Text generalization for editing by demonstration

Abstract

This thesis introduces a prototype scheme, TexEye, for editing by demonstration (EBD). An EBD system allows end users to create programs for text editing tasks without programming. The TexEye scheme proposes a general architecture for EBD systems which is modular and extendible. The foundation of this architecture is a text generalization engine which enables the system to synthesize editing scripts from demonstrated examples. TexEye defines a text pattern representation language and proposes a group of text generalization techniques with which TexEye is able to adequately classify text patterns as well as to effectively and efficiently generalize text patterns incrementally from given examples. TexEye defines a scripting language which is based on an abstract editing model. With this language an editing script consists of a sequence of high-level editing functions formed with a Select&Do template in which a set of context patterns forms the conditionals for an editing function. The formation and generalization of the context patterns from demonstrated examples are one of the key tasks in the script synthesis process. With the text generalization and script creation techniques proposed in TexEye, an EBD system would be able to produce and maintain multiple hypotheses of editing scripts and adopt various strategies in updating and debugging editing scripts.