Appeal No. 2003-0509 Page 2
Application No. 08/657,510
of software, (id. at 1), and the use and manipulation of hierarchical data, e.g., object
oriented class libraries, has been of particular concern. They explain that a developer
must know or understand the relationship of components within a hierarchy and the
content of specific components within the hierarchy. While it is simple to present one of
these concepts to a developer in a graphical user interface ("GUI"), they have observed
difficulty presenting both simultaneously. (Id. at 2.)
Accordingly, the appellants' visual programming environment simultaneously
displays a "class window," a "methods window," and a "composition editor window." A
class library with which a developer is working can be displayed in the class window
either as a tree, as a list, or in a format graphically representating the classes. The
developer may select a class for inclusion in the application under development, e.g., a
GUI. The methods window displays the software code for the selected class. Using the
methods window, the developer can modify the existing code or add new code. The
composition editor window displays a graphical view of the application under
development. (Id. at 32.) A further understanding of the invention can be achieved by
reading the following claim.
15. In a data processing system, a system for permitting a user to include
selectable classes from available class packages in an application being
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