Ohio University, as one of the project members of an industrial project called FIPER, has developed a software tool in Java called the ‘Cost Estimator’, which provides a powerful mechanism for estimating the cost of manufacturing any product. Information representing the product must be written in Java code and plugged into the Cost Estimator to deliver an estimate of the cost.
This work – The Cost Element Builder – is an easy way for a user to be able to write and edit Java code representing his product, through a Graphical User Interface (GUI), without necessarily being adept at Java programming.
The tool is integrated into JBuilder as an open tool. It provides a classical IDE based code generator interface, and provides two-way synchronization between the source code and its graphical representation. The tool aims to find utility for both, novice Java programmers, as well as experienced ones.