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Help / Developing an application or website / WEBDEV specific features
  • Overview
  • The different methods in detail
  • New edit mode for mobile-friendly websites in version 28
WINDEV
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WEBDEV
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WINDEV Mobile
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Overview
WEBDEV includes several page creation methods that allow you to create mobile-friendly websites:
  • Dynamic serving, which consists in maintaining a set of pages for desktop and a set of pages for mobile.
  • Legacy Responsive Web Design, which allows you to divide pages into resolution ranges or "slices" to adapt to mobile devices.
    Warning
    From version 28, this mode is not recommended and is kept for compatibility purposes only.
  • Responsive Web Design via zoning and layouts, which allows you to define specific layouts for a given screen. Starting with WEBDEV 28, this mode is used by default. This mode is now recommended. For more details, see New behavior in version 28.
This help page presents the different methods, their advantages and disadvantages.
The different methods in detail
Dynamic ServingResponsive (Zoning and layouts)Legacy mode
(Responsive Web Design)
PrincipleThe same address (URL) leads to 2 different pages:
  • a page for PC
  • a page for mobile devices.
The page will be displayed according to the device (PC or mobile) that opens it.
A page can be associated with multiple layouts. Each layout corresponds to a "view" of the page. The server chooses the layout that best fits the screen resolution. The page displayed in the browser contains several "slices". The browser displays the slice that best fits the screen resolution.
ImplementationSee the following help page: Dynamic servingSee the following help page: Layouts in WEBDEV. See the following help page: Creating a Responsive Web Design page
BenefitsNo need to modify existing pages: simply create new pages specifically for mobile devices.
  • A single page handles the different display modes.
  • Same technology used across WINDEV, WEBDEV and WINDEV Mobile.
  • Easy to implement.
  • Ability to set different anchors in each layout.
  • Print layout.
  • Layout for integration into WINDEV.
  • Layout for integration into WINDEV Mobile.
  • A single page handles the different display modes.
  • The page changes as the browser is resized.
  • Uses standard RWD technology.
DrawbacksYou need to maintain 2 sets of pages.
  • The layout does not change as the browser is resized, but the changes are reflected once the mouse button is released.
  • Does not use standard Responsive Web Design technology.
  • Implementation must follow RWD guidelines.
  • The tree structure that defines the position of the controls must be the same in all slices. Requires numerous Cell controls in the page.
  • Offers far fewer possibilities compared to layouts.

New edit mode for mobile-friendly websites in version 28

In version 28, the "Responsive Web Design: layout by slice" mode becomes "Slices (legacy Responsive mode)".
"Responsive (zoning and layouts)" is now the recommended mode for any new project.
Layouts have become the most popular method to create mobile-friendly sites. Thus, most improvements made to the page editor focus on the zone-based edit mode (zoning), which extends the possibilities of layouts:
  • layouts allow you to change and hide zones,
  • control templates support layouts,
  • rich text areas can have content that is adapted to the layout,
  • the new Flexbox control allows you to define how controls react when a page is resized in the browser,
  • a new layout is available for pages to be integrated into a WINDEV or WINDEV Mobile application.
These new features in version 28 add to the existing advantages of layouts:
  • simple editing,
  • same possibilities as in WINDEV and WINDEV Mobile applications,
  • ability to choose layouts programmatically,
  • ability to set different anchors in each layout,
  • specific print layout...
Due to its numerous advantages, "Responsive (zoning and layouts)" is the recommended mode from WEBDEV 28 onwards. You can convert a page in "Responsive Web Design: layout by slice" mode to "Responsive (zoning and layouts)": on the "Layouts" tab, in the "Page" group, expand "Layouts" and select "Convert slices to layouts".
All future improvements of the WEBDEV page editor will focus on this mode.
The edit mode based on resolution ranges (slices) remains available for existing sites and for new sites where layouts cannot be used. However, this mode will not see major improvements in future versions of WEBDEV.
Minimum version required
  • Version 25
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Last update: 12/08/2023

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