DesignOps - Conventions - Multiple Layouts

When you design multiple Artboards representing variations of the same screen (displayed in different devices), GeneXus will join them in the same Panel object with multiple layouts.

Description

Designs of a screen for multiple platforms, devices, and orientations can be imported into GeneXus by following a token sequence convention described in the Grammar section and then adding a suffix to the Artboard's name.

As a result, you can design multiple Artboards as follows:

Then, GeneXus will display those Artboards in a hierarchical manner in the Design Import option.

All those Artboards will be rendered in the same Panel object with all its variants.

Grammar

The token sequence convention for multiple layouts must follow this grammar:

Example & Invalid convinations

For example, if the panel you are designing is called "Attraction Panel", the grammar allows you to define the following layouts:

Considerations & Best Practices

• If you don't define an Artboard as a root layout (that is, without token suffix conventions), GeneXus will define a layout of type "Any, Default Orientations" with an empty Main Table.
  Best Practice:
  Define at least one layout per panel without following token suffix conventions to generate it as a base layout.
  
• If two or more layouts of the same panel share a control (that is, a layer with the same semantics on every layout), GeneXus will consider only the definition of one of them.
  Best Practice:
  If your design defines the same control in every layout for a panel (with the same semantics), make sure your control definition is the same on every layout; in other words, you must ensure that the properties on every duplicated layer are identical (for example, anchors, dimensions, alignments, styles, links, etc). Otherwise, consider renaming the layer that varies in a specific layout.
• If you define a link between two Artboards representing variations of the same panel, GeneXus will not generate the call.
  Best Practice:
  Avoid defining links between Artboards that represent variations of the same panel; there is no value in those links.
• If you define an Artboard following an invalid token combination, GeneXus will ignore the generation of that panel and will display a message as follows:
  > Artboard '{artboard-name}' ignored (layout convention '{token-combination}' not supported)
  Best Practice:
  Check the grammar convention for defining multiple layouts and check if the token sequence is supported by GeneXus.
• The convention matching process is case-insensitive and admits multiple non-alphanumeric characters as separators, except for "/" (slash) which is reserved for folder packaging.
  Best Practice:
  Separate the token suffix sequence with a non-alphanumeric character. For instance, avoid "Attraction Panel Android" (ambiguous) or "Attraction Panel / Android" (wrong); instead, use "Attraction Panel - Android" to indicate that the Artboard is the "Android" variation of a panel named "Attraction Panel".
• Each platform will take the most specific layout you define and the layout without convention will be applied when the target platform does not match any other layout you have defined.
  Best Practice:
  Depending on your needs, you have to decide which will be better to be defined without convention. Remember that GeneXus will display the most specific layout that applies to the target platform.
  So, for example, if you define your Phone artboard without convention and your Web artboard with the "Web" convention, GeneXus will define an "Any Platform" layout with your Phone design and an "Any Web" with your Web design. Then, every time the end-user opens the application in the browser, the "Any Web" will always be displayed (both on Desktop or Mobile browsers). If you want to display the Phone design in a mobile browser, then you should define your Web artboard without convention (making it more general) and your Phone design with the "Phone" convention (making it more specific).

Scope

See also

• Guide for designers
• Conventions
• Sample: Travel Agency multi-experience

Availability

These conventions are available as of GeneXus 17 Upgrade 5.