Index: /trunk/autoquest-plugin-alignment/src/main/java/misc/AlignmentHelpers.java
===================================================================
--- /trunk/autoquest-plugin-alignment/src/main/java/misc/AlignmentHelpers.java	(revision 1329)
+++ /trunk/autoquest-plugin-alignment/src/main/java/misc/AlignmentHelpers.java	(revision 1329)
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package misc;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import de.ugoe.cs.autoquest.eventcore.guimodel.GUIModel;
+import de.ugoe.cs.autoquest.eventcore.guimodel.IGUIElement;
+
+
+public class AlignmentHelpers extends GUIModel {
+	
+
+	
+	/**
+	 * 
+	 */
+	private static final long serialVersionUID = -2593092958275693133L;
+
+	/**
+	 * <p>
+	 * return a common denominator for the provided list of GUI elements, i.e. a
+	 * GUI element, that is part of the parent GUI hiearchy of all GUI elements
+	 * in the list. If there is no common denominator, the method returns null.
+	 * </p>
+	 */
+	private static IGUIElement getCommonDenominator(List<IGUIElement> guiElements) {
+		IGUIElement commonDenominator = null;
+
+		if (guiElements.size() > 0) {
+			List<IGUIElement> commonDenominatorPath = new ArrayList<IGUIElement>();
+
+			// create a reference list using the first GUI element
+			IGUIElement guiElement = guiElements.get(0);
+			while (guiElement != null) {
+				// We can use every type
+				// if (guiElementMatchesConsideredTypes(guiElement)) {
+				commonDenominatorPath.add(0, guiElement);
+				// }
+				guiElement = guiElement.getParent();
+			}
+
+			if (commonDenominatorPath.size() == 0) {
+				return null;
+			}
+
+			// for each other GUI element, check the reference list for the
+			// first element in the
+			// path, that is not common to the current one, and delete it as
+			// well as it subsequent
+			// siblings
+			List<IGUIElement> currentPath = new ArrayList<IGUIElement>();
+			for (int i = 1; i < guiElements.size(); i++) {
+				currentPath.clear();
+				guiElement = guiElements.get(i);
+				while (guiElement != null) {
+					// if (guiElementMatchesConsideredTypes(guiElement)) {
+				    currentPath.add(0, guiElement);
+					// }
+					guiElement = guiElement.getParent();
+				}
+
+				// determine the index of the first unequal path element
+				int index = 0;
+				while ((index < commonDenominatorPath.size())
+						&& (index < currentPath.size())
+						&& commonDenominatorPath.get(index).equals(
+								currentPath.get(index))) {
+					index++;
+				}
+
+				// remove all elements from the common denonimator path, that do
+				// not match
+				while (index < commonDenominatorPath.size()) {
+					commonDenominatorPath.remove(index);
+				}
+			}
+
+			if (commonDenominatorPath.size() > 0) {
+				commonDenominator = commonDenominatorPath
+						.get(commonDenominatorPath.size() - 1);
+			}
+		}
+		return commonDenominator;
+	}
+
+	public static int distanceBetween(IGUIElement first, IGUIElement second) {
+
+		int hopcount1 = 0;
+		int hopcount2 = 0;
+		List<IGUIElement> tmp = new ArrayList<IGUIElement>();
+		tmp.add(first);
+		tmp.add(second);
+		IGUIElement commonDenominator = getCommonDenominator(tmp);
+		
+		while(!(first.equals(commonDenominator))) {
+			first = first.getParent();
+			hopcount1++;
+		}
+		
+		while(!(second.equals(commonDenominator))) {
+			second = second.getParent();
+			hopcount2++;
+		}
+
+		return hopcount1 + hopcount2;
+	}
+
+}