Generating user interfaces from specifications produced by a reverse engineering process

A framework for automatic graphical user interface code generation is developed. Tools to support this framework are built: (1) a parser, (2) generation rules, and (3) target code production. The parser reads specifications resulted from a reverse engineering process of a character-oriented user interface. These specifications are written in a language called AUIDL (Abstract User Interface Description Language). This language is based on the object-oriented paradigm, which means the use of classes, objects, attributes and methods. The methods are used to describe the behaviour of the user interface. The resulting graphical user interface is translated into a language called EASEL, which is also an object-oriented graphical language that allows an IBM PC to communicate with an IBM mainframe via a 3270 terminal emulator. Directions for further research are also presented