Abstract
End-users have to use macro-recorders when they want to automate tedious tasks. Their tasks often include actions from multiple applications. While some application-specific macro facilities or PBD systems have proved efficient to automate single-application tasks, system-wide — and hence application-independent — systems are few. Most system-wide recorders operate on low-level events whereas most repetitive activities are repetitive at a somewhat higher level of abstraction. We present a so-called “epiphyte” approach allowing automation of some of the repetitive tasks only, but working with unmodified applications. It uses external and partial application models to allow recording of hierarchical event histories which in turn facilitate the detection, generalization, anticipation and completion of repetitive sequences of actions. In this approach, experts are in charge of building external application models. We present some features which facilitate and quicken their work particularly in the context of a group of users.
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
References
Crow, D., Smith, B. (1993), The Role of Built-In Knowledge in Adaptive Interface Systems, proceedings of International Workshop on Intelligent User Interfaces ACM press, NewYork.
Cypher, A. (1991), EAGER: Programming Repetitive Tasks by Example, in proceedings of CHI’91, ACM press, NewYork.
Cypher, A. (1993), Watch What I do, Programming by Demonstration (ed. A. Cypher), MIT press, Cambridge, Ma., USA
Frank, M., Foley, J. (1994), A Pure Reasoning Engine for Programming by Demonstration, in proceedings of UIST’94, ACM press, New York.
Frank, M. R. (1996), Standardizing the Representation of User Tasks, in Acquisition, Learning and Demonstration: Automating Tasks for Users, AAAI Symposium, Technical Report SS-96–02, AAAI press, Menlo Park, Ca., USA
Giroux, S., Paquette, G., Pachet, F., Girard, J. (1996), EpiTalk, a Platform for Epiphyte Advisor Systems Dedicated to both Individual and Collaborative Learning, in proceedings of ITS’96, Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science, to appear, 1996 ( http://www.laforia.ibp.fr/.-fdp/EpiTalk.html ).
Kosbie, D., Myers, B. (1993) A System-Wide Macro Facility Based on Aggregate Events: A proposal, in Watch What I Do (ed. A. Cypher ), MIT press, Cambridge, Ma., USA
Kosbie, D., Myers, B. (1994) Extending Programming By Demonstration With Hierarchical Event Histories, in proceedings of EWHCI’94 (eds. Blumenthal, Gornostaev, Unger) ICSTI, Moscow.
Maulsby, D. (1994), PhD Thesis, University of Calgary, Canada.
Myers, B., Kosbie, D. (1996), Reusable Hierarchical Command Objects, in proceedings of CHI’96, ACM press, NewYork.
Piernot, P., Yvon, M. (1993) The AIDE Project: An Application Independant Demonstrational Environment, in Watch What I Do (ed. A. Cypher ), MIT press, Cambridge, Ma.
Potter, R. (1993) Just-In-Time Programming, in Watch What I Do (ed. Cypher), MIT press, Cambridge, Ma. Yvon, M., Piernot, P., Cot, N. (1996), Programming by Demonstration: Detect Repetitive Tasks in Telecom Services, in proceedings of OZCHI’96 (eds. Hasan, Nicastri ), Ergonomics Society of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
Maes, P., Wexelbat, A. (1996), Interface agents, CHI’96 tutorial notes, ACM press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zeiliger, R., Kosbie, D. (1997). Automating Tasks for Groups of Users : A System-Wide “Epiphyte” Approach. In: Howard, S., Hammond, J., Lindgaard, G. (eds) Human-Computer Interaction INTERACT ’97. IFIP — The International Federation for Information Processing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35175-9_42
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35175-9_42
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5437-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-35175-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive