Innovations in Visualization

Large Display Framework

The Large Display Framework (aka TableTop Framework, buffer framework) provides a foundation to build applications for tabletop displays. The focus is on enabling responsive interaction through a novel concept using buffer for interaction. It also provides an reusable architecture to integrate interaction metaphors into applications.

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"Framework Developer" vs. "Application Developer"

There seems to be a bit of confusion as to what it means to "develop the framework." If you are developing an application that uses the framework, or are developing your own strategies using the framework (from scratch or based on the strategies in the toolkit layers), then chances are you are an application developer, rather than a framework developer.

Here's a diagram to help understand things a bit better:

From the LDF Overview document:

"The I-Buffer layer provides the interaction buffer data structure based on which the entire framework is proposed. The Large Display Framework layer is where the core of the framework is found. It is in this layer that the visual components are organized and that drawing and input handling are assigned to individual components. The Toolkit layer is a collection of classes that provides common functionalities that applications using the framework can employ. The iLab Toolkit layer holds classes shared by researchers in the Interactions Lab at the University of Calgary and that might eventually make their way into the Toolkit layer. The Application layer is where the user creates an application that uses the framework. It takes care of window management and input collection. Any additional classes written by the user are also in this layer."

For a complete description of the different layers, see The LDF Overview Documentation

If, however, you are making fundamental changes to the framework or I-Buffer layers of the project, then chances are that you are a framework developer. I hope that helps clarify things!