Form skin and design time WYSIWYG for .net compact framework

• US 20060041858A1
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yan, Xin, Amos, Keira L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,757,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A WYSIWYG visual programming environment for programming applications for portable computer devices is provided. The developer selects a form skin based on the underlying portable computer device that the developer intends the application to execute on. The form skin appears to the developer as a graphic modeled after the actual device. The developer is able to drag and drop GUI elements onto the form, where they appear at approximately the same size and resolution as they would to the user of the actual device, regardless of the resolution used on the developer'"'"'s computing device. The developer is able to associate code with the GUI elements, as well as any softkeys that appear on the form skin. The developer is able to test the application by emulating the hardware of the portable device, and operating the device using the form skin. Through the form skin, the developer is able to see nearly exactly how the application will look and operate on the underlying portable device without having to leave the development environment.

Claims

1. A method for programming an application, comprising:

selecting a form skin, wherein the form skin appears similar to a portable computer device;

selecting one or more graphical user interface items from a list of graphical user interface items;

adding the graphical user interface items to the form skin; and

associating code with the graphical user interface items.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a form skin orientation; and

testing the added graphical user interface items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein testing the added graphical user interface items comprises selecting a different form skin orientation and determining if the added graphical user interface items display correctly.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein testing the added graphical user interface items comprises selecting a different form skin and determining if the added graphical user interface items display correctly on the different form skin.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the form skin comprises:

a form corresponding to a screen on the portable computer device, wherein the form is displayed on the computing device at about the same size and resolution as the screen of the portable device; and

a skin corresponding to a body of the portable computer device, wherein the skin surrounds the form, and is displayed on the computing device at about the same size as the body of the portable computer device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adding the graphical user interface items to the form skin comprises adding the graphical user interface items to the form.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the form skin further comprises a softkey, wherein the softkey corresponds to an input on the body of the portable computer device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein associating code with the graphical user interface items further comprises associating code with the softkey.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the list of graphical user interface items includes only items suitable for use on the portable computer device.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface items appear similar to corresponding graphical user interface items on the portable computer device.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the list of graphical user interface items is pre-selected by a manufacturer of the portable computer device.

12. A system for programming applications, the system comprising:

a computing device, comprising a display and an input device;

a programming environment executing on the computing device;

a plurality of form skins, comprised within the programming environment, each form skin corresponding to a portable computer;

a plurality of graphical user interface objects; and

a plurality of control designer components, each control designer component corresponding to a graphical user interface object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each form skin is supplied by a manufacturer of the corresponding portable computer.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein each form skin is represented by an XML file and a graphics file.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of graphical user interface objects has associated executable code.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the code is edited by selecting the associated graphical user interface object.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of form skins comprises:

a form, capable of receiving the graphical user interface objects, and corresponding to a screen of the portable computer, wherein the form appears at about the same size and resolution as the screen of the portable computer on the display of the computing device; and

a skin, corresponding to a body of the portable computer, wherein the skin appears at about the same size as the body of the portable computer on the display.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of form skins further comprises a softkey, corresponding to an input of the portable computer device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each softkey has associated executable code.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the code is edited by selecting the associated softkey.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface objects correspond to graphical user interface objects supported by the portable computer device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of control designer components render the associated graphical user interface objects in the form to appear similar to the corresponding graphical user interface objects supported by the portable computer device.

23. A form skin for programming an application for a portable computer device, comprising:

a form, corresponding to a screen of the portable computer device, and the form appears at about the same size and resolution on a workstation as a screen of the portable computer device; and

a skin, corresponding to a body of the portable computer, and the skin appears at about the same size on the workstation as a body of the portable device.

24. The form skin of claim 23, further comprising a plurality of user interface objects comprised in the form, and each of the user interface objects appear and behave similarly on the workstation as associated user interface objects of the portable device.

25. The form skin of claim 24, further comprising a control designer component for each of the user interface objects, wherein the control designer components cause their respective user interface object to behave and appear similar to the associate user interface objects on the portable device.

26. The form skin of claim 23, further comprising a softkey, corresponding to an input on the portable device.

27. The form skin of claim 26, further comprising changing the appearance of a cursor when the cursor is passed over the softkey.

28. The form skin of claim 26, further comprising a tooltip associated with each softkey.

29. The form skin of claim 28, further comprising displaying the tooltip associated with the softkey when a cursor is passed over the softkey.

30. The form skin of claim 23, wherein the form skin can be oriented in either portrait or landscape mode.

31. The form skin of claim 23, wherein the form skin is comprised within an XML file and a graphics file.

32. The form skin of claim 23, wherein the form skin is provided using the specifications of the portable computer device.