Lukas.Georgieff@hotmail.comUniversity of Applied Sciences Worms

Designing a GUI Description Language with Topic Maps

• “Information wants to be free“• “Information wants to be a topic map“

Topic Maps (1)

30/09/2010 2Lukas Georgieff - TMRA 2010 - GDL

• “Information wants to be free“• “Information wants to be a topic map“

Topic Maps (2)

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• “Information wants to be free“• “Information wants to be a topic map“

Topic Maps (3)

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• “Information wants to be free“• “Information wants to be a topic map“

Why?– TM models arbitrary real world scenarios– TM knows no limits for users

But users must be familiar with TM-internals

Topic Maps (4)

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What to do?

Topic Maps (5)

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GUI Description Language, a TM ontology

• Goals– Generic UI adapted to a specific domain– Configurable UI– Plattform independency– “Semantic based“– Non-limitting for TM– Simplifying TM for end users

GDL (1)

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GDL (2)

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• Defines default valuese.g. PSIs regexp: “http://some.where/psis/author/.+“

• Allows to hide fieldse.g. item identifiers

• Auto-generates (sub-)valuese.g. item identifiers a predifened prefix with an auto-generated suffix

• Defines restrictions for end userse.g. no creation of elements, just a choice of elements

GDL – Features (1)

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• Allows individual layout of TM-constructscorresponding to semantic meaning/domain

e.g. placing, naming, visual construction of elements on screen, using of css

• Binds/displays partial modelled data at one glancee.g. displaying topics related via associations

• Generates context depending GUIse.g. visualisation depends on the area of interest

GDL – Features (2)

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GDL – Features (3)

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GDL – Features (4)

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GDL – Features (5)

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• GDL inserts a new layer between the end user andthe TM-engine– Additional processing of the GDL-data– GDL-file must be created– Many GUI-systems exist– GDL exists in parallel with TMCL

GDL - Problems

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• GDL builds a bridge between the end-user and theTM-internals

• GDL does not limit TM/ontology• GUI is not hard-coded but still configurable• GDL is not plattform/TM dependent defines just the semantics

Conclusions

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Thank you for your attention!

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