End-User Object-Oriented Programming By Means of an Object-Oriented Interface

An object-oriented interface (OOI) provides the capability of object-oriented programming to the end-user (non-programmer). In this paper, we provide an example of an OOI for the specific application area of simulation modeling. We describe how this OOI provides the end-user with the requisite tools for object-oriented programming in this domain. The end-user programs, compiles, runs, and analyzes the results of simulation models by using the objects and functions provided by the interface. We stipulate that the features associated with object-oriented programming (ie., instantiation, information hiding, inheritance, polymorphism, abstract data types, message-passing, and extensibility) are provided to the end-user by this interface and that they are the very features that make the resulting package powerful and easy to use