NPIB - Network Programming Interface Builder
Motivation for Creating Builder
Builder creates a Forms window from a Flow Control window of networked icons. Previously a 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 Forms 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 C or Fortran programs. Because Visual Numerics, Inc. and SUN Microsystems are sponsoring this effort, 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 students for class assignments. In both cases researchers and/or students can focus their time on the science, rather than the computer science, aspects of their research and/or education projects.
Philosophy:
- Create a distributed visual computing environment
- Use the network to link research and education.
With Java our efforts become platform-independent.
Builder Example.
Revised October 22, 1997
Ron Kriz
http://www.jwave.vt.edu/npib/builder1.0/instructions/Builder_motivation.html