Simulation of computer program external interfaces

Claim 2

An interactive method for dynamically simulating a computer program by selectively displaying external interfaces of the computer program on a display device of a programmable digital computer in which a plurality of simulated interfaces are stored in a memory of said digital computer and in which each said simulated interface may be selectively displayed on said display device associated with said digital computer in response to inputs by a user, said method comprising the steps of: logically interconnecting said simulated interfaces stored in memory to create an executable set of simulated computer program interfaces which simulate said computer program; displaying a selected simulated interface stored in memory on said display device upon the entry of a command by a user to initiate an execution of said set of simulated computer program interfaces; during said execution, selectively modifying the appearance of the information on at least one simulated interface upon entry of a command by a user; and storing the modified simulated interface in the memory of said digital computer.

Claim 3

The method as in claim 1 wherein the step of logically interconnecting said simulated interfaces stored in memory is accomplished partially upon the entry of commands by a user.

Claim 4

The method as in claim 2 further comprising the step of: causing the logical interconnection between a simulated interface and another simulated interface stored in memory to be altered upon the entry of a command by the user.

Claim 5

The method as in claim 1 wherein said selected simulated interface stored in memory is a screen or window.

Claim 6

The method as in claim 4 wherein said screen or window is described by a table and further comprising the steps of: creating the screen or window from the table when it is ready to be displayed on said display device; and causing a modified screen or window to be stored as a table as a replacement for the selected screen or window.

Claim 7

The method as in claim 1 wherein the step of logically interconnecting said simulated interfaces stored in memory to create said executable set of simulated computer program interfaces is performed prior to creating program code for a computer program simulated by said executable set of simulated computer program interfaces.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 where the step of selectively modifying comprises: indicating a block of data within said one simulated interface which is to be changed upon entry of a command by a user; causing the appearance of said block of data to be changed upon entry of another command by said user; replacing said one simulated interface with a modified simulated interface in said memory; and causing another simulated interface to be displayed on said display device upon entry of a command by said user.

Claim 9

An interactive computer program for simulating computer program external interfaces in a programmable digital computer, in which a plurality of simulated interfaces are to be stored in the memory of said digital computer and in which said simulated interfaces are intended to be selectively displayed on a display device associated with said digital computer in response to user inputs, said interactive computer program comprising: means within said computer program for logically interconnecting said interfaces to permit the creation of an executable set of simulated computer program interfaces; means within said computer program for causing a selected interface to be displayed on said display device upon the entry of a command by a user which initiates the execution of said set of simulated computer program interfaces; means within said computer program for allowing a user to selectively modify the appearance of information on at least one simulated interface upon entry of a command by the user during execution of said set of simulated computer program interfaces; and means within said computer program for causing a modified simulated interface to be stored in the memory of said digital computer.

Claim 10

An interactive computer program for simulating computer program external interfaces in a programmable digital computer, in which a plurality of simulated interfaces are to be stored in the memory of said digital computer and in which said simulated interfaces are intended to be selectively displayed on a display device associated with said digital computer in response to user inputs, said interactive computer program comprising: means within said computer program for logically interconnecting said interfaces to permit the creation of an executable set of simulated computer program interfaces; means within said computer program for causing a selected interface to be displayed on said display device upon the entry of a command by a user which initiates the execution of said set of simulated computer program interfaces; means within said computer program for allowing a user to selectively modify the appearance of information on at least one simulated interface upon entry of a command by the user during execution of said set of simulated computer program interfaces; and means within said computer program for causing a modified simulated interface to be stored in the memory of said digital computer.

Claim 11

A computer program as in claim 8 further comprising: means within said computer program for causing the logical interconnections among said simulated interfaces to be altered under the control of the user.