This paper describes an approach to the automatic presentation of multimedia documents based on parsing and syntax-directed translation using Relational Grammars. This translation is followed by a constraint solving mechanism to create the final layout. Grammatical rules provide the mechanism for mapping from a representation of the content of a presentation to forms that specify the media objects to be realized. These realization forms include sets of spatial and temporal constraints between elements of the presentation. Individual grammars encapsulate the "look and feel" of a presentation and can be used as generators of that style. By making the grammars sensitive to the requirements of the output medium, parsing can introduce flexibility into the information realization process. Keywords: Automatic design, grammar-directed design, visual languages, relational grammars, parsing, constraints 2: Introduction A fully functioning multimedia system requires a wide range of stages to achi...

This paper addresses issues in visual language theory with the help of logic formalisms that were developed for reasoning tasks by the artificial intelligence and spatial databases community, especially for spatial and diagrammatical reasoning. We describe an approach based on three formal components. Topology is used to define basic geometric objects. Theory about spatial relations from the domain of spatial databases is employed to define possible relationships between visual language elements. Description logic theory from the AI community is used to combine topology and spatial relations. The resulting theory has been successfully applied to formally specifying semantics of visual languages. The theory’s application is illustrated with a specification of entity-relationship diagrams. 1

We describe the object-oriented editor GenEd supporting the design of specifications for visual notations. Prominent features of GenEd are (1) it is generic, i.e. domain-specific syntax and semantics are specified by users; (2) built-in parser for actual drawings, driven by formal specifications; (3) powerful reasoning capabilities about diagrams and their specification. GenEd’s specification language is based on a fully formalized theory for describing visual notations. Three examples, place-transition petri nets, entity-relationship diagrams, and a small GIS application are presented.

This article presents a logic-based formalism for formal reasoning about visual representations. This formalism is based on previous work about describing visual notations [Haarslev, 1998a]. However, in this article we discuss major extensions to this formalism providing decidable reasoning mechanisms that support truly spatial domains such as geographical information systems (GIS). We demonstrate the application of this formalism to specifying semantics of visual query languages for GIS and to meta reasoning about spatial queries.

Syntax Graph Editing Pretty Printing Figure 1.3: A hybrid visual program editor with syntax analysis The language independent visual program editor of Fig. 1.3 uses a graphical parser and scanner to combine individual objects into larger language specific combinations. The scanner activates the parser whenever objects are added to or removed from the visual program by the editor. The parser uses objects and relations of the spatial relations graph together with a description of the visual language to build new objects. These new objects are passed to the editor where they are used to update the visual program. The result of parsing is an abstract syntax graph which is used by the editor to guide structured editing. For example a drawing with four lines which form a rectangle (created with unstructured editing) is recognized by the syntax analyzer as a rectangle. This knowledge is used by the editor and it enables direct manipulation of the four lines as though it where a rectangle (str...

Design of information presentation is undergoing significant changes. Documents are information interfaces that must dynamically reconfigure themselves based on their content, the medium in which they are displayed, and the intended use of the information they present. Increases in computational power and the increased bandwidth of interconnected networks provide greater access to information. These factors, combined with the realization that not all of this information can now be pre-designed, necessitate new tools and techniques to ensure the effective presentation of computer-based information. This dissertation exploits the structure of information to support the design of dynamic documents. From this structure, visual languages