Sources of Flexibility in Dynamic Hypertext Generation

Abstract

Dynamic hypertext' is hypertext which is automatically generated at the point of need.A number of NLG systems have now been developed to operate within a hypertext environment; and now that these systems are becoming widely available on the World Wide Web, it is useful to take stock of how well-equipped NLG technology is to work in this new domain.A generation system in a hypertext environment faces a specific set of requirements; here, we discuss those requirements, and the resources that can be provided to help meet them.Examples are drawn from a number of systems, including our own prototype, ILEX-0.We conclude by indicating that the major benefit of such systems could be in the way that they combine flexibility with the illusion of user control.