Programmatic and Direct Manipulation, Together at Last

Direct manipulation interfaces and programmatic systems have distinct and complementary strengths. The former provide intuitive, immediate visual feedback and enable rapid prototyping, whereas the latter enable complex, reusable abstractions. Unfortunately, existing systems typically force users into just one of these two interaction modes. We present a system called Sketch-n-Sketch that integrates programmatic and direct manipulation for the particular domain of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). In Sketch-n-Sketch, the user writes a program to generate an output SVG canvas. Then the user may directly manipulate the canvas while the system immediately infers a program update in order to match the changes to the output, a workflow we call live synchronization. To achieve this, we propose (i) a technique called trace-based program synthesis that takes program execution history into account in order to constrain the search space and (ii) heuristics for dealing with ambiguities. Based on our experience with examples spanning 2,000 lines of code and from the results of a preliminary user study, we believe that Sketch-n-Sketch provides a novel workflow that can augment traditional programming systems. Our approach may serve as the basis for live synchronization in other application domains, as well as a starting point for yet more ambitious ways of combining programmatic and direct manipulation.Comment: PLDI 2016 Paper + Supplementary Appendice

Semi-Automated SVG Programming via Direct Manipulation

Direct manipulation interfaces provide intuitive and interactive features to a broad range of users, but they often exhibit two limitations: the built-in features cannot possibly cover all use cases, and the internal representation of the content is not readily exposed. We believe that if direct manipulation interfaces were to (a) use general-purpose programs as the representation format, and (b) expose those programs to the user, then experts could customize these systems in powerful new ways and non-experts could enjoy some of the benefits of programmable systems. In recent work, we presented a prototype SVG editor called Sketch-n-Sketch that offered a step towards this vision. In that system, the user wrote a program in a general-purpose lambda-calculus to generate a graphic design and could then directly manipulate the output to indirectly change design parameters (i.e. constant literals) in the program in real-time during the manipulation. Unfortunately, the burden of programming the desired relationships rested entirely on the user. In this paper, we design and implement new features for Sketch-n-Sketch that assist in the programming process itself. Like typical direct manipulation systems, our extended Sketch-n-Sketch now provides GUI-based tools for drawing shapes, relating shapes to each other, and grouping shapes together. Unlike typical systems, however, each tool carries out the user's intention by transforming their general-purpose program. This novel, semi-automated programming workflow allows the user to rapidly create high-level, reusable abstractions in the program while at the same time retaining direct manipulation capabilities. In future work, our approach may be extended with more graphic design features or realized for other application domains.Comment: In 29th ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium (UIST 2016

Patterns-based Evaluation of Open Source BPM Systems: The Cases of jBPM, OpenWFE, and Enhydra Shark

In keeping with the proliferation of free software development initiatives and the increased interest in the business process management domain, many open source workflow and business process management systems have appeared during the last few years and are now under active development. This upsurge gives rise to two important questions: what are the capabilities of these systems? and how do they compare to each other and to their closed source counterparts? i.e. in other words what is the state-of-the-art in the area?. To gain an insight into the area, we have conducted an in-depth analysis of three of the major open source workflow management systems - jBPM, OpenWFE and Enhydra Shark, the results of which are reported here. This analysis is based on the workflow patterns framework and provides a continuation of the series of evaluations performed using the same framework on closed source systems, business process modeling languages and web-service composition standards. The results from evaluations of the three open source systems are compared with each other and also with the results from evaluations of three representative closed source systems - Staffware, WebSphere MQ and Oracle BPEL PM, documented in earlier works. The overall conclusion is that open source systems are targeted more toward developers rather than business analysts. They generally provide less support for the patterns than closed source systems, particularly with respect to the resource perspective which describes the various ways in which work is distributed amongst business users and managed through to completion

A dataflow platform for applications based on Linked Data

Modern software applications increasingly benefit from accessing the multifarious and heterogeneous Web of Data, thanks to the use of web APIs and Linked Data principles. In previous work, the authors proposed a platform to develop applications consuming Linked Data in a declarative and modular way. This paper describes in detail the functional language the platform gives access to, which is based on SPARQL (the standard query language for Linked Data) and on the dataflow paradigm. The language features interactive and meta-programming capabilities so that complex modules/applications can be developed. By adopting a declarative style, it favours the development of modules that can be reused in various specific execution context

Feasibility study of an Integrated Program for Aerospace-vehicle Design (IPAD) system. Volume 6: Implementation schedule, development costs, operational costs, benefit assessment, impact on company organization, spin-off assessment, phase 1, tasks 3 to 8

A baseline implementation plan, including alternative implementation approaches for critical software elements and variants to the plan, was developed. The basic philosophy was aimed at: (1) a progressive release of capability for three major computing systems, (2) an end product that was a working tool, (3) giving participation to industry, government agencies, and universities, and (4) emphasizing the development of critical elements of the IPAD framework software. The results of these tasks indicate an IPAD first release capability 45 months after go-ahead, a five year total implementation schedule, and a total developmental cost of 2027 man-months and 1074 computer hours. Several areas of operational cost increases were identified mainly due to the impact of additional equipment needed and additional computer overhead. The benefits of an IPAD system were related mainly to potential savings in engineering man-hours, reduction of design-cycle calendar time, and indirect upgrading of product quality and performance

The Second Triennial Systematic Literature Review of European Nursing Research: Impact on Patient Outcomes and Implications for Evidence-Based Practice

Written on behalf of the European Academy of Nursing Science REFLECTION review group: José Amendoeira, Polytechnic Institute of Santarem, Santarem, Portugal; (…) p.9European research in nursing has been criticized as overwhelmingly descriptive, wasteful and with little relevance to clinical practice. This second triennial review follows our previous review of articles published in 2010, to determine whether the situation has changed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Three Solitudes and a DJ: A Mashed-up Study of Counterpoint in a Digital Realm

This dissertation is primarily concerned with developing an understanding of how the use of pre-recorded digital audio shapes and augments conventional notions of counterpoint. It outlines a theoretical framework for analyzing the contrapuntal elements in electronically and digitally composed musics, specifically music mashups, and Glenn Gould’s Solitude Trilogy ‘contrapuntal radio’ works. Conventional studies of counterpoint encompass sixteenth- through early twentieth-century modernist and neo- classical materials but stop there. Composition by magnetic tape and computer software using pre-existing recorded audio offers the potential for a new study of music that displays clear contrapuntal elements but lacks the analytical models to outline the underlying musical systems. Central to these investigations is the assertion that counterpoint operates not only within the sphere of art music but also in the compositional logic of non-musical sound works (radio documentary) and in the harmonic and melodic underpinnings of popular music. The first chapter examines technological and cultural developments that contribute to the formation of digital contrapuntal music. The second and third chapters outline the traditional musical elements—harmony, form, and texture—of contrapuntal radio and mashups, respectively. Chapter Four explores how counterpoint exists in the sonic space of the stereo or mono sound field. Chapter Five presents the notion of program as a useful concept for analyzing interaction between lyric samples to form original narratives. These two final chapters present the original contributions from contrapuntal radio and mashups to a study of counterpoint. In each of these chapters, counterpoint forms the basis for how we perceive the underlying systems of musical works composed by traditional counterpoint or by assembling pre-existing recorded audio. The connection between the old and new is important, as one does not supplant but augment the other. As such, counterpoint is a fluid musical concept, rather than a fixed system of rules governing composition in a narrow musical palette