>>>> using
>>>>> "inline" helpers as usual or just popping out a separate  
>>>>> window. Am I
>>>>> missing a simpler option. Am I over-worried about seen or  
>>>>> unforeseen
>>>>> pitfalls?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Dan McCallum
>>>>> Unicon, Inc
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