Application-independent user interface design using an application exposure
Zhou, Tom Zhong-Yu
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/22284
Description
Title
Application-independent user interface design using an application exposure
Author(s)
Zhou, Tom Zhong-Yu
Issue Date
1993
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Kubitz, William J.
Department of Study
Computer Science
Discipline
Computer Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Computer Science
Language
eng
Abstract
User interface (UI) software reuse requires separating the reusable UI elements from the elements that constitute the application semantics. A classic issue in user interface research is how to couple these two groups of elements effectively. This issue is particularly conspicuous when 3D applications are concerned. In our attempt to build a UI support system for 3D applications, we use a software layer called the application exposure (AE) for the coupling. The AE layer consists of two portions. The operation portion allows operations defined on application objects to be invoked from within the user interface various fashions. The representation portion exposes to the UI side the states of the application objects engaged in user interaction. This portion of the exposure allows the user to closely monitor the application objects that undergo interactive modification. The AE contributes to increased reusability in two major ways. First, on the application side, we feel that writing the methods that generate the exposure is easier than learning the internal construction of a UI framework and building subclasses from it. Moreover, with the exposure, rather than subclassing, as the coupling mechanism, it appears to us that the UI part imposes far less on the application part. Second, on the user interface side, the application exposure isolates the UI components from the particularities that exist across various application objects. As such, these components can be built to fulfill the desired UI functions rather than to cater to the particular application objects. The UI components so built are likely to be more reusable. We use two other abstractions, namely that of mediator and activator, to encapsulate such highly reusable UI components.
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