Single-window Integrated Development Environment

TL;DR

This paper proposes a single-window GUI model for IDEs to reduce interface complexity, demonstrating its implementation on KDevelop 4 and surveying usability in popular IDEs.

Contribution

Introduces an abstract single-window IDE GUI model, implements it on KDevelop 4, and evaluates usability across various IDEs.

Findings

Single-window interface reduces complexity.

Implementation on KDevelop 4 maintains full IDE functionality.

Usability survey of popular IDEs supports the approach.

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of IDE interface complexity by introducing single-window graphical user interface. This approach lies in removing additional child windows from IDE, thus allowing a user to keep only text editor window open. We describe an abstract model of IDE GUI that is based on most popular modern integrated environments and has generalized user interface parts. Then this abstract model is reorganized into single windowed interface model: access to common IDE functions is provided from the code editing window while utility windows are removed without loss of IDE functionality. After that the implementation of single-window GUI on KDevelop 4 is described. And finally tool views and usability of several well- known IDEs are surveyed.