HIL-an interface design language

HIL (HOPE-1 Interface Language), an object-oriented language for defining user interfaces, is described. HIL objects consist of both presentation information and activation information. The presentation information includes the type of object (such as menu, form). The activation information concerns how the object behaves. HIL programs define the objects and their basic attributes, but not the specifics of how they interact with the user. This allows HIL programs to be run on a variety of different devices, including character based and bitmapped terminals. The HIL runtime system chooses the representation best suited to the type of device. A HIL interface consists of a HIL program and the HIL run-time system. HIL runtime systems have been developed for three output devices: (1) standard terminal for which a Unix System V terminal description exists; (2) an IBM PC (standard monochrome); and (3) bit-mapped graphics terminals supporting X-windows. HIL programs may either be compiled (into C) or interpreted. Standard interfaces with the C language and the Unix shell are built into HIL. HIL has been used for 12 months by both experienced and inexperience users