Developing User Interfaces

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 What This Book Is About

1.1.1 Early Computing


1.1.2 Winds of Change


1.1.3 The Legacy of Lab Coats


1.1.4 A Question of Control




1.2 Setting the Context

1.2.1 Computer Graphics


1.2.2 Human Factors and Usability


1.2.3 Object-Oriented Software


1.2.4 Commercial Tools




1.3 An Overview of the User Interface

1.3.1 The Interactive Cycle


1.3.2 The Interactive Porthole


1.3.3 The Interface Design Process




1.4 Summary

Chapter 2 Designing the Functional Model

2.1 Examples of Task-Oriented Functional Design

2.1.1 Line Oriented vs. Full-Screen Text Editors


2.1.2 Word Processors


2.1.3 Why Do Secretaries Have Typewriters?




2.2 Overall Approach

2.2.1 Task Analysis


2.2.2 Evaluation of the Analysis


2.2.3 Functional Design




2.3 Task Analysis

2.3.1 Examples of Task Analysis


2.3.2 VCR Task Analysis


2.3.3 Student Registration Task Analysis




2.4 Evaluation of the Analysis

2.4.1 Understanding the User


2.4.2 Goals


2.4.3 Scenarios


2.4.4 Programmers and User Interface Design




2.5 Functional Design

2.5.1 Assignment of Agency


2.5.2 Object-Oriented Functional Design




2.6 Summary

Chapter 3 Basic Computer Graphics

3.1 Models for Images

3.1.1 Stroke Model


3.1.2 Pixel Model


3.1.3 Region Model




3.2 Coordinate Systems

3.2.1 Device Coordinates


3.2.2 Physical Coordinates


3.2.3 Model Coordinates


3.2.4 Interactive Coordinates




3.3 Human Visual Properties

3.3.1 Update Rates




3.4 Graphics Hardware

3.4.1 Frame Buffer Architecture


3.4.2 Cathode Ray Tube


3.4.3 Liquid Crystal Display


3.4.4 Hardcopy Devices




3.5 Abstract Canvas Class

3.5.1 Methods and Properties




3.6 Drawing

3.6.1 Paths


3.6.2 Closed Shapes




3.7 Text

3.7.1 Font Selection


3.7.2 Font Information


3.7.3 Drawing Text


3.7.4 Outline vs. Bitmapped Fonts


3.7.5 Character Selection


3.7.6 Complex Strings




3.8 Clipping

3.8.1 Regions




3.9 Color

3.9.1 Models for Representing Color


3.9.2 Human Color Sensitivity




3.10 Summary

Chapter 4 Basics of Event Handling

4.1 Windowing System

4.1.1 Software View of the Windowing System


4.1.2 Window Management


4.1.3 Variations on the Windowing System Model


4.1.4 Windowing Summary




4.2 Window Events

4.2.1 Input Events


4.2.2 Windowing Events


4.2.3 Redrawing




4.3 The Main Event Loop

4.3.1 Event Queues


4.3.2 Filtering Input Events


4.3.3 How to Quit


4.3.4 Object-Oriented Models of the Event Loop




4.4 Event Dispatching and Handling

4.4.1 Dispatching Events


4.4.2 Simple Event Handling


4.4.3 Object-Oriented Event Handling




4.5 Communication between Objects

4.5.1 Simple Callback Model


4.5.2 Parent Notification Model


4.5.3 Object Connections Model




4.6 Summary

Chapter 5 Basic Interaction

5.1 Introduction to Basic Interaction

5.1.1 Functional Model




5.2 Model-View-Controller Architecture

5.2.1 The Problem with Multiple Parts


5.2.2 Changing the Display


5.2.3 General Event Flow




5.3 Model Implementation

5.3.1 Circuit Class


5.3.2 CircuitView Class


5.3.3 View Notification in the Circuit Class


5.3.4 Overview of the Circuit Class




5.4 View/Controller Implementation

5.4.1 PartListView Class


5.4.2 LayoutView Class




5.5 Review of Important Concepts

5.5.1 Functional Model


5.5.2 View Notification


5.5.3 View Implementation




5.6 An Alternative Implementation




5.7 Visual C++


5.7.1 CView


5.7.2 CDocument




5.8 Summary

Chapter 6 Widget Tool Kits

6.1 Model-View-Controller

6.1.1 Widget Models


6.1.2 Independence of View and Controller




6.2 Abstract Devices

6.2.1 Acquire and Release


6.2.2 Enable and Disable


6.2.3 Active and Inactive


6.2.4 Echo




6.3 Look and Feel




6.4 The Look


6.4.1 What the Look Must Present


6.4.2 Economy of Screen Space


6.4.3 Consistent Look


6.4.4 Architectural Issues in Designing the Look




6.5 The Feel

6.5.1 The Alphabet of Interactive Behaviors


6.5.2 Perceived Safety




6.6 Summary

Chapter 7 Interfaces from Widgets

7.1 Data-Driven Widget Implementations

7.1.1 Collections of Widgets




7.2 Specifying Resources

7.2.1 Resource Organizations


7.2.2 Interface Design Tools




7.3 Layout

7.3.1 Fixed-Position Layout


7.3.2 Struts and Springs


7.3.3 Intrinsic Size


7.3.4 Variable Intrinsic Size




7.4 Communication

7.4.1 Parent Notification




7.5 Summary

Chapter 8 Input Syntax

8.1 Syntax Description Languages

8.1.1 Fields and Conditions


8.1.2 Special Types of Fields and Conditions


8.1.3 Productions


8.1.4 Input Sequences




8.2 Buttons

8.2.1 Check Buttons




8.3 Scroll Bars




8. 4 Menus




8.5 Text Box




8.6 From Specification to Implementation


8.6.1 Fields


8.6.2 Productions




8.7 Summary

Chapter 9 Geometry of Shapes

9.1 The Geometry of Interacting with Shapes

9.1.1 Scan Conversion


9.1.2 Distance from a Point to an Object


9.1.3 Bounds of an Object


9.1.4 Nearest Point on an Object


9.1.5 Intersections


9.1.6 Inside/Outside




9.2 Geometric Equations

9.2.1 Implicit Equations


9.2.2 Parametric Equations




9.3 Path-Defined Shapes

9.3.1 Lines


9.3.2 Circles


9.3.3 Arcs


9.3.4 Ellipses and Elliptical Arcs


9.3.5 Curves


9.3.6 Piecewise Path Objects




9.4 Filled Shapes

9.4.1 Rectangles


9.4.2 Circles and Ellipses


9.4.3 Pie Shapes


9.4.4 Boundary-Defined Shapes




9.5 Summary

Chapter 10 Geometric Transformations

10.1 The Three Basic Transformations

10.1.1 Translation


10.1.2 Scaling


10.1.3 Rotation


10.1.4 Combinations




10.2 Homogeneous Coordinates

10.2.1 Introduction to the Homogeneous Coordinates Model


10.2.2 Concatenation


10.2.3 Vectors


10.2.4 Inverse Transformations


10.2.5 Transformation about an Arbitrary Point


10.2.6 Generalized Three-Point Transformation




10.3 A Viewing Transformation

10.3.1 Effects of Windowing


10.3.2 Alternative Controls of Viewing




10.4 Hierarchical Models

10.4.1 Standard Scale, Rotate, Translate Sequence




10.5 Transformations and the Canvas

10.5.1 Manipulating the Current Transformation


10.5.2 Modeling with Display Procedures




10.6 Summary

Chapter 11 Interacting with Geometry

11.1 Input Coordinates



11.2 Object Control Points




11.3 Creating Objects


11.3.1 Line Paths


11.3.2 Splines


11.3.3 Polygons




11.4 Manipulating Objects

11.4.1 Selection and Dragging


11.4.2 General Control Point Dragging Dialog




11.5 Transforming Objects

11.5.1 Transformable Representations of Shapes


11.5.2 Interactive Specification of the Basic Transformations


11.5.3 Snapping




11.6 Grouping Objects

11.6.1 Selection in a Hierarchical Model


11.6.2 Level of Interaction in a Hierarchy




11.7 Summary

Chapter 12 Drawing Architectures

12.1 Basic Drawing Interface




12.2 Interface Architecture


12.2.1 Draw-Area Architecture


12.2.2 Palette Architecture


12.2.3 Summary of Architecture




12.3 Tasks

12.3.1 Redrawing


12.3.2 Creating a New Object


12.3.3 Selecting Objects


12.3.4 Dragging Objects


12.3.5 Setting Attributes


12.3.6 Manipulating Control Points




12.4 Summary

Chapter 13 Cut, Copy, and Paste

13.1 Clipboards

13.1.1 Simple Clipboard




13.2 Publish and Subscribe




13.3 Embedded Editing


13.3.1 Embedded Pasting


13.3.2 Edit Aside


13.3.3 Edit in Place




13.4 Summary

Chapter 14 Monitoring the Interface: Undo, Groupware, and Macros

14.1 Undo/Redo

14.1.1 Simple History Architecture


14.1.2 Selective Undo


14.1.3 Hierarchical Undo


14.1.4 Review of Undo Architectural Needs




14.2 Groupware

14.2.1 Asynchronous Group Work


14.2.2 Synchronous Group Work


14.2.3 Groupware Architectural Issues




14.3 Macros




14.4 Monitoring Architecture


14.4.1 Command Objects


14.4.2 Extended Command Objects




14.5 Summary

Endnotes

Index