System and method utilizing drawing handlers for selected properties

• US 20050122326A1
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guzak, Chris J., De Vorchik, David G., Ivanovic, Relja
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for providing graphical representations for selected properties. The system draws each item based on the type of property being shown. For example, for selected types of properties, the drawing may be delegated to a drawing handler component for that specific type of property. For example, if a music rating is being displayed, a special drawing handler component handles the drawing, which, in one example embodiment may be a number of graphical stars. The system is architected so that the drawing handlers are registered independently of the other system components, such that new types of drawing handlers can be added without requiring changes to the other system components. This allows for greater flexibility and simplifies updates to the drawing handlers.

Claims

1. A method for representing a property on a display, comprising:

a drawing handler being assigned to the property;

the drawing handler being called to provide a graphical representation of the property; and

the drawing handler converting a value for the property into a graphical representation which is provided on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation includes a number of elements, and the number of elements is proportional to a numerical value of the property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the drawing handler component is registered independently of the other system components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the drawing handler component is called by an implementation component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a list view component which is responsible for the presentation on the display communicates with the implementation component.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the list view component has different modes, including at least one mode for which the drawing handler component may be required, and at least one mode for which the drawing handler component will not be required.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the list view component has a details mode in which the drawing handler component may be required, but in which the user is able to cancel the column that would otherwise require the drawing handler component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the property represents a rating value of an item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the property represents a physical characteristic of an item, such as available disk space for a disk drive.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of drawing handlers are assigned to a plurality of properties.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein additional drawing handlers may be independently registered and assigned to different properties.

12. A method for representing a property on a display, comprising:

receiving a call to provide a graphical representation of the property value; and

in response to receiving the call, providing a graphical representation that corresponds to the property value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation includes a number of elements, the number of elements being proportional to the numerical value of the property.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the property represents a rating value of an item.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the property represents a physical characteristic of an item.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical representation is produced by a drawing handler component.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein an implementation component makes the call to the drawing handler component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a list view component communicates with the implementation component for providing information on the display.

19. One or more computer-readable media for enabling a computer-program segment to communicate with one or more other computer-program segments for providing a representation of a property on a display, said media comprising:

a set of computer-usable instructions that cause a request to provide a graphical representation of a property to be communicated to one or more other computer-program segments capable of executing said request.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the graphical representation includes a number of elements, the number of elements being proportional to the numerical value of the property.

21. The media of claim 19, wherein the property represents a rating of an item.

22. The media of claim 19, wherein the property represents a physical characteristic of an item.

23. The media of claim 19, wherein the computer-program segments capable of executing the request for producing a graphical representation comprise a drawing handler component.

24. The media of claim 23, wherein the drawing handler component is independently registered.

25. A method of representing a property on a display, comprising:

an implementation component issues a call for providing a graphical representation of a property on the display; and

in response to the call, a drawing handler component produces the graphical representation for the property on the display.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the graphical representation includes a number of elements, the number of elements being proportional to the numeric value of the property.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the drawing handler component is independently registered.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the drawing handler component may be modified without requiring modifications to other system components.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a list view component communicates with the implementation component and organizes the presentation of information on the display.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the list view component has different modes, including at least one mode for which the drawing handler component may be required, and at least one mode for which the drawing handler component is not required.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the list view component has a details mode, in which the user may select or cancel a column which requires the use of the drawing handler component.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein a plurality of drawing handler components are utilized for creating graphical representations for a plurality of properties.

33. One or more computer-readable media for representing a property on a display, comprising:

a set of computer-usable instructions that are independently registered and which operate to produce a graphical representation of the property on the display.

34. The media of claim 33, wherein the graphical representation includes a number of elements, the number of elements corresponding to the numerical value of the property.

35. The media of claim 33, wherein the property represents a rating of an item.

36. The media of claim 33, wherein the property represents a physical characteristic of the item.

37. The media of claim 33, wherein the computer-usable instructions are provided as part of a drawing handler component.

38. A method for providing a representation of a property on a display, comprising:

an implementation component providing to a drawing handler component a numerical value corresponding to the property; and

the drawing handler component converting the numerical value into a graphical representation for the property.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the drawing handler component is registered independently of the implementation component.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein a list view component communicates with the implementation component and is responsible for the organization of items on the display.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the list view component has a plurality of modes, including at least one mode for which the drawing handler component may be required and at least one mode for which the drawing handler component is not required.