No abstract

This paper suggests a method for developing graphical user interfaces based on generative patterns. A generative pattern contains portions of previously designed user interfaces are expressed through models that are either partially or totally instantiated. These portions could be identified and re-applied to a new design case study by generating code by instantiating the specifications contained in the models. The method involves typical models found in user interface development life cycle such as task, domain, abstract user interface, concrete user interface, final user interface, context model, and mappings between them. Any model could virtually be the source of a pattern and could be described, searched, matched, retrieved, and assembled together so as to create a new graphical user interface. For this purpose, a software has been developed that manages generative patterns by combining an existing user interface description language (UsiXMLuser interface extensible markup language) with concepts addressing problems raised by pattern description and matching in a pattern-based language (PLML -Pattern Language Markup Language, a language was introduced to uniformly represent user interface patterns). Once instantiated from the generative patterns, the models give rise to a model-driven engineering based on model-to-model transformation and model-to-code compilation.Descriptive pattern, Generative pattern, Model-Driven Engineering, User interface pattern.

This paper presents a series of new algorithms for paginating interaction spaces (i.e.; windows, dialog boxes, web pages…) based on a multi-layer specification in a user interface description language. We first describe how an interaction space can be split using information from the presentation layer (Concrete User Interface). We then demonstrate how information from higher levels of abstraction (Abstract User Interface, Task model) can be used to produce a pagination that is more meaningful from the task's viewpoint than other techniques. The pagination relies on a set of explicit splitting rules that can be applied as the first step in a graceful degradation. These splitting rules are implemented as an interface builder plug-in which automatically generates code under the designer's control.

No abstract