Watch What I Do: Programming by Demonstration

Until recently most programming power has been in the hands of the
professional programmer rather than the end user. Programming by Demonstration is a
method that allows end users to create, customize, and extend programs by
demonstrating what the program should do. Programming by Demonstration systems have
existed since 1975, yet this is the first time that information on all of the best
of these systems has been gathered in one place. The first section of the book
describes 18 computer implementations of Programming by Demonstration, and the
second section discusses the problems and opportunities for this method in more
general terms.Included in the appendices is a test suite, a collection of practical
examples illustrating the broad variety of tasks that are amenable to Programming by
Demonstration. The test suite is also useful for researchers, who can evaluate their
own systems in terms of how well they are able to automate these
tasks.

Contents

Introduction

Section
1: Systems; Pygmalion; Tinker; A Predictive Calculator; Rehearsal World; SmallStar;
Peridot; Metamouse; TELS, Eager; Garnet; The Turvy Experience; Chimera; The
Geometer's Sketchpad; Tourmaline; A History-Based Macro by Example System; Mondrian;
Triggers; The AIDE Project

Section II: Components; A History of
Editable Graphical, Histories; Graphical Representation and Feedback in a PBD
System; PBD Invocation Techniques; A System-Wide Macro Facility Based on Aggregate
Events; Making Programming Accessible to Visual Problem Solvers; Using Voice Input
to Disambiguate Intent

Section III: Perspectives; Characterizing
PBD Systems; Demonstrational Interfaces; Just-in-Time Programming