Interface components involved in a system provide the link between man and machine, or users and computers. Forms provide the visual interface that allows users to input or access data in a windows environment on a computer.

In 1973, the first WYSIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get") type editors were developed. These involved a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a bit-mapped display. Icons were then introduced instead of just words and animated menus were also implemented. Examples such as pop up menus or drop down lists all made it easier to use programs as they removed the necessity to memorize commands and what they did.

Windows are simply areas on a screen which belong to a certain program or document. These windows can be re-sized and moved about the screen. Each window has some basic properties associated with it which determine how it appears on the screen. Its location is specified by a horizontal (x) value and a vertical (y) value which are typically in pixels. Its size is made up of a horizontal and vertical component again which defines the window's width (w) and height (h). Each window also has a "z" property which describes the layer it appears on i.e. which windows appear behind it or in front of it.

Each time a window is moved (e.g. by the click and drag of a mouse), the old bitmap of the image is removed from the screen and the window is redrawn in its new location. Any previously hidden areas of windows that are uncovered by the movement of other windows also need to be redrawn and displayed on the screen.

See the Level 2 Section Interactive Systems and HCI for more information on HCI.

Try a Computer Systems Quiz in the Computing Students Computing Quizzes Section to test your knowledge.

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