A graphical interface for an object-oriented query language

A graphical user interface for an object-oriented query language, GOQL, is presented, GOQL is a part of a prototype knowledge base management system which is based on an object-oriented semantic association model, OSAM. GOQL consists of a graphical browser and a graphical querying module. The browser allows a user to browse through a complex knowledge-base schema graphically and prune it into a desired level of abstraction and details before the querying process. In the querying module, there are two modes, OQL and graphical OQL. The OQL mode is provided for knowledgeable users to directly type in the OQL command. In the graphical OQL mode, the user is guided through the formation of the query. It is noted that the object-oriented nature and the increased semantics of the underlying model and query language pose new challenges in user interface design due to their added complexity. On the other hand, these features also provide more information to the system in order to make the user interface more intelligent