[TFUI] Version with Skins

TFUI:

Sometimes two or more different user interfaces must
cover the same Logic Layer. One common industry reason
is versioning. Version 5, for example, will have many
new features, and these deserve a re-designed user
interface. Version 4, however, is still available for
release, and V4 shares the older features in V5's
Logic Layer. Customers suffering with V4 bugs should
not be told, "Wait for V5. It will fix your bug, and
it also has a new and improved user interface that
looks completely different!"

The least brave, and least wise, solution to this
problem is to fork the entire code base, then mirror
every bug fix between V4 and V5. Forking a code-base
is duplication, like any other, and should be fixed
while it's simple, before it drags down a team's
productivity.

As soon as the V4.1 user interface no longer "looks
like" V4, duplicate only the GUI elements that are
different. The program's "skin" will be a
configuration setting. Methodologies that prevent GUI
code from turning into spaghetti will support this
"user view fork" very easily. Configure the test rig
to exercise both versions simultaneously. Look up
"Abstract Tests".

Similarly, many projects release more than one
application built out of a single core. The
differences between each "flavor" of application could
be as simple as tiered price/feature points-Personal,
Standard, Premium, Enterprise Editions - or as complex
as different user interfaces tuned to match different
hardware assemblies. The Software Engineering
Institute calls this topic "Software Product Lines";
the GUI must also address it with skins. Tests must
cover all skins and flavors when any of them change.

While we know that we must always find ways to improve
external appearances and responses, we must also
appease our stakeholders that our applications, in all
their aspects, have appearances and responses that
closely match requirements and expectations. If your
integration tests capture screen shots of all your
windows with all their skins, you can upload these to
a Web site for easy cross-reference.

=====
Phlip
  http://industrialxp.org/community/bin/view/Main/TestFirstUserInterfaces


		
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