Gui application development support device, gui display device, and method, and computer program

• US 20050050156A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Naoya, Suzuki, Hironori, Moriwaki, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,823,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An application development supporting apparatus and method that make it possible to easily set and execute various animation representations according to a state of a GUI component are provided. A GUI component is generated based on a logical part and a graphics representation part, and the graphics representation part is made to have an animation execution function based on image files according to the state of the component. By reading and displaying pre-set image data from an image file in accordance with methods that is carried out by a class of a graphics representation component, it becomes possible to carry out various animations with an image that is set according to the state of the component.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled).

14. A GUI application development supporting apparatus for supporting the development of a GUI application that has settings information for functions and display modes of components constituting a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI application development supporting apparatus characterized by comprising:

a graphics representation component storage section that stores graphics representation components in which programs related to graphics representation of the components are stored;

an image storage section that stores animation image data that is readable in accordance with a method defined for the graphics representation components; and

an edit processing section that executes a processes of associating image data that is read in accordance with the state of the components;

characterized in that;

the graphics representation component storage section includes a plurality of graphics representation components in which a plurality of different graphics representation processing execution programs is stored;

the graphics representation component stored in each graphics representation component storage section has a configuration in which the graphics representation component storage sections are individually associated with each read image file; and

the edit processing section has a configuration that is capable of setting different read image data in association with respective states of a plurality of different components.

15. The GUI application development supporting apparatus according to claim 14 characterized by further comprising

a logical component storage section storing a logic component storing a program related to functions of component,

characterized in that

the edit processing section is of a configuration in which a GUI component is generated by combining a logical component extracted from the logical component storage section and a graphics representation component extracted from the graphics representation component storage section.

16. A GUI application program generating method that generates a GUI application having settings information for functions and display modes of components constituting a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI application program generating method characterized by comprising:

a graphics representation component selection step of selectively extracting a graphics representation component from a graphics representation component storage section that stores graphics representation components that store programs related to graphics representation of the components and are associated to each individual read image file; and

an edit processing step of executing a process of associating different image data to be read according to a state of the component corresponding to the graphics representation component selected at the graphics representation component selection step, and of individually setting animation image data to be read according to methods defined for the graphics representation component in association with respective states of a plurality of distinct components.

17. The GUI application program generating method according to claim 16 characterized by further comprising

a step of reading a logical component from a logical component storage section that stores logical components in which programs related to functions of components,

characterized in that

the edit processing step of generating a GUI component by combining a logical component extracted from the logical component storage section and a graphics representation component extracted from the graphics representation component storage section.

18. A computer program that executes a process of generating a GUI application program that has settings information for functions and display modes of components constituting a graphical user interface (GUI), the computer program characterized by comprising:

a graphics representation component selection step of selectively extracting a graphics representation component from a graphics representation component storage section that stores graphics representation components that store programs related to graphics representation of the components and are associated to each individual read image file; and

an edit processing step of executing a process of associating different image data to be read according to a state of the component corresponding to the graphics representation component selected at the graphics representation component selection step, and of setting individually animation image data to be read according to methods defined for the graphics representation component in association with each state of a plurality of distinct components.