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Distributed form management

Editor: Robert B. Allen Authors:

Heikki Hämmäinen,

Jari AlasuvantoAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), Volume 8, Issue 1

Pages 50 - 76

https://doi.org/10.1145/78915.78918

Published: 03 January 1990 Publication History

Abstract

An open architecture for distributed form management is described. The model employs object-orientation in describing organizational units as well as individual users as entities with uniform external interfaces. Each entity is represented by an autonomous user agent which operates on local and migrating forms. The form concept encapsulates data, layout, and rules into a unified object which is the basic unit of presentation, processing, storage, and communication. All functionality of the system appears in rules of form classes and all data in instances of these form classes. This approach applies the techniques of computer supported cooperative work to provide a flexible mechanism for interpersonal, intraoffice, and interoffice procedures. The main challenge is to organize the collaboration without affecting the autonomy of individual user agents. In this respect, the contribution of the model is the mechanism for form migration. The dynamic integration of forms into different agents is solved with the coordinated interchange of form classes. A specific inheritance scheme provides the desired flexibility by separating the interrelated private and public form operations within each agent. The paper first describes the architecture by starting from a single agent and moving progressively towards a set of cooperating agents. Then an agent implementation called PAGES is described, experiences reported, and the open issues discussed. A typical distributed ordering procedure is used as an example throughout the text.

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Information Systems

ACM Transactions on Information Systems Volume 8, Issue 1

Jan. 1990

76 pages

ISSN:1046-8188

EISSN:1558-2868

DOI:10.1145/78915

Editor:
Robert B. Allen

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 1990 ACM.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 03 January 1990

Published in TOIS Volume 8, Issue 1

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Worley JCastillo GGeneste LGrabot B(2002)Adding decision support to workflow systems by reusable standard software componentsComputers in Industry10.1016/S0166-3615(02)00063-549:1(123-140)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2002
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Schill AMittasch C(1999)Workflow management systems on top of OSF DCE and OMG CORBADistributed Systems Engineering10.1088/0967-1846/3/4/0053:4(250-262)Online publication date: 1-Jan-1999
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Safran CJones PRind DBush BCytryn KPatel V(1998)Electronic communication and collaboration in a health care practiceArtificial Intelligence in Medicine10.1016/S0933-3657(97)00047-X12:2(137-151)Online publication date: Feb-1998
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Moore S(1995)A communication framework for applicationsProceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, vol.310.1109/HICSS.1995.375613(330-341)Online publication date: 1995
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Mehandjiev Bottaci Phillips (1994)User enhanceability for fast response to changing office needsProceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences HICSS-9410.1109/HICSS.1994.323452(673-682)Online publication date: 1994
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