Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-24
2001-06-26
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252592
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to systems, methods and computer program products, and more particularly, to systems, methods and computer program products used in developing computer program applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Increases in processing capability and decreases in the cost of personal computers has led to the proliferation of personal computers in all aspects of society. Personal computers are utilized in schools, homes and in businesses. Furthermore, with the decreased costs of personal computers, it has become more feasible from a cost perspective to use computers for tasks, and to carry out functions, which were previously done without the use of computers.
Overview—Graphical User Interfaces
The proliferation of computers throughout numerous aspects of life has resulted in efforts to make the use of computers more intuitive. These efforts have caused, at least in part, a trend to include graphical user interfaces in computer program applications as well as in computer program application development tools. Examples of operating systems which provide graphical user interfaces include IBM® OS/2®, Apple® System 7®, and Microsoft® Windows® operating systems. These operating systems all rely on a “window like” work space for applications, operating system information, such as directory information, and program groupings. Multiple windows may be displayed on the screen of a computer display device simultaneously in what is often referred to as a “desktop.” Windows within a desktop are defined by a border which surrounds the window and may also include a title bar and in some cases a series of menu choices which may be implemented in “pull down” menu form and used to manage the appearance and contents of the window. In combination with a pointing device, such as a mouse, windows may be independently moved and resized by “dragging” a border to a new location.
As is well known to those having skill in the art, operating systems and applications operate on a processor which may be a mainframe computer, minicomputer, personal computer, or other hardware platform. Referring to
FIG. 1
, computing environment
100
generally includes a processing unit
110
and a volatile data storage device
120
, typically random access memory (RAM), for providing a working storage for active data and intermediate results. Data in RAM is erased when power to the data processor is removed or a new user session is begun.
Computing environments also include a nonvolatile data storage device
130
for permanent storage of objects. Such a device
130
may be a direct access storage device (DASD), a disk file, a tape file, or erasable optical disk or other well-known device. A display terminal
140
including a cathode ray tube (CRT) or other display, a keyboard and a mouse generally is also operationally connected to the processing unit.
In recent years, many computer program applications have been developed using visual tools which take advantage of graphical user interfaces. The applications which are developed using these visual tools include those applications which themselves have user interaction, and therefore often include graphical user interfaces. Oftentimes, these user interfaces are implemented in a windows environment. The applications may be developed for use in network environments, distributed systems environments, or on stand-alone personal computers.
As part of the application development process, the developer must design and implement the user interface for the application. Thus, the developer uses visual tools to not only select the type of individual user interface element or other component to be included in an application (“visual element”) but also the location of the visual element on the user interface, and any other attributes or properties that are to be associated with the particular element. Visual elements may include, for example, field labels, entry fields, and push buttons. Examples of visual elements are illustrated in FIG.
2
and include the field label “name”, the entry field adjacent to the field label “name” and the two push buttons labeled “Add” and “Delete.” Visual tools typically have a window where they display the value of properties that are associated with a visual element that has been selected by the developer.
Visual elements of a graphical user interface generally are displayed to a user of the application, and are enabled for access by a user in a specific order. This order may be referred to as the “tabbing” order. Thus, “tabbing” order may be defined as the sequence in which visual elements of a user interface for an application will receive “focus” when the “tab” key is pressed by the user. The tabbing order of the elements for an application impacts the ability of an end user of the application to use the application, generally, and, more particularly, impacts the end user's ability to quickly navigate among the visual elements versus multi-step movements using a mouse to cause focus or selection change among the visual elements. Generally, by default, the tabbing order is the order in which the elements were placed on the user interface by the developer during creation of the application. Often, an application developer changes the tabbing order from its initial setting.
Development of Graphical User Interfaces
An application developer faces a number of problems when designing computer program applications, and in particular, when designing the user interfaces for the applications. One problem relates to the expected use of the tabbing order by the applications user and the ability of the developer to view, comprehend and change the tabbing order defined during the development process. The difficulty presented by the first problem to the developer increases as the number of visual elements in the user interface increases. During the development of the user interface for an application, which generally requires designing the visual elements, designing the relationships between the visual elements, and selecting the locations of the visual elements in the user interface, the developer preferably needs to review the visual element designs, relationships and locations in the user interface. This includes being able to review the visual elements and the tabbing order of the visual elements in order to insure the accuracy of the tabbing order.
In addition to reviewing, comprehending and changing the tabbing order of the visual elements in a user interface for an application, a developer generally reviews the properties or attributes associated with the visual elements. The properties or attributes may also be referred to as “state” information. Examples of attributes associated with visual elements include the x,y coordinates identifying the location of the visual element on the user interface, the color of the visual element, and the name used by an internal program when referencing the visual element.
A developer generally views and typically sets the attributes and their corresponding values which are associated with a particular visual element. In addition, the attributes and corresponding values for different visual elements also may be reviewed to verify that the attributes and attribute values for a specific group of visual elements are accurate or as intended by the developer.
As the number of visual elements and the number of attributes associated with visual elements increases, the ability of the developer to view and comprehend the visual elements and their corresponding attributes and attribute values decreases. For example, assume that a developer is designing a user interface having a large number of visual elements, with each visual element having a color attribute with its corresponding value in the RGB color format. The color attribute for each element is to be incremented by a count of ten for each successive visual element in the tabbing order. In order to verify that the RGB value for the color property for each successive visual element is incremented by ten, the developer may individually sele
Consolatti Scott M.
King Dennis D.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Clay A. Bruce
International Business Machines - Corporation
Myers Bigel & Sibley & Sajovec
Nguyen Cao H.
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