Prototyping graphical user interfaces

A method in a computing system for generating a graphical user interface (GUI) by converting a prototype GUI into an actual GUI in an automated manner, the prototype GUI simulating a visual appearance of the actual GUI, the method comprising:

• under control of a GUI designer,
• receiving an indication of a new prototype GUI to be generated;
• displaying a visual representation of the prototype GUI;
• and
• generating the prototype GUI by, repeatedly,
• receiving information from the GUI designer about a visual appearance of a GUI element to be added to the prototype GUI, the GUI element of a type that displays data from an external data source when in an actual GUI;
• creating a proxy GUI object to represent the GUI element, the created proxy GUI object including the visual appearance information but lacking a specification of an external data source for the GUI element;
• and
• updating the displayed visual representation of the prototype GUI to include a visual representation of the GUI element that is based on the visual appearance information from the created proxy GUI object and that includes one or more placeholders for data from an external data source;
• converting the prototype GUI into an actual GUI in an automated manner by, for each of the proxy GUI objects, generating a corresponding actual GUI object for the actual GUI that includes the visual appearance information from the proxy GUI object;
• under control of a GUI developer, modifying each of the actual GUI objects to include a specification of an external data source;
• and
• displaying the actual GUI in such a manner as to include displayed GUI elements corresponding to the actual GUI objects, each displayed GUI element based on the visual appearance information from the corresponding actual GUI object and including data from the external data source specified for that actual GUI object,
• so that the displayed actual GUI has the same visual appearance as the updated displayed visual representation of the prototype GUI and includes actual data from external data sources.

A computer-implemented method for creating a prototype graphical user interface (GUI) for conversion to an actual GUI, the method comprising:

• receiving an indication of a prototype GUI to be created;
• receiving indications from a GUI designer of appearance information for GUI elements of the prototype GUI;
• creating proxy GUI objects representing the GUI elements that store the indicated appearance information but that lack information needed for corresponding GUI elements when part of an actual GUI;
• displaying to the GUI designer a visual representation of the prototype GUI that includes visual representations of the GUI elements based on the stored appearance information from the proxy GUI objects;
• and
• automatically converting the proxy GUI objects for the prototype GUI into actual GUI objects for an actual GUI, the actual GUI objects including the appearance information for the GUI elements from the proxy GUI objects, so that the actual GUI objects can be used to display GUI elements in the actual GUI whose appearance matches that of the GUI elements of the prototype GUI but that are able to function as part of the actual GUI.

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing device to create a prototype graphical user interface (GUI) for conversion to an actual GUI, by performing a method comprising:

• receiving indications from a user of appearance information for GUI elements of a prototype GUI;
• creating proxy GUI objects that include the indicated appearance information to represent the GUI elements;
• and
• converting the proxy GUI objects for the prototype GUI into actual GUI objects for an actual GUI, the actual GUI objects including the appearance information for the GUI elements from the proxy GUI objects.

A computer-implemented method for creating an actual graphical user interface (GUI) by converting a prototype GUI, the method comprising:

• receiving indications of multiple proxy GUI objects for a prototype GUI that include appearance information for corresponding GUI elements;
• converting the proxy GUI objects for the prototype GUI into actual GUI objects that include the appearance information from the proxy GUI objects;
• and
• generating an actual GUI that includes GUI elements based at least in part on the actual GUI objects.