BIB-VERSION:: CS-TR-v2.0
          ID:: STAN//CS-TN-98-75
       ENTRY:: May 18, 1998
ORGANIZATION:: Stanford University, Department of Computer Science
       TITLE:: An Extensible Constructor Tool for the Rapid, Interactive
               Design of Query Synthesizers
        TYPE:: Technical Note
      AUTHOR:: Baldonado, Michelle
      AUTHOR:: Katz, Seth
      AUTHOR:: Paepcke, Andreas
      AUTHOR:: Chang, Chen-Chuan K.
      AUTHOR:: Garcia-Molina, Hector
      AUTHOR:: Winograd, Terry
        DATE:: May 1998
       PAGES:: 10
    ABSTRACT:: We describe an extensible constructor tool that helps
               information experts (e.g., librarians) create specialized
               query synthesizers for heterogeneous digital-library
               environments. A query synthesizer provides a graphical user
               interface in which a digital-library patron can specify a
               high-level, fielded, multi-source query. Furthermore, a query
               synthesizer interacts with a query translator and an
               attribute translator to transform high-level queries into
               sets of source-specific queries. We discuss how the
               constructor can facilitate discovery of available attributes
               (e.g., title), collation of schemas from different sources,
               selection of input widgets for a synthesizer (e.g., a text
               box or a drop-down list widget to support input of controlled
               vocabulary),, and other design aspects. We also describe a
               prototype constructor we implemented, based on the Stanford
               InfoBus and metadata architecture.
       NOTES:: [Adminitrivia V1/Prg/19980518]
         END:: STAN//CS-TN-98-75