INFOCENTER USER INTERFACE FOR APPLETS AND COMPONENTS

A mechanism for generating customized graphical user interfaces for applications in an object-oriented environment is disclosed. Such applications may comprise Java beans, applets or components. The graphic user interface comprises a visual user interface, e.g. an action bar which contain a set of buttons and menus as well as a set of widget and property/command panels, as well as a communication interface through which configuration and user responses are exchanged with the applications. The relationship between the graphic user interface and an applet is based on the applet communicating selection and user interface information to the graphic user interface, and the graphic user interface handling the user gestures by calling methods on specific interfaces of the applet. Communications between the graphic user interface and applets occur over an information bus architecture referred to as the InfoBus.