Automatic user interface generation from declarative models

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Automatic user interface generationfrom
declarative models
Egbert Schlungbaum Thomas Elwert Department of
Computer Science University of Rostock Rostock,
Germany
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Introduction

• Overview on recent research works
• model-based approach
• The TADEUS approach
• a small example to demonstrate some features
• Conclusion

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Introduction (2)

• CAGUI - Computer Automated Generation of UI
• Declarative models
• Automatic user interface generation
• CADUI - Computer Aided Design of UI
• model-based approach and UI developmentSupport
  of UI-Designer or UI-Constructor ?

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Model-based tools (some)

• UIDE, HUMANOID, MECANO (I), ITS, GENIUS, JANUS
• ADEPT, TRIDENT
• MASTERMIND, MECANO (II), AME, FUSE, TADEUS
• EXPOSE, IDA

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Model-based approach
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Declarative models in model-based tools

• Task modelApplication modelDialogue
  modelPresentation modelBehaviour model
• Platform modelUser modelWorkplace model

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Use of declarative models

• UIDE application model (application interface
  actions, interaction techn.)pre- and
  post-conditions are assigned to each action
• HUMANOID declarative modelling language with 5
  partsapplication semantics, presentation,
  behaviour, dialogue sequencing, side effects
• MECANO domain model
• TRIDENT task model, application model,
  presentation model
• GENIUS existing application model, dialogue
  model
• JANUS OOA - application model

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Classification (small)

• classification on notation of central model
• systems with their own notation e.g., UIDE,
  HUMANOID, TRIDENT
• systems with notations well-known from
  software-engineering e.g., JANUS, GENIUS
• one possibility of integration UI-E and SE for
  Interactive systems development

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Use of declarative models

• MASTERMINDtask model, presentation model,
  application model
• MECANO IIuser-task model, domain model,
  presentation model, dialogue model, user model,
  design model
• AMEapplication systems objects (all-purpose
  OO-model)
• FUSEtask model, problem domain model, user
  model, dialogue and layout models

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Different architectures

• UIDE, HUMANOID,MECANO,MASTERMIND
• AME OI, CGENIUS ISA DMJANUS ISA DM,
  OITADEUS ISA DM

ISA DM ISA Dialogue Manager, ISA GmbH OI Open
Interface, Neuron Data
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Automatic generation from models

• presentation data model of application - UIDE,
  GENIUS
• dynamic behaviourapplication model extended
  with pre- postconditions - UIDE
• presentation and dynamic behaviourobject or
  domain models - JANUS, MECANO, AME
• presentation and dynamic behaviourmultiple
  models - ADEPT, TRIDENT, MASTERMIND, FUSE, TADEUS

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TADEUSTAsk-based DEvelopment of USer interface
software

• task-oriented and model-based approach to User
  Interface development of interactive systems
• methodology supports continuous development
  process
• declarative models task, user, problem-domain,
  dialogue
• integration of UI and Software engineering by
  means of tool integration

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Modelling steps in TADEUS

• Requirements of Interactive systemTask,
  Problem-domain, and User m.
• Dialogue design Dialogue model1. Dialogue view
  identification2. Navigation dialogue between
  views3. Processing dialogue inside views
• Automatic generation

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Declarative models and automatic generation in
TADEUS

• Dialogue model Dialogue graph Interaction
  tables
• presentationproblem-domain model (object model)
  and refinements in dialogue model Interaction
  tables
• dynamic behaviourtask model and refinements in
  dialogue model Dialogue graph

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Example Task and Problem-domain m.
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(No Transcript)
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Example Identification of dialogue views
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Example Dialogue modelDialogue graph and
Interaction table
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Generation of UI code in TADEUS

• Steps of the automatic process
• Default layout description
• Selection of AIOs for each dialogue form
• Mapping from AIOs to CIOs
• Layout of CIOs using defaults
• Placing CIOs inside the dialogue view
• Creation the dynamics from Dialogue graph
• User interface description file for Existing
  UIMS

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Step 1 Default layout description

• example push-button, some attributes
• default_layout PushButton .background_colour
  Dark_Grey .foreground_colour Black .font
  ButtonFont .cursortype ActionCursor

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Step 2 Selection of AIOs

• automatic, rule-based selection(Dialogue
  designer only specifies dialogue form, type)
• if DialogueForm is data inputand type is
  1n
• then set AIO single selector

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Step 3 Mapping from AIOs to CIOs

• automatic, rule-based mapping
• if AIO is multiple selectorand number_of_ite
  ms is constand number_of_items less 7
• then set CIO group of check boxes

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Step 4 Layout of CIOs

• presentation values are assigned to CIOs using
• Dialogue designers specification in the
  Interaction table (if there is one)
• Default layout description

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Step 5 Placing CIOs

• placing procedure is executed for each view
• it uses information on groups specified in the
  interaction tables
• identification of CIOs to place outside-in
• computation of position and size inside-out
• defaults for orientation
• of groups in a view vertical, horizontal
• of CIOs in a group vertical, horizontal

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Step 6 Creation of dynamics
Generation pattern of Dialogue graph transitions
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View User modelInteraction table and generation
result
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View User model (modified)Interaction table and
generation result
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Conclusion Some questions to open discussion

• Support of UI-Designer or UI-Constructor ?
• What kind of user interface does we have to the
  modelling languages ? (UI for dialogue designer)
• What range of applications does the modelling
  languages support ?
• TADEUS answer
• graphical tools under development
• application area information systems (business
  application), TADEUS itself

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Conclusion Some questions to open discussion

• Automatic generation - Does it really support ?
• What is the relation between modelling effort and
  quality of automatic generation result ?
• Which steps of user interface generation can be
  done in a fully automatic way ?
• TADEUS answer
• quality of generation result is good , but
  modelling effort is high (in the restricted
  application area)

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Conclusion Some questions to open discussion

• Automatic generation - Does it really support ?
• How to properly integrate the generated User
  Interface and the functional core ?
• How to to update the declarative models, if the
  dialogue designer improves the generated UI by
  hand ?
• TADEUS answer
• the destination UIMS allows the independent
  development of the user interface and functional
  core
• generation of different solutions from which the
  designer can select the best one

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Conclusion Some questions to open discussion

• How to perform a re-generation of a User
  Interface when requirements change ?
• How to reverse engineer an existing User
  Interface to do a generation ?

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Thank you for your attention!