Generation of Interactive Visual Environments for Direct Manipulation of Database Content

Though database applications are evolving there are presently only very few system for rapid development of more general interactive visual front-ends. Tailoring non-standard graphical user interfaces to di erent views of a database is always an error prone and time consuming activity. Database frameworks like Microsoft Access, Borland Paradox, or Visual dBase come with basic graphical user interface toolkits for rapid development of limited client applications. A couple of systems provide socalled reports for data representation and additional forms with a limited set of tool-speci c user interface controls for data manipulation. Data aware controls in form of text elds or combo boxes support additional, mostly text-oriented, data input and manipulation. On the other hand there are systems for generation of visual interactive systems. They can be distinguished in