A reporting tool using “programming by example” for format designation

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a report tool in which report formats are designated by “Programming by Example”-like operations. Users specify a sample layout of an example row of relational table data on a sheet, and select an iteration pattern of the sample layout. The tool extracts a set of general formatting rules from the sample layout. The rules consist of absolute positions of non-iterative data, relative positions of iterative data, the iteration pattern, and the increment of the iteration. The tool interprets the rules and generates new reports of the format for different table data.

REFERENCES

• 1: Allen Cypher , Daniel C. Halbert , David Kurlander , Henry Lieberman , David Maulsby , Brad A. Myers , Alan Turransky, Watch what I do: programming by demonstration, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1993
• 2: Brad A. Myers, Demonstrational Interfaces: A Step Beyond Direct Manipulation, Computer, v.25 n.8, p.61-73, August 1992 [doi>10.1109/2.153286]
• 3: Atsushi Sugiura , Yoshiyuki Koseki, Simplifying macro definition in programming by demonstration, Proceedings of the 9th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, p.173-182, November 06-08, 1996, Seattle, Washington, United States [doi>10.1145/237091.237118]
• 4: Brad A. Myers, Text formatting by demonstration, Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems: Reaching through technology, p.251-256, April 27-May 02, 1991, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States [doi>10.1145/108844.108904]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS

General Terms:
Experimentation, Human Factors, Management

Keywords:
programming by example, relational database, reporting tool, user interface