Why have the FormLayout editor started to suck?

[jonalv]

I used the product before to make FormLayout GUI:s. I really liked it. It was in fact awesome. Now I got my hands on a new version that work on Mac as well (no more parallells \o/) but now the FormLayout editor has been changed. I ahve spent quite a few hours with it and not only does it now suck but in fact I am no longer able to do what I want. I used to recommend this product but I am sad to say that I can no longer do that. Is there any chance that things might go back to the awesome way they where?

[Eric Clayberg]

I used the product before to make FormLayout GUI:s. I really liked it. It was in fact awesome.

Unfortunately, you would have been one of the few who liked that model. One of the complaints we always received about FormLayout was that it was too difficult to use. It required too much intricate knowledge of how the layout itself worked and the relationships between widgets. Our earlier FL design exposed the full power of FL, but made it almost impossible for new users to use or get right. With the 7.x release we reexamined the entire process and decided to greatly simplify it based on work we did with GroupLayout. If you actually sit down with a blank slate and try to lay out a new form, the new usage model is much easier and much, much faster. That said, it probably seems a bit barren to any former FL power users.

Is there any chance that things might go back to the awesome way they where?

Yes. We are reviewing the various options for adding FormLayout power features and may even bring back the 6.x usage style as an option.

In the mean time, keep in mind that v6.9.3 is also fully supported and may be installed and used simultaneously with v7.2. This allows you to easily continue to use the 6.x FormLayout editing style, if you wish.