Generating presentation constraints from rhetorical structure

Abstract

Hypermedia structured in terms of the higher-level intent of its author can be adapted to a wider variety of final presentations. Many multimedia systems encode such level intent as constraints on either time, spatial layout or navigation. Once specified, these constraints are translated into specific presentations whose timelines, screen displays and navigational structure satisfy these constraints. This ensures that the desired spatial, temporal and navigation properties are maintained no matter how the presentation is adapted to varying circumstances.