Axure's first Adaptive Widget Library - Beta Release

7th January 2015

Update!
You can find the Adaptive Widgets project on AxureResponsiveDesign.com.

I'm releasing a beta of Axure's first adaptive widget library. I call it a widget library but it's a system for specifying adaptive/responsive projects, because you need to us the adaptive.rplib widget library file in conjunction with the framework.rp file for the adaptive widgets to work (the trick with using adaptive widget libraries with project files is that the adaptive views need to match between the files).

What the system contains, and how it works.

In a nutshell the framework.rp file includes an adaptive paging and menu system, and the adaptive.rplib file is where we put the adaptive widgets. In the framework.rp file you'll find a dynamic panel called 'viewport'. Inside 'viewport' you will find the 'content' dynamic panel, with a number of states named 'page 1', 'page 2' etc. These are the pages in our system. You drag the adaptive widgets out into the base view of these page states, and you are good to start customising your widgets.

The files are each set up with 3 identical views, one base (small), and two adaptive medium and large, and as such is constructed with a mobile first approach to adapting design.

There is a (very) limited number of adaptive widgets available in the beta. The proof of concept is an adaptive product listing built using the repeater widget. More useful stuff will be added in subsequent versions.

There is a demo of the framework and adaptive product listing widget on axure share for you to take a look at.

How to use it

You are free to download and use the files to find out how it works. I plan on adding some basic documentation however I have been creating a video base course on how to create and use the framework & widget library, this will be available via Packt publishing shortly. This course also describes a technique for generating prototypes for most mobile/tablet devices by making some minor size adjustments to two structural dynamic panels and mobile/device settings in the prototype configuration.

I don't see this solution as a one-size-fits-all approach. It's just a way of working I've devised that may work well as a kind of adaptive bootstrap, and may provide you with a way of getting projects started quickly.

I hope to publish some more supporting documentation shortly. In the meantime, enjoy having a poke around and seeing how it works. I'll be posting it on the axure forum shortly so you can feedback there. I apologise in advance if I'm too busy to answer your queries but I'll do my best.