Reducing graphics programming effort through structured support

Abstract

This paper describes a method for structuring graphics support which simplifies the programming of interactive applications, while improving their portability by providing a device-independent interface. The primary objective is to ease the task of the application programmer in developing applications which use interaction and graphics. Common graphics functions which are used by several applications are generalized and defined in terms of transition tables. User actions become inputs, system wait points become states, and system responses are pointed to by table outputs. A suitable modification is applied to each of the generalized graphics functions to tailor it to be used by a particular application.