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What is consider as a good design regarding back/forward project capabilities. I mean - uses are able to navigate through the application only via back/forward browser buttons or to have also and back buttons in the application , is it a good practice to mix it (browser back and application back buttons) ? Or GWT History is good enough to be the only navigator in the application?

I will be glad to hear different opinions and approaches.

Thanks

kapandron
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adgfs
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5 Answers5

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My perspective is that GWT History is used to mimic the already-existing features of your application. So when you perform actions, they leave a trail that the user can trace back.

Ray
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As per the web application secenerio,It is more preferable to navigate through the browser back and forward buttons.Why to reinvent the wheel?

As all browser supported by this facility. I am also working on a large application supported by the gwt.History in the system is managed by the History token.You can have a look on it from here.

I am working from last two years with history management of gwt ans it is working fine. You can have your navigation systems for the inner panel navigation requirement.But for the browser I suggest you to use its own facility.

Sanjay Jain
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  1. I wouldn't have a separate back/forward functionality in your app, since people are used to using browser's back/forward buttons. This would not add any function, just confuse people.

  2. GWT History wraps browsers' history functionality so it will perform exactly like browsers native history functionality.

Peter Knego
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Browser-based history all the way.

  1. If you only support internal history (and don't support browser-based history), when your users navigate back the browser will take them away from your application.
  2. If you support both internal and browser-based history your users probably will not be clear of the effect of pressing internal or browser-based back key.

I cannot think of an instance where a web-application supports internal and browser-based history navigation.

The closest I can think of is when breadcrumbs are provided, but these relate to only a few types of application.

ianmayo
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GWT history management is a way to make different states of your application matches with the address URL and use listeners to be notified of URL changes.

This is a technical thing that allow standard back/forward to work in a meaningfull way.

Now we speak about a design, does a "back"/"forward" button really usefull inside your application?

Well this depend of what your application do. if it is some sort of wizard with a set of steps, then yes you'll have back/forward buttons in your application.

If this a more conventionnal UI, no you will not have/back forward. You will have link/button sending the user to new views, and some sort of main navigation allowing to go to any view/screen the user want to. Only support for back/forward would be using the browser only.

Nicolas Bousquet
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