Trouble-shooting system for telephone system

A user interface for a craftsperson's portable signal processing and communication unit incorporates an intermediate translating mechanism, termed "middleware", that is effectively invisible to an operational support system ((OSS), such as an AT&T CAS, and is operative to generate a text/graphics interface having one or more functionall "buttons". The buttons are displayed on the portable unit's contact-sensitive display screen and are invoked by the craftsperson placing a contact pen against the button. When a button is invoked, the middleware interface generates the appropriate alpha-numeric or other code used by the operational support system to represent the invoked function. Such an implementation of the user interface frees the craftsperson from having to be familiar with OSS codes, or look up in a separate database the required alpha-numeric code formats, employed by such support systems.