Motivation for Creating Builder


Builder creates a Forms window from a Flow Control window of networked icons. Previously CGI script was used to create the same Forms window ("select the New button") for submitting a batch file to a supercomputer for the Atomistic Simulation Laboratory. Very few Engineers & Scientists have the time to learn, let-alone, create a CGI script Froms window (although CGI is simple to learn, these forms are typically lengthy). Therefore the Builder was created so that Engineers & Scientists could quickly and easily create their own custom Forms window that would generate the necessary data files that would then be used as batch files or input files to their favorite C / Fortran programs. Because VNI and SUN Microsystems is sponsoring this efforts we are using Java to create the Network Programing Interface - Builder and the data files will be designed to be submitted to VNI's PV-Wave. We look forward to working with VNI's systems engineers to make the final link to their applications. With Builder professors can also create customized interfaces for their students for class assignments. In both cases researchers and/or students can focus their time on the science and not the computer science related to their research and/or education projects (Philosophy: 1. "To create a distributed visual computing environment" , 2. "Using the network to link research and education", and with Java our efforts becomes platform independent). Builder Example.
Last Revised March 23, 1997, Ron Kriz
http://www.jwave.vt.edu//npib/builder1.0/instructions/Builder_motivation.html