Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-08
2001-06-12
dela Torre, Crescelle N. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S960000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246403
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a graphical user interface and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus which converts a text file into a data tree structure which can be used to generate a graphical user interface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A typical approach for creating a graphical user interface (GUI) is to write a software program which is designed to operate in conjunction with a tool kit to cause routines of the windowing system to generate a GUI. For example, the X Window System™ provides a library known as Xt that contains data types called “widgets,” with which application programmers may implement a GUI in the C programming language. Another such tool kit is Motif, which was created by the Open Group.
One of the disadvantages of creating GUIs in this manner is that intensive programming is often required in order to write the software program which interfaces with the tool kit to create the GUI. Also, since these types of tool kits are adapted to be implemented with a particular windowing system (e.g., the X Window™ System), the software program written to work with the tool kit is normally limited to use with the particular windowing system.
Another disadvantage of utilizing a tool kit to create GUIs is that a GUI created in this manner cannot be easily modified. In order to modify the GUI, the software program must be modified or rewritten, which can be a very tedious and time consuming process. Furthermore, this cannot be easily done by anyone other than persons trained or experienced in writing or modifying the particular type of software program. Therefore, if the user of the GUI wants to modify the GUI, doing so will be a difficult task.
Drawing programs are currently available on the market which enable a person to create a GUI by drawing the desired GUI, rather than writing code to create the GUI. One disadvantage of using a drawing program to create a GUI is that a GUI created with a drawing program is difficult to modify. Once the GUI has been created, the drawing program normally cannot be used to modify the GUI. Rather, the GUI file created with the drawing program must be modified in order to modify to GUI. Since the GUI file created with the drawing program normally is not in a form that is easily readable by humans, modifying a GUI created in this manner can be an extremely arduous task. Another disadvantage of using these types of drawing programs to create GUIs is that they are usually designed to be implemented with a particular windowing system and are not adapted to be used with multiple types of windowing systems.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus that can be used for creating a GUI which are suitable for use with different types of windowing systems and which enable a GUI to be easily created and/or modified by a user without having to write code.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for generating a graphical user interface from a text file. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a computer configured to run a software program that enables a user to create a text file by using an input device coupled to a console of the computer. The text file represents a graphical user interface being created. The computer also is configured to run a graphical user interface constructing software program which receives the text file as input and which generates a data tree structure associated with the graphical user interface being created.
Preferably, the computer is also configured to run a graphical user interface generating software program that receives the data tree structure, generates the graphical user interface, and displays the graphical user interface on a display monitor coupled to the computer. The text file created by the user preferably is a two-dimensional pictorial representation of the graphical user interface comprising textual characters arranged to form one or more boxes on the display monitor. Each box has four corners and each corner of the box has an x and a y coordinate associated with it. Each box has a data type associated with it.
The graphical user interface constructing program scans the text file and determines the x and y coordinates of the corners of all of the boxes and the data type associated with each box. The graphical user interface constructing program then generates the data tree structure which comprises a node for each box. Each node identifies the coordinates of the box with which it is associated and the data type corresponding to the box with which it is associated.
The data tree structure includes information identifying ancestral relationships among the boxes of the text file. The ancestral relationship information indicates which box is a parent of another box and which box is a child of another box. A first box is a parent of a second box if the first box encloses the second box in the two-dimensional representation. In this case, the second box is a child of the first box. Each box represents a window in the graphical user interface. Preferably, a data type associated with a box is identified by textual characters arranged on the top edge of the box with which the data type is associated. Each box preferably has a name associated with it and which is identified by textual characters arranged within the box with which the name is associated. The name is displayed in the window corresponding to the box when the graphical user interface is displayed on the display monitor.
Once the data tree structure has been created, the graphical user interface generating software program uses the data tree structure to generate the graphical user interface and displays the graphical user interface on a display monitor coupled to the computer.
In accordance with the method of the present invention, a text file representing a graphical user interface is created using a software program such as an editor program or a word processing program. The graphical user interface constructing program then generates the data tree structure from the text program. The graphical user interface generating program then transforms the data tree structure into the graphical user interface. Therefore, the user can create a graphical user interface by simply creating a text file that represents the graphical user interface. The computer then creates the graphical user interface and displays it on the display monitor.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description drawings and claims.
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dela Torre Crescelle N.
Hewlett--Packard Company
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