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. 2000 Jul-Aug;7(4):343-56.
doi: 10.1136/jamia.2000.0070343.

WebEAV: automatic metadata-driven generation of web interfaces to entity-attribute-value databases

P M Nadkarni  1 , C M Brandt, L Marenco
Affiliations

WebEAV: automatic metadata-driven generation of web interfaces to entity-attribute-value databases

P M Nadkarni et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2000 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

The task of creating and maintaining a front end to a large institutional entity-attribute-value (EAV) database can be cumbersome when using traditional client-server technology. Switching to Web technology as a delivery vehicle solves some of these problems but introduces others. In particular, Web development environments tend to be primitive, and many features that client-server developers take for granted are missing. WebEAV is a generic framework for Web development that is intended to streamline the process of Web application development for databases having a significant EAV component. It also addresses some challenging user interface issues that arise when any complex system is created. The authors describe the architecture of WebEAV and provide an overview of its features with suitable examples.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The basic form interface generated for ACT/DB. There are three frames in a “frame set.” The top “leader” frame displays demographics data with, optionally, a set of buttons to enable navigation within the second form. The middle “detail” frame is where data browsing and editing are actually done. The bottom “toolbar” frame is shared across all data entry forms: the forms generator generates only the header and detail frames. In the figure, the user has clicked on the “Prior Chemotherapy” button in the header frame, causing the detail frame to scroll to the subform for Prior Chemotherapy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Part of the same data entry form shown in ▶ is highlighted to show the insertion of a new, blank row for Chemotherapy (the user has clicked on the “Add Record” button.) Notice how the choices of the “Best Response” pulldown list are copied to the new call.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A hierarchic SELECT list in operation. The contents of the “specific type” pull-down box (the child list) are determined dynamically by the contents of the “primary disease” pulldown box (the parent list). Choices specific to chronic myelogenous leukemia appear here.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The study designer's interface to WebEAV as implemented in ACT/DB. The screen snapshot shows some of the metadata in a post-traumatic stress disorder study. Data are presented in a hierarchic “outline” view. Double-clicking on any item in the list displays the details of items below it in the hierarchy. The upper third of the figure shows different types of metadata. In order of increasing indenting level, we have a form (“Hamilton Anxiety Scale”), groups of attributes (“HamAnx”), an attribute (“Fears”), and the contents of a choice set for that attribute (Not Present, Mild, Moderate, etc.). The designer can edit the details of a selected item with the “View/Edit” button. A “Generate All Forms” button generates all Web forms for the study from the metadata. An individual form can also be generated, or regenerated, by viewing or editing its details and clicking a “Generate Web form” button.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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