Graphical user interface buttons and toolbars

• US 20050251753A1
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawyer, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for docking toolbars and for moving buttons from one toolbar to another toolbar on a graphical user interface. A method includes

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a user of a graphical user interface an input requesting the moving of a button from a source toolbar to a destination toolbar, the button having a button presentation and a set of button constraints and the destination toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the constraints being constraints on a presentation of the button or the destination toolbar, respectively;

calculating an adapted presentation of the destination toolbar with the button, including calculating a modified presentation of the button subject to set of button constraints and calculating a modified presentation of the destination toolbar subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

drawing the destination toolbar and the button on the destination toolbar according to the adapted presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the input further includes a request to move a control, the control having a control presentation and a set of control constraints.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

calculating the modified presentation of the button is further subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

calculating the modified presentation of the destination toolbar is further subject to the button constraints.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the destination toolbar includes a set of destination toolbar buttons at a time of the input; and

the toolbar constraints comprise constraints specific to the destination toolbar and constraints derived from the set of destination toolbar buttons.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by vector graphic data; and

calculating a modified presentation of the button comprises calculating a size for the button, where the size is determined solely by the modified presentation of the destination toolbar.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by raster graphic data and the button constraints specify that the button should be presented at one of a fixed number of presentation sizes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the fixed number of presentation sizes includes sizes of 24-by-24 pixels and 32-by-32 pixels.

8. A method comprising:

receiving from a user of a graphical user interface an input requesting the docking of a source toolbar to a destination band, the destination band including a destination toolbar, the source toolbar having one or more source toolbar buttons, each of the one of more source toolbar buttons having a button presentation and a set of button constraints, the source toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the destination toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the constraints being constraints on a presentation of the source toolbar buttons or source toolbar or the destination toolbar, respectively;

calculating an adapted presentation of the destination band with the one or more source toolbar buttons, including calculating a modified presentation of the one or more source toolbar buttons subject to the set of button constraints, calculating a modified presentation of the source toolbar and the destination toolbar subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

drawing the destination band, the destination toolbar and the one or more source toolbar buttons according to the adapted presentation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the destination toolbar includes a set of destination buttons at a time of the input; and

the toolbar constraints comprise constraints specific to the destination toolbar and constraints derived from the set of destination buttons.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by vector graphic data; and

calculating a modified presentation of the one or more source toolbar buttons comprises calculating a size for one or more buttons, where the size is determined solely by the modified presentation of the destination toolbar.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by raster graphic data and the button constraints specify that the one or more source toolbar buttons should be presented at one of a fixed number of presentation sizes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the fixed number of presentation sizes includes sizes of 24-by-24 pixels and 32-by-32 pixels.

13. A computer program product, tangible stored on a computer-readable medium, for drawing a button moved from a source toolbar to a destination toolbar, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive from a user of a graphical user interface (GUI) an input requesting the moving of the button from the source toolbar to the destination toolbar, the button having a button presentation and a set of button constraints and the destination toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the constraints being constraints on a presentation of the button or the destination toolbar, respectively;

calculate an adapted presentation of the destination toolbar with the button, including calculating a modified presentation of the button subject to set of button constraints and calculating a modified presentation of the destination toolbar subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

draw the destination toolbar and the button on the destination toolbar according to the adapted presentation.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein:

calculating the modified presentation of the button is further subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

calculating the modified presentation of the destination toolbar is further subject to the button constraints.

15. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the destination toolbar includes a set of destination buttons at the time of the input; and

the toolbar constraints comprise constraints specific to the destination toolbar and constraints derived from the set of destination buttons.

16. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by vector graphic data; and

calculating a modified presentation of the button comprises calculating a size for the button, where the size is determined solely by the modified presentation of the destination toolbar.

17. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by raster graphic data and the button constraints specify that the button should be presented at one of a fixed number of presentation sizes.

18. The product of claim 17, wherein:

the fixed number of presentation sizes include sizes of 20-by-20 pixels and 32-by-32 pixels.

20. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the destination toolbar includes a set of destination buttons at the time of the input; and

the toolbar constraints comprise constraints specific to the destination toolbar and constraints derived from the set of destination buttons.

21. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by vector graphic data; and

calculating a modified presentation of the button comprises calculating a size for the button, where the size is determined solely by the modified presentation of the destination toolbar.

22. The product of claim 13, wherein:

the button presentation is defined by raster graphic data and the button constraints specify that the button should be presented at one of a fixed number of presentation sizes.

23. The product of claim 22, wherein:

the fixed number of presentation sizes include sizes of 20-by-20 pixels and 32-by-32 pixels.

19. A computer program product, tangible stored on a computer-readable medium, for moving a source toolbar to a destination toolbar, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive from a user of a graphical user interface an input requesting the docking of a source toolbar to a destination band, the destination band including a destination toolbar, the source toolbar having one or more source toolbar buttons, each of the one of more source toolbar buttons having a button presentation and a set of button constraints, the source toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the destination toolbar having a toolbar presentation and a set of toolbar constraints, the constraints being constraints on a presentation of the source toolbar buttons or source toolbar or the destination toolbar, respectively;

calculate an adapted presentation of the destination band with the one or more source toolbar buttons, including calculating a modified presentation of the one or more source toolbar buttons subject to the set of button constraints, calculating a modified presentation of the source toolbar and the destination toolbar subject to the set of toolbar constraints; and

draw the destination band, the destination toolbar and the one or more source toolbar buttons according to the adapted presentation.