Comments on Dan McGhan's Oracle Blog: Tabs – Could they be easier???

Dan, I totally agree with your statement that tab...

2010-02-03T08:04:05.360-05:00

Dan,

I totally agree with your statement that tabs are confusing to implement and maintain. When I add a new tab to an existing app, I'm still not 100% sure it'll show up on all the pages I expect it to. I try not to use 2-level tabs, as they give me fits. Instead I've used single-level tabs and a List component to show general links (Logout, Help, etc).

I wish they could rewrite the front-end for this feature to make it more like what you're suggesting. I'd also like to see the Create Application identify how many tabs levels each page template supports, when you select that. I once chose a template that only supported one tab level, and had no clue why my parent tabs weren't showing. It took ages to figure out the problem!

Dan, really like your post and your analysis of th...

2010-01-18T08:26:46.607-05:00

Dan, really like your post and your analysis of the tab situation in Apex.

It would seem that this whole situation is sufficiently abstracted at the application development and rendering levels that Oracle could change the underlying database objects that support tabs pretty readily. It's seems like it would just be a matter of committing the time to do it.

There are clearly some quirks and inconsistencies with the implementation of tabs that need to be cleaned up. Guess we're gonna have to wait for 4.something since it's not there in 4.0.

Interesting post. Yes, tabs are confusing! When I...

2010-01-05T16:50:25.346-05:00

Interesting post.
Yes, tabs are confusing!

When I give APEX trainings and the group wants to learn about ways to implement menus using the tabs, I have to take special care in my explanations.

Work has to be done for sure.
Personally, I would focus more on the new plugins.

I don't think jQuery UI Tabs are the solution because they are not meant to be used in the same context. (Application menu VS Page menu)
APEX 4.0 EA1 Plugins jQuery UI Tabs

Hi Dan, I totally agree with your comment. Person...

2010-01-03T13:38:12.778-05:00

Hi Dan,

I totally agree with your comment. Personally, I'm more a fan of lists being displayed as tabs. The original "tabs" in APEX are still usefull when it comes to simple apps where the number of menu options are few.

Dan, I agree tabs in APEX can be improved. (1) I&...

2010-01-01T22:43:11.205-05:00

Dan,
I agree tabs in APEX can be improved. (1) I've never used 2-level tabs in production as I find them buggy to work with.
(2) I use one level tabs often. One place I see 1-level tabs falling short is you cannot link to other apex application and page. All links from tabs are to pages within the current application.
(3) Another wish list for apex tabs would be to have region tabs. Having region tabs would enhance the UI and the usefulness of partial page rendering...

@Morten - I hadn't event considered those that...

2009-12-30T14:34:28.697-05:00

@Morten - I hadn't event considered those that had given up on APEX tabs entirely... The list technique is interesting and gives me some ideas for implementing jQuery UI tabs that would do what Martin talked about.

@Buzz - I had considered some emails as well. But I figured I'd try blogging first to get some feedback from people like you. From what I can tell so far, the pages related to tabs in APEX 4 have been given a face lift but nothing has really changed.

@Martin - I had not yet considered the page templates. Now that I think about it, I do see opportunities for consolidation and simplification. A single page template should be able to handle all three tab settings.

As for jQuery UI tabs, that would be an interesting implementation. I may play with that a little over the next few days.

@Chet - I agree completely. Although still a little cumbersome they are a blessing for those of us that are lacking talents in the UI department ;)

I very much dislike the tabs as they are currently...

2009-12-30T00:06:19.364-05:00

I very much dislike the tabs as they are currently implemented. What I mean by that is what you said, it's just confusing and cumbersome at best.

It (use to) always take me a few tries to get them right...that's annoying and (usually) the sign of a design (usability) flaw.

However, once I do get them figured out, they rock! Especially for a non-GUI jerk like myself.

Hi Dan, This is a very interesting post. I agree ...

2009-12-29T23:36:57.449-05:00

Hi Dan,

This is a very interesting post. I agree that Tabs can be confusing.

I like your suggestion of having an application level control that determines the tab layout of the entire application. This may simplify development, especially for people that are starting to explore tabs in APEX.

How do you think it will affect the page templates? Would we have to build templates to always support 0~2 tabs?

I know we also talked about leveraging jQuery UI Tabs as an eventual replacement for APEX tabs. This could be an interesting option, however the APEX team would have to review to ensure backwards compatibility with the current features.

I agree - I had sent a note to Mike Hichwa as part...

2009-12-29T09:13:58.696-05:00

I agree - I had sent a note to Mike Hichwa as part of my rant about what is still not fixed in 4.0 specifically how horribly tabs are implemented.

Supposedly they will be enhancing the break reporting to at least allow you to output the value you are breaking on.

We'll see if they do anything with the tabs. They're just way too cumbersome to figure out.

I agree that the built-in Tabs are confusing and a...

2009-12-29T05:18:44.038-05:00

I agree that the built-in Tabs are confusing and a bit tricky to use. I gave up on them pretty early, and every application I've built has used a List component instead, with a list template that mimics the tab layout. The list is then placed in the appropriate region on page zero. Adding a new tab is as easy as adding a new list item. I have not had the need for two-level tabs so far.