&quot;Swing-type&quot; Controls for PHP

"Swing-type" Controls for PHP

stringman

Greetings all. I am wondering if there are any Swing-like tools available for PHP. I am looking for datagrids and buttons that look more streamlined and professional than the standard HTML form buttons. More of an application look and feel than a web page w/ HTML tables.

I've found a few, such as PHPGrid http://www.phpgrid.com/grid/, but I am a little weary of committing myself to a proprietary tool that may break from a future PHP release and I won't have access to funding to upgrade. Sio freeware may be better, at least lower risk.

Also, I am wondering what the technology is behind some of these web apps, like the Food Networks Recipe Box. Is this AJAX or Java?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ken

sneakyimp

Consider YUI.

NogDog

Since in a web app, the look and feel is controlled by the client, server-side PHP has no real effect on it other than supplying the data. Most likely anything you see on the web with a custom look to it will be either Flash or else JavaScript along with HTML, CSS, and images. Java applets are another option, but they seem to be largely supplanted by Flash. Either of them (Flash or Java) has the down-side of requiring that the user's browser has the the necessary plug-ins installed and enabled; plus they can have a negative impact on search engine optimization.

From the JavaScript side of things you might want to look at libraries such as Moo Tools for ways to enhance the user interface. However, while all that kind of stuff can range from cute to annoying to really useful, always remember that "content is king." You may look at a site once because it looks cool, but you'll only come back to it if it has content you are interested in.

stringman

Thanks to both of you. I believe what I am looking for is a JavaScript/AJAX Framework. I didn't know what it was called so Google wasn't helping. These both look promising.

Ken

amy_damnit

Take a "sexy" MS Excel spreadsheet and Save As HTML. Then go look at it. I bet it looks as good as the original.

If you think HTML (including Tables) cannot look professional then it was likely poorly designed.

I'm no expert, but if you have solid HTML, CSS, JavaScript and maybe AJAX skills, you should be able to do incredible things short of animated Flash movies.

Amy