Congratulations, this seems being a very nice project.
The screencast convinced me to try it.

Currently, I'm entering data in to OpenOffice Calc, transforming them into SQL queries via a text editor for injection into PostgreSQL.
As there are many columns, it's quite paineful.
FileMaker came to my mind as I had the chance to test it as a student. But it's quite expensive.
So, I was looking for something to quickly edit input masks and interface them with the database and heard about Kexi.
It appears to me as being a nice software for this task.

I'm a current user of Windows as well as Debian / Ubuntu / CentOS, but with Gnome desktop.
I have used KDE in the past, but encountered some bugs which made me a user of Gnome.
However, I still hear good things of KDE on a regular basis.

As for now, I would like installing Kexi on Windows, as this is where I'm running my PostgreSQL database.

I tried installing Kexi 3 but couldn't.
The git:// protocol forced me to install Git.
Despite the benefits of using Git, a download link using the HTTP protocol would be useful for a wider distribution, especially for Windows users, even if not the latest version.

I also tried installing the previous 2.9 version, which was easier to download from Stefan's website: http://stefan.roehrach.de/huge_files/kexiWin.7z
But 7zip 4.65 was unable to extract its file and telling about an unrecognized compression method, although I can browse the files in the archive.

Thank you for your help.

Julien Demigeek wrote:Congratulations, this seems being a very nice project.
The screencast convinced me to try it.

Currently, I'm entering data in to OpenOffice Calc, transforming them into SQL queries via a text editor for injection into PostgreSQL.
As there are many columns, it's quite paineful.
FileMaker came to my mind as I had the chance to test it as a student. But it's quite expensive.
So, I was looking for something to quickly edit input masks and interface them with the database and heard about Kexi.
It appears to me as being a nice software for this task.

I'm a current user of Windows as well as Debian / Ubuntu / CentOS, but with Gnome desktop.
I have used KDE in the past, but encountered some bugs which made me a user of Gnome.
However, I still hear good things of KDE on a regular basis.

Good to hear! Don't worry, by design, Kexi shall look or behave no different whether you're on Gnome or KDE Plasma. Or for that matter, on Windows/Mac.

As for now, I would like installing Kexi on Windows, as this is where I'm running my PostgreSQL database.

I tried installing Kexi 3 but couldn't.
The git:// protocol forced me to install Git.

Unfortunately git is only for obtaining source code. Also versions <=2.9 are not publicly distributed for Windows.

You would need to wait for Windows binaries to appear in the public this year. For now it's only available internally or for those who compile it. Please subscribe to twitter/facebook/mailing lists: https://community.kde.org/Kexi/Contact to be first to know .

Thank you Jarosław.

Installing the 2.8.5 on Debian was easy: https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=220&t=121931

For those interested in the version for Windows to come, here's the link to the relating thread in the "News & Discussion" section:
https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=220&t=127422
I'm excited about this, as I plan to interface Kexi with existing PostgreSQL databases from installed softwares and don't want to reinstall anything on Linux. Unfortunately, I'm reluctant to Twitter and Facebook, but I'll follow the thread in the "News & Discussion" section of this forum.

I had a look at the new design with dark side panes: https://blogs.kde.org/2016/06/01/kexi-3
I understand your "content-is-king" logic.
However, I think that the dark panels are a huge design mistake : the human eye is more trained to read black on white than the contrary.
Dark menus are for me the main reason disliking Ubuntu and much prefering the look of CentOS (despite Ubuntu is great for ease of use).
It is not a coincidence if the largest software companies are still using black on white interfaces for their desktop applications and not the contrary. They have all the teams they need for usability testing. If white on black was better, they would have changed long ago.
Furthermore, my impression is that the new design brings two poorly integrated black boxes.
From what I saw, I really like the "BEFORE" design much more.
Please also keep in mind that for those working much on a laptop, the available size on the screen is already small without adding one further pane.
I hope you don't take it bad.

Regards

Julien

Installing the 2.8.5 on Debian was easy: https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=220&t=121931

Good. One remark, to save time of everyone I recommend upgrading to 2.9 and soon to 3. I know that forces people to unwanted OS upgrades - that suggests that Linux may be more "forcing" upgrades than even Windows these days - Windows does not "bundle" most of apps with it. This issue in case of Kexi (and any in software rapidly changing and used for "real" hard work (productivity) in contrast to "consumer's" apps) would be solved as soon as we start releasing own binaries (like Krita) that we can label as having "official" support from the project itself. Any support is as always appreciated, start this with KEXI 3 series... It will be the case for Windows and Mac so why not for Linux?

Julien Demigeek wrote:For those interested in the version for Windows to come, here's the link to the relating thread in the "News & Discussion" section:
https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=220&t=127422
I'm excited about this, as I plan to interface Kexi with existing PostgreSQL databases from installed softwares and don't want to reinstall anything on Linux. Unfortunately, I'm reluctant to Twitter and Facebook, but I'll follow the thread in the "News & Discussion" section of this forum.

I had a look at the new design with dark side panes: https://blogs.kde.org/2016/06/01/kexi-3
I understand your "content-is-king" logic.
However, I think that the dark panels are a huge design mistake : the human eye is more trained to read black on white than the contrary.
Dark menus are for me the main reason disliking Ubuntu and much prefering the look of CentOS (despite Ubuntu is great for ease of use).
It is not a coincidence if the largest software companies are still using black on white interfaces for their desktop applications and not the contrary. They have all the teams they need for usability testing. If white on black was better, they would have changed long ago.
Furthermore, my impression is that the new design brings two poorly integrated black boxes.
From what I saw, I really like the "BEFORE" design much more.

Julien, thanks for your advices.

There are of course two aspects at least: aesthetic side and ergonomic side. The former is preference-based so configuration that would come after a few releases would be sufficient. And the latter is based on the how the given user's senses work. We're flooded by both black-white and white-black interfaces on various devices. In fact not white but bright. And in fact not black but more or less dark. Because of strong contrasting it may be not visible at https://blogs.kde.org/2016/06/01/kexi-3 but the dark is dark gray, not black.

Any future configuration would allow user to set a totally gray nonconstrasting UI and gray content but the default proposed now would be one that clearly shows where the content is and where the UI.

Please also keep in mind that for those working much on a laptop, the available size on the screen is already small without adding one further pane.

Regarding the space consumed, it may be not obvious that the new proposed design takes less space:
1. Vertical - very precious. Native menus are back (otherwise we would have hard times on Mac, Ubuntu's menu, touch devices, and maybe some Windowses); it may be not visible on the screenshots that show work in progress. So this area would go away: http://wstaw.org/m/2016/08/14/plasma-desktopzp1694.png as it makes no true sense to keep it and have the native menus.
2. Horizontal - by removing redundant spacing and margins, frames and so on. One thing that's a cost here is the left-hand view mode menu. However we have 16x9 screens (up to crazy 21x9) and I would assume that KEXI window is set to full-size if not full-screen. Or windowed but on large display. Typically as with productivity apps.

Each pane can be quickly hidden even now in KEXI 2 while working on small screens. Full-screen can help too.

Another matter is that KEXI for data entry and analysis (for end user) would takes much less space than KEXI as a design tool: In the former case most menus would be hidden, there are no requirement to use view modes, there's no property editor, no project navigator by default. So much space just for the content, to focus on it.

I also tried installing the previous 2.9 version, which was easier to download from Stefan's website: http://stefan.roehrach.de/huge_files/kexiWin.7z
But 7zip 4.65 was unable to extract its file and telling about an unrecognized compression method, although I can browse the files in the archive.

I upgraded 7-zip to the latest version (16.04) and it worked. I could install the version provided on Stefan's website.

Unfortunately git is only for obtaining source code. Also versions <=2.9 are not publicly distributed for Windows.

The funny thing is that after installing Kexi for Windows from kexiWin.7z (with modification date 7 August 2016)
downloaded on Stefan's website, the "About Kexi" window displays.

Code: Select all

Version 3.0 Alpha (git master)
Using:
KDE Frameworks 5.20.0
Qt 5.5.1 (built against 5.5.1)
The windows windowing system

The panes are the light grey ones however.

One remark, to save time of everyone I recommend upgrading to 2.9 and soon to 3. I know that forces people to unwanted OS upgrades

As for myself, the problem was not the forced upgrade, but how to compile, as I found the compilation procedure for Kexi quite complicated.
Some "apt-get update kexi" or rewritten documentation page for compilation would help a lot.

Another matter is that KEXI for data entry and analysis (for end user) would takes much less space than KEXI as a design tool: In the former case most menus would be hidden, there are no requirement to use view modes, there's no property editor, no project navigator by default. So much space just for the content, to focus on it.

Thats's great. Some way to easily minimize/restore the design panels would be very nice.
Also maybe some way to export a "data entry only" version of a project. Something like what .pps slideshows are to .ppt Powerpoint projects.
Would be great for catalogue distribution for instance (spare parts, a.s.o.).

@bobbery :
I tested Kexi for Windows : http://stefan.roehrach.de/huge_files/kexiWin.7z
It works with a new project.

However, these major features lacks in the version for Windows :

* Reopening an existing project (for instance after adding tables with SQLite Studio or other database administration tools) :

Could not start process Cannot talk to klauncher: The name org.kde.klauncher5 was not provided by any .service files.

* Importing a database : "No plugin for ID “org.kexi-project.migration”

* Selecting "Server" as storage method for new databases.

No database server drivers found [/size]
Connection to a database server requires an appropriate driver which you do not have installed.
Details
To obtain database drivers please use your Package Manager to search and install packages with so-called KDb drivers named kdb-****-driver. Please note that your package names could vary slightly depending on the operating system you use.

Would it be possible to recompile, including the KDb drivers or provide the KDb driver as dlland tell in which folder to put them or which environment variable to edit ?

Thanks for testing but that's some and third party old build Kexi. You would need to wait for Windows binaries to appear without any need to adjust environment. The idea is that the app should also work from a pen drive.

Sooner than later instructions for building Kexi on Windows and Linux will be updated. Please have installed a msvc compiler for the former and cmake and git for both.

So I am basically a newbie who know nothing.
I am lost on how to install Kexi.
Is the download files here for Linux? Or also compatible with windows?
http://www.kexi-project.org/
Because there is executable file when I extracted it.
http://prntscr.com/g0c93b

Can somebody tell me the procedure on how to install it?

ahugo wrote:So I am basically a newbie who know nothing.
I am lost on how to install Kexi.
Is the download files here for Linux? Or also compatible with windows?
http://www.kexi-project.org/
Because there is executable file when I extracted it.
http://prntscr.com/g0c93b

Can somebody tell me the procedure on how to install it?

This is a source code without executables. It can be built using this recipes: https://community.kde.org/Kexi/Building

You can download universal Snapshots ready to run on Linux: https://community.kde.org/Kexi/Snapshots. Or request ready to run Kexi from your Linux distributor.

Similar snapshots will exist for Windows.