Edinburgh Napier University

  The Teallach project is building a system which eases the design and implementation of
user interfaces (web-based or otherwise) to object-oriented database applications. Teallach takes a model
based approach and is constructing its system around three main models – a domain model which
describes the database structures with which Teallach can cope; a task model, in which the user-involved
aspects of the application can be described; and a presentation model. The presentation model is
intended to support the storage of user interaction objects, so that these objects can be found, customised
and composed into user interfaces suitable for the tasks. In seeking an appropriate presentation model,
we have found that previous models are either those underlying toolkits, which are overly concrete and
detailed, or are abstract models based entirely around the look of the interaction objects, but not their
intended role. We are implementing a model which describes each interaction object in terms of its
purpose, the kinds of data with which the user is allowed to interact, constraints on its use, and a
description of configurable aspects of the interface in terms of the ways in which they support
interaction. This paper describes this model and gives examples of its use.