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Thread: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

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    Default Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    Hey.
    I am developing a note application, which is based on MySQL, Java, Hibernate and SWING and some other components.
    Do to amount of libraries and data the application load, the users start up time (from the press icon to seeing the app) is to long about 30 seconds - 1 minut.
    I would like to show the user a processbar or something similar to that, to give the user and impression that the application is actually doing something.

    So is a splashscreen as an component a good idea or should I choose something else? if yes any idea to which component?

    - PS. The reason for the long data load time is because the users load 30000+ notes which include videos and other media files.


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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    If I see a splash screen for more than two seconds, I would think it has frozen.
    Show a progress bar (in addition to) your "logo" or what ever on the splash, if necessary.
    Never make a user wait 30 seconds for anything to load, ever. Load part and show it. Load something fast and get it in their face, let the rest load in the background.

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    It may be a personal preference thing, but I think a splash screen with some indication of what's going on - especially for up to a minute load time - is an excellent idea. I use Eclipse on some older hardware, and the load time is pretty long, but the splash screen and progress indicators which are given in both words and a progress bar are 'comforting.' Comforting, because I know that good things are happening and the danged machine hasn't frozen up.

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    Okay Splashscreen it is

    @jps - could an idea be to make struct like objec of a note containing name and db id perhaps ?

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    I do not understand what you mean in that question, can you explain?

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    Well my users like all their notes a soon as the application start, but they are represent in a JTree by name. Could a solution instead be like this:
    Under startup: Load note name (not unique) and note id, into a Note object and then load the rest on demand ?

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    From what I understand, it sounds like the loading time is due to loading ALL data at once. A faster way would be to load data lazily - if in a JTree load only the parent nodes and load on demand as one expands a node. When a leaf is selected then only then load the necessary data. My .02, and I could be misunderstanding how the application works, but 30 seconds to load is way too long IMO

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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    Your JTree is really just a bunch of file names (or note names), correct? If so, a good middle ground (between what you want and copeg's lazy load idea), imo, would be to load the note NAMES immediately to simply establish the tree. That shouldn't take long at all, even for 30,000+ items. Then you can lazily load the notes themselves in the background as the user is busy navigating the tree. You could even load them lazily based on where the user is in the tree. If the user selects a note in the tree which has not been lazily loaded yet, throw that to the top of your load list so the user doesn't have to wait long (if at all) for it to be loaded.
    It does add the additional complexity of temporarily separating the note names from the notes themselves, but that is not something that would be difficult to deal with. Something as simple as a map would do (where the key is the note's name and the value is the note). If you do a get on the map with a note name and it comes back as null, you haven't loaded that note yet (remember to synchronize your threads when accessing the map).
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    Default Re: Is a splashscreen an option or even a good idea?

    @copeg and aussiemcgr thank you I will use that
    Ruby 'cause I can - Java 'cause I want - C# 'cause I have to

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