A User Interface for the PSE

PDEView is an instance of a very general PDE problem solving environment that was created within the PDELab framework. PDEView is a collection of tools that allow users to edit the PDE objects defined by the underlying PDESpec language.

PDEView is a user interface environment that was created within the PDELab framework. This environment is very general in the nature of PDE problems that can be defined, solved and analyzed. PDEView is a collection of editors and tools that allows users to create, edit, and manipulate the PDE objects that are intrinsic to the generic PDE problem solving process.

Each editor is a separate tool that can exist either on its own, or as an integral part of a problem solving session involving a collection of tools. All editors adher to to the PDELab standard, which requires implementation as a framework for integration, instead of merely as a user interface with a built-in functionality. Each editor supports the integration of foreign systems or libraries that provide similar functionality as the editor.

An installer of a foreign system follows an installation process that allows the PDEView editor to access the foreign software. This process also supports a script langague that the editor uses to build an appropriate user interface for requesting control parameters and generating appropriate input/output data structures or data files. Thus, the work of integrating the foreign system is done by the editor itself. This installation process is standard across all editors, and allows each editor to serve as a platform for integrating additional functionality in an easy, straightforward manner.

All user interfaces of the PDEView editors support a common and consistent look and feel. The GUI library is a part of PDEKit, the development shell for PDELab.

The center of PDEView from the user's perspective, is the graphical Worksheet editor. This editor provides Toolboxes as a mechanism for invoking the other editors, and serves as the repository of all the objects involved in a particular session. The Worksheet also allows users to look at the PDESpec language version of each object.

Since symbolic computation is an integral part of the PDE solution process, a special tool behaves as the computational server by exporting various symbolic manipulation services that are requested by client editors. Currently, this server uses the MACSYMA computer algebra system to implement the service. This system is also the basis for the implementation of the PDESpec language which is the foundation for building the PDELab objects.

All editors in a session are attached to the PDEBus, which provides the communication system connecting all editors with each other.

For further information contact pdelab@cs.purdue.edu