"A meek endeavor to the triumph" by Sampath Jayarathna

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Reading #11. LADDER, a sketching language for user interface developers

Comments on Others:

 Hong-Hoe (Ayden) Kim 

Summary

             LADDER is a language to describe how sketched diagrams in a domain are drawn, displayed and edited. According to authors, LADDER structural descriptions can be automatically transform into domain specific shape recognizers, editing recognizers and shape exhibitors to use for sketch recognition domain. Furthermore, authors state that the LADDER is the first sketch description language as well as first implemented prototype system to prove that such a framework is possible to automatically generate a sketch interface for a domain from only domain description. Entire LADDER system consists of 3 sub systems, Domain Description, Translation and Sketch Recognition System. Authors also state that a language is a combination of predefined shapes, constraints, editing behaviors, display methods and domain description syntax. Still the domain descriptions are easy to specify and have enough details for accurate sketch recognition.

            LADDER is defined upon a set of shapes due to description limitations, things like abstract shapes, overly complicated irregular shapes, shapes not based on LADDER primitives, and domains with few curves or less details of curves. The LADDER system is based on vectors to define variable number of components. 

Discussion

            I’m not sure why there is a restriction to the shapes based on other than primitives defined on the LADDER? May be I’m not getting the concept right, are there any other primitives than a point, line and arc (in my opinion)? We should be able to define any other shape by simply using only 3 of these primitives, and I vaguely remember using only these 3 to do graphics programming during my undergraduate years. Correct me if I’m wrong…….      

Find the paper here.   

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