Interleaving of Modification and Use in Data-driven Tool Development

Programmers working in a Unix-like environment can easily build custom tools by configuring and combining small filter programs in shell scripts. When leaving such a text-based world and entering one that is graphics-based, however, tool building is more difficult because graphical tools are typically not prepared to be easily re-programmed by their users. We propose a data-driven perspective on graphical tools that uses concise scripts as glue between data and views but also as means to express missing data transformations and view items. Given this, we built a framework in Squeak/Smalltalk that promotes low-effort tool construction; it works well for basic programming tools, such as code editors and debuggers, but also for other domains, such as developer chats and issue browsers. We think that this perspective on graphical tools can inspire the creation of new trade-offs in modularity for both data-providing projects and interactive views.