System and method for property-based focus navigation in a user interface

• US 20060117267A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramani, Sundaram, Koralski, Atanas Georgiev, Hahn, Henry David
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An improved system and method for focus navigation behavior specification in a user interface is provided. To this end, an application may include declarations that may associate a focus navigation resource with a user interface object and a focus navigation behavior may be dynamically selected for changing the input focus in the user interface. A focus navigation engine may be provided for applying a number of focus navigation behaviors for moving input focus within and among logical groups of user interface objects. A visual representation of the user interface objects with the applied focus navigation behavior may be generated and a display representation may be rendered for presentation on a user interface display.

Claims

1. A computer system for focus navigation of a user interface, comprising:

one or more user interface objects;

one or more focus navigation resources having property values to be selectively applied to the one or more user interface objects;

a focus navigation engine for acting upon the property values of the one or more focus navigation resources to be applied the one or more user interface objects; and

a rendering engine operably coupled to the navigation engine for rendering a display representation of the one or more user interface objects for presentation on a user interface display.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an application operably coupled to the one or more focus navigation resources and the one or more user interface objects, the application having declarations for associating the one or more focus navigation resources with the one or more user interface objects.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an input system operably coupled to the focus navigation engine for communicating input from a device.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tree assembler operably coupled to the focus navigation engine for generating a visual representation of the one or more user interface objects with the applied property values of the one or more focus navigation resources for rendering.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a property engine operably coupled to the focus navigation engine for locating the property values.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a layout engine operably coupled to the focus navigation engine for generating a layout of the one or more user interface objects with the applied property values of the one or more focus navigation resources.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user interface display operably coupled to the rendering engine for displaying the display representation.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a data store operably coupled to the application for persistently storing data of the one or more user interface objects.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising the system of claim 1.

10. A method for focus navigation of a user interface in a computer system, comprising:

receiving notification of focus navigation input to change an input focus of a user interface object;

locating the user interface object that has the input focus;

locating a logical grouping of user interface objects including the user interface object that has the input focus, the logical grouping having an associated property for specifying focus navigation behavior upon receiving focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object;

applying one or more property values of a focus navigation resource to the logical grouping of user interface objects;

generating a visual representation of the user interface objects with the applied one or more property values of the focus navigation resource; and

rendering a display representation of the visual representation for presentation on a user interface display.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

changing the input focus to another user interface object by acting on one or more property values of the focus navigation resource to the logical grouping of user interface objects.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising associating the focus navigation resource with the user interface object.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein associating the focus navigation resource with the user interface object comprises providing one or more declarations assigning the focus navigation resource to the user interface object.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising locating a logical grouping including the user interface object, the logical grouping having an associated property set for specifying focus navigation upon receiving focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises cycling from one user interface object to another within the logical group to change input focus.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises changing the input focus once for each user interface object in the logical group and leaving the input focus on the first or last user interface object in the logical group.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises changing the input focus once for each user interface object in the logical group and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises changing the input focus once in a logical group of user interface objects and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises skipping the logical group for changing input focus and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the focus navigation behavior comprises navigating through the logical group of user interface objects using a specified navigation order for changing input focus and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the specified navigation order comprises an order of the user interface objects in the logical group defined by a tab index.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the tab index comprises an order having a local scope applicable to the logical group.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 10.

24. A method for focus navigation in a user interface in a computer system, comprising:

associating a property to a user interface object, the property specifying focus navigation input to change an input focus of the user interface object;

assigning a property value to the property, the property value specifying a focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object; and

storing the user interface object with the associated property on a computer-readable medium.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising receiving notification of focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object;

applying the property value specifying the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object;

generating a visual representation of the user interface object with the applied focus navigation behavior; and

rendering a display representation of the visual representation for presentation on a user interface display.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the property specifying focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object comprises a property specifying focus navigation input by depressing a tab key on an input device.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the property specifying focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object comprises a property specifying focus navigation input by depressing a control key and a tab key at the same time.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the property specifying focus navigation input to change the input focus of the user interface object comprises a property specifying focus navigation input by depressing an arrow key in an input device.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises changing the input focus by cycling through one or more user interface objects forming a logical grouping that includes the user interface object.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises changing the input focus by cycling in a reverse direction through one or more user interface objects forming a logical grouping that includes the user interface object.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises changing the input focus once for each user interface object in a logical group that includes the user interface object and then leaving the input focus on the last user interface object in the logical group.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises changing the input focus once for each user interface object in a logical group that includes the user interface object and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein changing the input focus once for each user interface object in a logical group that includes the user interface object comprises using a depth first search to select the next user interface object in the logical group organized in a tree.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein changing the input focus once for each user interface object in a logical group that includes the user interface object comprises using a breadth first search to select the next user interface object in the logical group organized in a tree.

35. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises changing the input focus once in a logical group of user interface objects that includes the user interface object and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

36. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises skipping a logical group of user interface objects that includes the user interface object for changing input focus and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

37. The method of claim 24 wherein the focus navigation behavior for changing the input focus of the user interface object comprises navigating through a logical group of user interface objects that includes the user interface object using a specified navigation order for changing input focus and then continuing to the next logical group of user interface objects for changing the input focus.

38. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 24.

39. A method for applying focus navigation of a user interface in a computer system, comprising:

associating a property to a user interface object, the property specifying a logical navigation order for changing an input focus of the user interface object;

assigning a property value to the property, the property value specifying a local scope for applying the logical navigation order for changing the input focus of the user interface object; and

changing the input focus of the user interface object using the logical navigation order.

40. A computer system for focus navigation of a user interface, comprising:

means for receiving notification of focus navigation input to change an input focus of a user interface object;

means for locating the user interface object that has the input focus;

means for applying one or more property values of a focus navigation resource to the user interface object to change the input focus from the user interface object;

means for applying one or more property values of the focus navigation resource to another user interface object to change the input focus to the other user interface object;

means for generating a visual representation of the user interface object and the other user interface object with the applied one or more property values of the focus navigation resource; and

means for rendering a display representation of the visual representation for presentation on a user interface display.