An object-oriented toolkit for constructing specification editors

The authors discuss Spectacle, an object-oriented library of software components designed for constructing language-based, graphical, specification editors. Spectacle provides the programmer with a basic toolkit for building an X-Window editor: minimal knowledge of both C++ and the X-Window graphical environment is assumed. The editing tools that are derived from Spectacle can be implemented as stand-alone editors are integrated into larger-scale software development environments. Spectacle editors are syntax-directed and menu driven. The authors outline the basic structure of the library and examine each software component separately. The user-interface model provided by Spectacle is described. Two example prototype editors are presented