System and method for displaying a layout of GUI properties panel

• US 20030095142A1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Patrizio, Jonathan, Soderberg, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Mechanism for displaying a layout of graphic user interface properties in a panel. The data is stored in managed object format (MOF) files and defines how the data to be displayed is interrelated. The generic mechanism defines the layout of interrelated object properties, where the layout of similar panels appear differently based on the type of the object of focus. An object is associated with a defined set of properties that may correspond to properties of other objects, as well. The system isolates information that determines the look and feel of status and property layout displays of a GUI into one file. This file can be quickly edited to change the appearance when needed. The application source code utilizes a class schema and the modifiable file is read in and processed when the application is launched. Further changes require the application to be restarted to read in the modified file.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a layout for a graphical user interface properties panel, comprising:

a computing device capable of executing object-oriented computer programs;

a module comprising a GUI running on the computing device;

a first section of object-oriented computer code defining a layout schema for the GUI, the schema comprising class definitions for a tabbed containment class and component classes, and relationships among the defined classes; and

a second section of object-oriented computer code defining instances of classes for tabbed containment classes and component classes, wherein relationships between the GUI and layout of desired containments and components is modifiable in a text file.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a component class comprises at least one class in the group of classes of boxes, items and tables.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein a table comprises at least one table column.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein instances of the tabbed containment class correspond to tabbed sheets on a display, and the tabbed sheets are capable of being displayed in any sequence.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein an instance of a tabbed sheets further comprises a first table, each row in a table row of the first table being associated with corresponding data for a second table.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the second table is populated with data upon selection of a row in the first table.

7. A method for displaying a layout of graphical user interface (GUI) properties panel, comprising:

identifying modifiable parameters of a layout associated with a GUI;

constructing a layout schema associating classes with the identified modifiable parameters;

defining relationships among classes in the layout schema; and

defining instances of the classes defined in the layout schema, the instances corresponding to data maintained by an application using the graphical user interface.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

modifying the layout of the GUI.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein modifying the layout comprises:

editing a file comprising results of defining instances of the classes, wherein editing includes at least one operation selected from the group of addition of a class instance, deletion of a class instance and modification of properties of a class instance.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein modifying the layout comprises:

editing a file comprising the layout schema, wherein editing includes at least one operation selected from the group of addition of a class, deletion of a class, modification of class properties, and alteration of relationships among the classes; and

editing a file comprising results of defining instances of the classes, wherein editing includes at least one operation selected from the group of addition of a class instance, deletion of a class instance and modification of properties of a class instance.

11. A computer readable medium containing code sections for displaying a layout for a graphical user interface (GUI) properties panel, comprising:

a first code section of object-oriented computer code defining a layout schema for the GUI, the schema comprising class definitions for a tabbed containment class and component classes, and relationships among the defined classes; and

a second code section of object-oriented computer code defining instances of classes for tabbed containment classes and component classes, wherein relationships between the GUI and layout of desired containments and components is modifiable in a text file,

wherein a modified second code section represents a modified GUI layout and is read as input into the GUI at application launch time without recompilation of the GUI being necessary.

12. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, further comprising an additional code section comprising a GUI for running on the computing device.

13. A method for displaying a layout of graphical user interface (GUI) properties panel, comprising:

selecting a focus item on a display, wherein the focus item represents a focus object in memory, the focus object having corresponding data in memory, relationships between the focus object, the layout of the focus object in the GUI and focus object corresponding data being defined by a class schema, the schema comprising class definitions for a containment class and component classes, and relationships among the defined classes, and wherein instances of classes defined in the schema are defined in a modifiable text file, the modifiable text file being read by the GUI at application launch time; and

displaying the corresponding data in a layout defined by the schema.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein a component class comprises at least one class in the group of classes of boxes, items and tables.

15. A memory for storing data for access by a graphical user interface (GUI) application program being executed on a data processing system, comprising:

an object-oriented data structure stored in memory, the data structure including information related to a layout class schema for the GUI, the schema comprising class definitions for a tabbed containment class and component classes, and relationships among the defined classes, the class schema being utilized in compilation of the GUI; and

a plurality of instance of classes, the classes being defined in the class schema, wherein the class instances are stored in the memory and correspond to tabbed containment classes and component classes, wherein relationships between the GUI and layout of desired containments and components is modifiable in a text file,

wherein data in the memory are inputs to the GUI upon launching of the GUI application program, thereby avoiding recompilation of the GUI application program when the data in memory is modified.