End-user GUI customization

ABSTRACT

Constraint-based description of GUI layout is a powerful technique, but having to define constraints manually is not user friendly. We propose a GUI editor for the Auckland Layout Model (ALM) that can handle constraint-based layout in a WYSIWIG manner, making it much easier to create or modify complex layouts. Furthermore, the GUI editor is built into the layout manager that is used during the runtime of a GUI application, making it accessible to the end-user. Users can switch from the operational mode of a GUI into the editing mode, and immediately adjust the GUI to their needs. GUI specifications can be managed in a platform-independent XML-based description language, leading to a document-oriented paradigm for GUIs. The implementation of GUIs currently changes from hard-coded GUIs to document-based approaches such as XAML and XUL. Sadly, this shift is currently performed as a mere reengineering of the development process and driving forces are chiefly productivity and maintainability. Our approach, in contrast, aims at enhancing user options and also platform-independence.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

Keywords:
GUI, WYSIWYG, constraint programming, document orientation, end-user development, layout manager