A Model-Based User Interface Architecture: Enhancing a Runtime Environment with Declarative Knowledge

Abstract

A model-based user interface environment refers to a runtime environment which contains meta-knowledge about an application and its connection to the interface presented to the user. We capture in our application model actions which can be invoked by users, their operational constraints, and data objects on which these actions operate. We capture in our interface model interface components, actions which users apply to these interface components, and operational constraints on these actions. We then capture the mappings from the application model to the interface model as a way to construct an interface to an application. The modeling components used in the application and interface models are active at runtime, and are the key which drives the runtime architecture to support intelligent behavior such as partially automatic control sequencing, automatic generation of textual and animated help, and recordings of statistical and chronological command usage history. Also, the modeling components used are task-oriented; specifying an interface through these components eliminates the low-level programming from the user interface creation process.