Creating a reusable GUI component
Application development of a large number of graphical user interface (GUI) screens and reports requires a labor-intensive process. In the typical scenario, a GUI developer drags each component, such as the textfield, label, and error messages, on each of the new GUI screens or reports. They then set the component properties and perhaps write any validation routines for input data. Using the proposed Observation Panel Bean (OPB), the developer drags only one component per field, and the OPB dynamically builds the GUI components with consistent properties and link.,; the observation field to the needed validation routine. With little development effort these fields are simply selected from the data dictionary and placed on the GUI. The proposed OPB uses Fowler's observation pattern as a high-level abstraction representing attributes observed about information in the application domain. The panel collaborates with the observation pattern to set the label, error message, and properties of the various components. Yoder's validator pattern collaborates A with the observation pattern and the data dictionary to validate the observations. The proposed OPB decreases GUI development time, adds adaptability to GUI design, and increases consistency in GUI component presentation. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
gui development analysis patterns development productivity