Systems and methods for scaling a graphical user interface according to display dimensions and using a tiered sizing schema to define display objects

• US 20030146934A1
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Falcon, Stephen Russell, Banay, Dan, Bailey, Richard St. Clair
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for scaling a graphical user interface (GUI) to fit proportionally in displays of different sizes. Bounds of display objects to be displayed in the graphical user interface are defined in terms of position relative to horizontal and vertical dimensions of a display on which the GUI is rendered. An application defines the GUI in relative terms, but an end user may alter the look and feel of controls in the GUI. A tiered sizing schema is described that provides size constraints for display objects. The end user is limited as to how much a size of a display object can be altered in order to preserve the integrity of the original specifications of the GUI when the GUI is displayed on displays of various dimensions.

Claims

1. A method for determining bounds for a display object that is displayable on a display, comprising:

for each bound, defining a vertical location on the display according to a fraction of a height of the display;

for each bound, defining a horizontal location on the display according to a fraction of a width of the display; and

defining a size of the display object according to a tiered sizing schema that defines multiple sizes according to a fraction of the height and width of the display.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the fraction of the height further comprises a percentage of the height from a top edge of the display; and

the fraction of the width further comprises a percentage of the width from a left edge of the display.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fraction of the height and width of the display further comprises a percentage of the height from a top edge of the display and a percentage of the width from a left edge of the display, respectively.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bounds are defined without regard to display units associated with the display.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising rendering the display object on the display.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing one or more interfaces that enable visual aspects of the display control to be externally defined.

7. A tiered sizing schema, comprising:

a definition for a size of a first-sized display object, the first-sized display object being defined according to a fraction of a height and a width of a display;

a definition for a size of a second-sized display object, the second-sized display object being defined according to the height and width of the display; and

wherein a graphical user interface adhering to the tiered sizing schema may only include display objects having a size of the first-sized display object or the second-sized display object.

8. The tiered sizing schema as recited in claim 7, wherein the fraction of a height and a width of a display further comprises a percentage of the height of the display measured from a top edge of the display, and a percentage of the width of the display measured from a left edge of the display, respectively.

9. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

defining a first bound of a display object on a display on which the display object is displayed according to a fraction of a height of the display and a fraction of a width of the display;

defining a second bound of the display object according to a fraction of the height and width of the display; and

selecting a size for the display object from multiple sizes defined by a tiered sizing schema for display object sizes.

10. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the fraction of the height of the display further comprises a percentage of the height of the display from a top edge of the display.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the fraction of the width of the display further comprises a percentage of the width of the display from a left edge of the display.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising one or more interfaces that enable visual aspects of the display control to be externally defined.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, further comprising rendering the display object on the display.

14. A method, comprising:

defining visual aspects of a graphical user interface to render on a display, the graphical user interface containing at least one display object;

receiving size and location information regarding the display object from an application that utilizes the graphical user interface; and

wherein the size and location of the display object are defined in accordance with a tiered sizing schema.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the tiered sizing schema defines sizes of the display object are allowed for use with the graphical user interface.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the size and location of the display object are determined by two or more bounds locations, each bound location being defined as a fraction of height and width of the bound location with respect to a height and width of the display, respectively.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the fraction of height with respect to the height of the display further comprises a percentage of the height of the display from a top edge of the display.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the fraction of width with respect to the width of the display further comprises a percentage of the width of the display from a left edge of the display.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the defining visual aspects of the graphical user interface further comprises defining visual aspects of display objects in the graphical user interface.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the defining visual aspects of the graphical user interface further comprises defining visual aspects of display objects in the graphical user interface, and wherein the defining visual aspects of the display objects is independent of defining the size and location of the display objects by the application.

21. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the defining visual aspects of the graphical user interface further comprises defining visual aspects of display objects in the graphical user interface.

22. A system, comprising:

an application that defines one or more display objects according to a fraction of a height and width of a display; and

a graphical user interface that defines visual aspects of the one or more display objects.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the defining the display object according to a fraction of the height further comprises defining a height location for at least two bounds for each display object, each height location being defined as a percentage of a the height of the display that the bound is located from a top edge of the display.

24. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the defining the display object according to a fraction of the width further comprises defining a width location for at least two bounds for each display object, each width location being defined as a percentage of a the width of the display that the bound is located from a left edge of the display.

25. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein:

the application defines display objects according to a tiered sizing schema;

the visual aspects of the graphical user interface conform to the tiered sizing schema; and

the tiered sizing schema defining one or more display object sizes to which the display objects contained in the graphical user interface must conform.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the tiered sizing schema further comprises definitions for a small-sized display object, a medium-sized display object, and a large-sized display object.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the tiered sizing schema defines the sizes according to a fraction of the height and width of the display.

28. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the tiered sizing schema defines the sizes according to a percentage of the display that the display object may occupy.