User interface component

Abstract

A user interface component. One or more embodiments provide a framework to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) for applications and to present information to a user. The framework provides a common look, feel, and usage with a layout that may follow a designated style guide. Aspects of a business (e.g., customers, vendors, or invoices) are created in the form of business objects. An editor that provides the ability to display and modify attributes of each business object (e.g., the address, name and phone number may be attributes of a customer object) is created. A set of commands that implement the changes made in an editor and that are executed upon execution of an event (such as the selection of a button on a display, e.g., a “save” button) are also defined. One or more embodiments of the invention provide for the defining of information relating to a GUI's menu bar, tool bar, and action bar. Such user interface information may be provided in a properties file. One or more embodiments of the invention utilize the properties file to build the GUI menu bar, tool bar, and action bar. One or more embodiments of the invention utilizes information from the properties files and automatically maps the options from the different GUI bars to the appropriate command. Subsequent changes to the GUI bars may be done by updating the properties file without the need for recompilation.