Creating the data model

A fundamental step in creating a document component, whether it be for a Basic Document, Compound Document, or Presentation framework document, is designing the data model. The primary responsibility of a model is to store and organize data. The model should represent pure data, separate from its presentation. Within the Presentation framework data is presented visually, but in other frameworks it might be presented in other forms, for example, using sound.

It is important to keep the data in the model completely independent of the visual representation. This allows flexibility in the user interface design. A model that isn't dependent on a specific representation is also more reusable. Multiple presentations can be created on a single model. For example, the same data in a "sound" model can be represented both by a waveform drawing and by the actual sound played through the speaker. Similarly, data in a "spreadsheet" model can be visualized by a bar graph, pie chart, or spreadsheet presentation.

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