a method of recognizing graphical objects by subjecting the graphical information gathered through &# 34 ; spying &# 34 ; to a series of rules by which the object becomes understood or recognized as an instance of a standard logical object . before the rules are applied , graphical objects are first interpreted as primitives including groups of text , lines and images . in order to recognize a graphical object as a logical object , the graphical information is subjected to the rules in an iterative process whereby an understanding of the object is continually refined . as the rules are applied , the results are evaluated to determine whether the graphical object can be &# 34 ; mapped &# 34 ; to a standard logical object such as a textfield or listbox . once the object is understood as a logical element with which the user is accustomed , it is possible to interact with the object and obtain data from the object as if it were a standard object with a published interface . by subjecting the graphical data to a series of rules designed specifically to recognize tables , the boundaries and the internal structure of rows and columns will be understood . once the graphical data is recognized as a table , the data which it contains in rows can then be accessed . by classifying an object as an instance of a known object , assumptions can be made about the object so that it can be navigated or validated by sending events or messages .