Presentation–abstraction–control facts for kids
Presentation–abstraction–control (PAC) is a special way to organize computer programs. Think of it like a blueprint for how different parts of a program work together. It's used for programs that people interact with, like apps on your phone or computer. PAC helps keep these programs neat and tidy by dividing them into three main parts:
- The presentation part is what you see and hear. It's the screen, the buttons, the sounds – everything that shows information to you.
- The abstraction part is like the brain of the program. It handles all the data and does the calculations. It doesn't care how the information looks, just what it is.
- The control part is the manager. It makes sure the presentation and abstraction parts talk to each other correctly. It also manages how the program flows from one step to another.
PAC is a bit like another common way to organize programs called model–view–controller (MVC). However, PAC is different because it uses a hierarchy, like a family tree, of these three-part groups. Each group, or "agent," has its own presentation, abstraction, and control. These agents only talk to each other through their control parts. This design also keeps the presentation and abstraction parts completely separate within each group. This separation can make programs start up faster because the part you see (presentation) can appear before the data part (abstraction) is fully ready.
The History of PAC
Who Created This Design?
The idea of Presentation–abstraction–control was first developed by a French computer scientist named Joëlle Coutaz. She introduced PAC in 1987. Joëlle Coutaz also started a special group at a research lab called IMAG. This group focused on how people interact with computers, which is a big part of what PAC helps with.
See also
In Spanish: Presentación–abstracción–control para niños
- Hierarchical model–view–controller
- Model–view–presenter
- Model–view–viewmodel
