Designing a GUI Description

Language with Topic Maps

Lukas.Georgieff@hotmail.com
University of Applied Sciences Worms
Topic Maps (1)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“

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Topic Maps (2)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“

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Topic Maps (3)
• “Information wants to be free“
• “Information wants to be a topic map“

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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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Topic Maps (5)
What to do?

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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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GDL (2)

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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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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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GDL – Features (3)

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GDL – Features (4)

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GDL – Features (5)

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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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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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 Thank you for your attention!

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