A system for specification and rapid prototyping of application command languages

The XS-2 system that integrates specification, rapid prototyping, and the actual use of application dialogs is described. The XS-2 command language grammar, a nonprocedural description language based on regular expressions, is used to specify commands for any application program. The syntax of the command specification is visible to the user: command names and their activation rules are displayed as a command tree. Since a small set of tools is provided for the development of the command specification and its automatic translation into a prototype application module in Modula-2, no programming work is necessary to design and evaluate the commands. Experience shows that an advanced end user can develop his or her own prototype application without a programmer´s assistance