Methods and systems for developing computer applications

摘要

An application can be formed by using a plurality of program modules each having an associated display window. These modules could communicate with each other to perform desired activities. A user organizes the windows associated with these modules in a desired spatial arrangement. Various parent-child relationships among the display windows are used to place constraints on the appearance of the windows. When the program modules are executed, they communicate with each other to perform desired activities while the associated windows maintain a predetermined graphic relationship. Consequently, the application gives the appearance that it contains tightly coupled program modules instead of modules that can be selected and arranged easily by a user with little programming experience.