1. Designing a GUI Description
Language with Topic Maps
Lukas.Georgieff@hotmail.com
University of Applied Sciences Worms

2. Topic Maps (1)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“
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3. Topic Maps (2)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“
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4. Topic Maps (3)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“
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5. Topic Maps (4)
• “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
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6. Topic Maps (5)
What to do?
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7. GDL (1)
 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
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8. GDL (2)
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9. GDL – Features (1)
• Defines default values
e.g. PSIs regexp: “http://some.where/psis/author/.+“
• Allows to hide fields
e.g. item identifiers
• Auto-generates (sub-)values
e.g. item identifiers a predifened prefix with an auto-
generated suffix
• Defines restrictions for end users
e.g. no creation of elements, just a choice of elements
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10. GDL – Features (2)
• Allows individual layout of TM-constructs
corresponding to semantic meaning/domain
e.g. placing, naming, visual construction of elements on
screen, using of css
• Binds/displays partial modelled data at one glance
e.g. displaying topics related via associations
• Generates context depending GUIs
e.g. visualisation depends on the area of interest
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11. GDL – Features (3)
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12. GDL – Features (4)
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13. GDL – Features (5)
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14. GDL - Problems
• GDL inserts a new layer between the end user and
the TM-engine
– Additional processing of the GDL-data
– GDL-file must be created
– Many GUI-systems exist
– GDL exists in parallel with TMCL
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15. Conclusions
• GDL builds a bridge between the end-user and the
TM-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
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16. Thank you for your attention!
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