Layout Improvement in Diagram Editors by Automatic Ad-hoc Layout

Layout, in the context of diagram editors, is the positioning of diagram components on the screen. Editor users enjoy automatic layout, but they usually like to control the layout at runtime, too. Our pattern-based layout approach allows for automatic and user-controlled layout at the same time: The diagram editor may automatically apply layout patterns to diagram parts based on syntactic rules provided by the editor developer, but editor users may also select diagram parts and then apply layout patterns to them. For instance, user-selected components may be aligned horizontally and remain aligned even after diagram modifications.This paper describes continued work on pattern-based layout. We present automatic ad-hoc layout which combines automatic and user-controlled layout in a new way. While automatic layout is syntax-based and must be specified by the editor developer in advance, automatic ad-hoc layout is solely based on the current diagram layout. Whenever the layout engine detects a situation where a pattern may be applied with no or only small diagram changes, this layout pattern is automatically applied. For instance, if a set of components is almost horizontally aligned on the screen, the horizontal alignment pattern is automatically applied to these components. Such an editor behavior is known from so-called snap lines in commercial diagram editors. Automatic ad-hoc layout generalizes on these manually programmed layout solutions and offers many additional layout features.This paper describes the concept of automatic ad-hoc layout as well as its integration into a diagram editor framework and discusses issues of this new layout approach

A Pattern-based Approach for Initial Diagram Layout

In a diagram editor, one can distinguish initial from incremental diagram layout. The former computes a diagram layout from scratch, whereas the latter adjusts an existing layout after diagram modifications.In previous work, we have proposed a pattern-based approach as a solution for incremental diagram layout in visual language editors. Each LP encapsulates certain layout behavior. A diagram's layout is then defined by simultaneously applying several LPs to the diagram. This solution has been designed for an interactive environment where the user may select and alter the layout behavior at runtime. This paper describes an extension of this approach that now supports initial diagram layout, too. While the old version only enabled freehand editing, the extended version now supports diagram import and structured editing as well

Extension to UML-B Notation and Toolset

The UML-B notation has been created as an attempt to combine the success and ease of use of UML, with the verification and rigorous development capabilities of formal methods. However, the notation currently only supports a basic diagram set. To address this we have, in this project, designed and implemented a set of extensions to the UML-B notation that provide a much fuller software engineering experience, critically making UML-B more appealing to industry partners. These extensions comprise five new diagram types, which are aimed at supplying a broader range of design capabilities, such as conceptual Use-Case design and future integration with the ProB animator tool

Obvious: a meta-toolkit to encapsulate information visualization toolkits. One toolkit to bind them all

This article describes “Obvious”: a meta-toolkit that abstracts and encapsulates information visualization toolkits implemented in the Java language. It intends to unify their use and postpone the choice of which concrete toolkit(s) to use later-on in the development of visual analytics applications. We also report on the lessons we have learned when wrapping popular toolkits with Obvious, namely Prefuse, the InfoVis Toolkit, partly Improvise, JUNG and other data management libraries. We show several examples on the uses of Obvious, how the different toolkits can be combined, for instance sharing their data models. We also show how Weka and RapidMiner, two popular machine-learning toolkits, have been wrapped with Obvious and can be used directly with all the other wrapped toolkits. We expect Obvious to start a co-evolution process: Obvious is meant to evolve when more components of Information Visualization systems will become consensual. It is also designed to help information visualization systems adhere to the best practices to provide a higher level of interoperability and leverage the domain of visual analytics

Army-NASA aircrew/aircraft integration program. Phase 5: A3I Man-Machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) software concept document

This is the Software Concept Document for the Man-machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) being developed as part of Phase V of the Army-NASA Aircrew/Aircraft Integration (A3I) Progam. The approach taken in this program since its inception in 1984 is that of incremental development with clearly defined phases. Phase 1 began in 1984 and subsequent phases have progressed at approximately 10-16 month intervals. Each phase of development consists of planning, setting requirements, preliminary design, detailed design, implementation, testing, demonstration and documentation. Phase 5 began with an off-site planning meeting in November, 1990. It is expected that Phase 5 development will be complete and ready for demonstration to invited visitors from industry, government and academia in May, 1992. This document, produced during the preliminary design period of Phase 5, is intended to record the top level design concept for MIDAS as it is currently conceived. This document has two main objectives: (1) to inform interested readers of the goals of the MIDAS Phase 5 development period, and (2) to serve as the initial version of the MIDAS design document which will be continuously updated as the design evolves. Since this document is written fairly early in the design period, many design issues still remain unresolved. Some of the unresolved issues are mentioned later in this document in the sections on specific components. Readers are cautioned that this is not a final design document and that, as the design of MIDAS matures, some of the design ideas recorded in this document will change. The final design will be documented in a detailed design document published after the demonstrations

On the Pragmatics of Model-Based Design

The pragmatics of model-based design refers to the practical aspects of handling graphical system models. This encompasses a range of activities, such as editing, browsing or simulating models. We believe that the pragmatics of modeling deserves more attention than it has received so far. We also believe that there is the potential for significant productivity enhancements, using technology that is largely already available. A key enabler here is the capability to automatically and quickly compute the layout of a graphical model, which frees the designer from the burden of manual drawing. This capability also allows to compute customized view of a model on the fly, which offers new possibilities for interactive browsing and for simulation

TULIP 4

Tulip is an information visualization framework dedicated to the analysis and visualization of relational data. Based on more than 15 years of research and development, Tulip is built on a suite of tools and techniques , that can be used to address a large variety of domain-specific problems. With Tulip, we aim to provide Python and/or C++ developers a complete library, supporting the design of interactive information visualization applications for relational data, that can be customized to address a wide range of visualization problems. In its current iteration, Tulip enables the development of algorithms, visual encodings, interaction techniques, data models, and domain-specific visualizations. This development pipeline makes the framework efficient for creating research prototypes as well as developing end-user applications. The recent addition of a complete Python programming layer wraps up Tulip as an ideal tool for fast prototyping and treatment automation, allowing to focus on problem solving, and as a great system for teaching purposes at all education levels