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A light‐weight UIMS
Author(s) -
Read Robert L.,
Smith Martin L.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380210103
Subject(s) - computer science , interface (matter) , programmer , user interface , class (philosophy) , human–computer interaction , tree (set theory) , programming language , operating system , artificial intelligence , mathematical analysis , mathematics , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method
We built a limited but successful user interface management system named HYPE which supports rapid interactive creation and organization of user interfaces for a large class of applications. HYPE is targeted at applications for which the user interface is only loosely coupled to the application. Examples of this class of application are ‘command line‐driven’ programs. Many applications in this class can be quickly given satisfactory direct‐manipulation interfaces with little or no reprogramming of the application. The programmer need only be familiar with HYPE, and not with the particular windowing system upon which it sits.1 The appearance of the interface is specified interactively through the direct manipulation of interface components. 2 The behaviour of the interface is programmed with an interpreted procedural language which can send and receive messages and invoke system services. In particular, it can execute applications. 3 The structure of the interface is a tree of potentially‐visible objects which communicate with the user, the system, and each other through message passing. The tree structure facilitates grouping interfaces for related applications, or families of applications, into a single master interface.Visual layout, tree‐building, behaviour assignment (programming) and execution of the interface all occur within HYPE, a conjunction that makes it a powerful prototyping tool.