User interface tool.

摘要

A user interface tool provides means for presenting items for selection by a user of a data processing system and means for executing the selected items. Each item of the menus and dialogues is an individual and independent object in an object database, referred to as an interface object. These objects can be added or deleted independent of each other, allowing greater extendability and customisation of the interface. The data within each of the interface objects and the selections from a user determine which of the interface objects will make up any one of several logical frame presentations at any one time to be presented to a user. The interface tool of this invention is adaptable for use with any one of a plurality of graphic libraries for presenting the actual screen image of the logical frame presentation to the user. In addition, the interface tool utilises the message facilities of the system to present the elements of the interface in multiple languages. More specifically, the interface tool of this invention is used for managing the system resources of a data processing system by a user.