Patent ID: 8692826

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for using a plurality of model variables that define properties of view components of a view composition, the method comprising: an act of a computer system, which includes one or more processors, receiving a mapping between a known first model variable of the plurality of model variables and a first property of a first view component of the view composition and between an unknown second model variable of the plurality of model variables and a second property of a second view component of the view composition, the first view component being a child of the second view component within the view composition and the second view component being a parent of the first view component within the view composition; an act of the computer system using a value of the known first model variable to solve for a value of the unknown second model variable; an act of the computer system setting the first property of the first view component of the view composition to the value of the first model variable; an act of the computer system setting the second property of the second view component of the view composition to the value of the second model variable; an act of the computer system rendering the view composition, including rendering the first view component and the second view component, the value of the first model variable visually affecting the rendering of the first view component and the value of the first model variable also visually affecting the rendering of the second view component based on the second model variable being solved for using the first model variable and based on the first view component being a child of the second view component; subsequent to rendering the view composition, an act of the computer system receiving user input at the view composition modifying a visual attribute of the second view component through visual interaction with the second view component, the user input causing a different value to be supplied to the second model variable; in response to the user input, an act of the computer system using the analytical model to solve for the first model variable, including using the different value of the second model variable to solve for the first model variable, and including solving for the at least one equation, the at least one rule, and the at least one constraint; and an act of the computer system re-rendering the view composition, including re-rendering the first view component and the second view component, the different value of the second model variable visually affecting the re-rendering of the first view component based on the first model variable being solved for using the different value supplied to the second model variable and based on the first view component being a child of the second view component.