User interfaces for authoring systems with object stores

In an authoring system with an object store, the user interacts with objects directly rather than through textual scripts. Although there is a history of tools and practices for using scripts, there are a number of authoring and user interface problems that can be uniquely addressed by a system based on an object store. We discuss the advantages of authoring systems that have an object store. We then detail a set of functionality and a direct manipulation interface makes full use of these advantages. In so doing, we describe a system that achieves a much greater ease of use and new levels of dynamism.