GUI, Frames, and Twitter Bootstrap

robertdown wrote on Saturday, September 22, 2012:

I’d like to start a discussion of improving the user interface throughout the app. I see that we have a few different themes available via the admin section, but I was thinking that perhaps we need to move to a CSS Framework, such as the Twitter Bootstrap? This would help unify the theme.

I’ve always been one to have a minimal UI that lets the user get to the content faster.

Also, what is the design theory behind frames? Is it something we could move away from in the future?

tmccormi wrote on Sunday, September 23, 2012:

The frame was the tech that was available with the application first got going (many years ago).  The idea is to be able to see multiple things from different parts of the system.  Newer HTML features do that better and yehster had as test version that has no frames as I recall.
-Tony

deschel wrote on Wednesday, September 26, 2012:

This discussion of getting rid of frames really scares me.

The problem with most commercial EMRs that I have examined is the disconnect between programmers and users.

Obviously, both of you are programmers, and not actually using the EMR as medical providers.

Frames are one of the features that distinguishes openEMR from the crap commercial EMRs.  As a medical provider, it is important to be able to compare different pieces of information, displaying multiple reports/types of data on the same patient at the same time.  For example, looking at the medlist while editing the progress note.  Or, looking at an xray report while looking at the CT at the same time, or looking at a CT scan while editing the progress note.  You are able to do this on very few EMRs.  However, frames allow it to be done with OpenEMR.

Rather than talking about getting rid of frames, you need to talk about developing and building on it further.

David Eschelbacher MD

yehster wrote on Wednesday, September 26, 2012:

David,
“Getting rid of frames” is a technical issue regarding “<FRAME>” tags and replacing them in favor of “<IFRAME>” tags (inline frames).  <FRAME> is not part of the HTML5 standard and also cannot be readily styled with CSS. <IFRAME> is part of the standard and allows for far more flexibility in layout. For example, you can overlay one <IFRAME> on top of another.  It is much simpler to just change the “display” attribute of an <IFRAME> to change it’s visibility than to mess with the “rows/cols” attributes of “<FRAME>”. 

Kevin Yeh, MD
kevin.y@integralemr.com

tmccormi wrote on Wednesday, September 26, 2012:

David,
   Yes, per Yehster, we are not interested in getting rid of the functionality or ability to split the screen up in to separate segments for viewing.  Just the actual  geeky and obsolete way it was implemented in OpenEMR using HTML 3 frame code.  

   This was, in fact, programmer talk :slight_smile:

-Tony