GE's MEAD user interface-a flexible menu- and forms-driven interface for engineering applications

Abstract

The user interface (UI) of the MEAD computer-aided control engineering (CACE) program is presented. After a brief presentation of the MEAD computer program, the unifying philosophy behind the MEAD UI is discussed. Main features of this UI include a point-and-click-style interaction, a unifying grouping of similar functionality, and a graphical interface to its CACE database management system. A typical modeling, analysis, and design scenario is given to illustrate the interface. The use of a user interface management system (UIMS) in the design and implementation of the MEAD UI is discussed. The MEAD user interface is implemented using an experimental UIMS developed at GE which supports both a Tektronix terminal and X-window-based window systems. Some implementational features of the MEAD user interface are that it is implemented using an object-oriented database system; that it uses a state tree to specify the dialog control; and that it is created entirely by means of a graphical editor, thereby avoiding conventional programming. The architecture of the UIMS is described and the implications of creating a user interface with this UIMS are discussed. >