Generic User Input for GUI Framework

• US 20060230348A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fahmy, Hesham
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) environment that can consume generic property descriptions from a third party and generate visual properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions include: a property descriptor interface that provides a root interface for a description of any visual property defined by the third party; a property change listener interface that defines a notification listener to listen to specialized property change events; a property interface that defines a visual property having a value that can be set; a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of properties; and a property type interface.

Claims

1. A user interface (UI) environment for consuming generic property descriptions from a third party and generating visual properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions comprise:

a property descriptor interface for providing a root interface for a description of any visual property defined by the third party;

a property change listener interface for defining a notification listener to listen to specialized property change events;

a property interface for defining a visual property having a value that can be set;

a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of visual properties; and

a property type interface.

2. The UI environment of claim 1, wherein the property descriptor interface includes attributes to define:

a name of the visual property, a display name of the visual property, a description of the visual property, an identifier to indicate whether the visual property is enabled, and a bit flag for identifying a visual property type.

3. The UI environment of claim 2, wherein the property descriptor interface further includes a system for adding and removing notification listeners.

4. The UI environment of claim 1, wherein the property interface defines a flag that indicates whether the value of the visual property has been set, and further includes a system for resetting the value of the visual property.

5. The UI environment of claim 1, wherein the interface definitions further comprise:

a single typed property interface;

a single value property interface; and

a multi valued property interface.

6. The UI environment of claim 1, wherein the property type interface includes attributes selected from the group consisting of:

an underlying Java type that the visual property represents;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a hidden property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a read-only property;

a flag indicating if the user is an advanced user;

a flag indicating if the visual property represent a primitive Java type;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a required property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a sensitive property;

a default value for the visual property; and

an enumeration of valid visual property values.

7. A program product stored on a computer readable medium for implementing a user interface environment for consuming generic property descriptions from a third party and generating visual properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions comprise:

a property descriptor interface for providing a root interface for a description of any visual property defined by the third party;

a property change listener interface for defining a notification listener to listen to specialized property change events;

a property interface for defining a visual property having a value that can be set;

a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of visual properties; and

a property type interface.

8. The program product of claim 7, wherein the property descriptor interface includes attributes to define:

a name of the visual property, a display name of the visual property, a description of the visual property, an identifier to indicate whether the visual property is enabled, and a bit flag for identifying a property type.

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein the visual property descriptor interface further includes a system for adding and removing notification listeners.

10. The program product of claim 7, wherein the property interface defines a flag that indicates whether the value of the visual property has been set, and further includes a system for resetting the value of the visual property.

11. The program product of claim 7, wherein the interface definitions further comprise:

a single typed property interface;

a single value property interface; and

a multi valued property interface.

12. The program product of claim 7, wherein the property type interface includes attributes selected from the group consisting of:

an underlying Java type that the visual property represents;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a hidden property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a read-only property;

a flag indicating if the user is an advanced user;

a flag indicating if the visual property represent a primitive Java type;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a required property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a sensitive property;

a default value for the visual property; and

an enumeration of valid visual property values.

13. A method of implementing a user interface environment for consuming generic property descriptions from a third party and graphically displaying visual properties to an end user, comprising:

providing a set of environment independent interface definitions, comprising;

a property descriptor interface for providing a root interface for a description of any visual property defined by the third party,

a property change listener interface for defining a notification listener to listen to specialized property change events,

a property interface for defining a visual property having a value that can be set,

a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of visual properties, and

a property type interface;

inputting a set of property definitions from a third party that conform to the defined interface definitions;

processing the set of environment independent property definitions; and

graphically displaying visual properties based on the set of property definitions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of property definitions are based on a set of abstract implementation classes.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the property descriptor interface includes attributes to define:

a name of the visual property, a display name of the visual property, a description of the visual property, an identifier to indicate whether the visual property is enabled, and a bit flag for identifying a property type.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the property descriptor interface further includes a system for adding and removing notification listeners.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the property interface defines a flag that indicates whether the value of the visual property has been set, and further includes a system for resetting the value of the visual property.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface definitions further comprise:

a single typed property interface;

a single value property interface; and

a multi valued property interface.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the property type interface includes attributes selected from the group consisting of:

an underlying Java type that the visual property represents;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a hidden property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a read-only property;

a flag indicating if the user is an advanced user;

a flag indicating if the visual property represent a primitive Java type;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a required property;

a flag indicating if the visual property is a sensitive property;

a default value for the visual property; and

an enumeration of valid visual property values.

20. A method for deploying an application for graphically displaying visual properties, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

implement a user interface environment that graphically displays third party properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions include a property descriptor interface, a property change listener interface, a property interface, a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of properties, and a property type interface;

input a set of property definitions from a third party that conform to the set of interface definitions;

process the set of property definitions; and

graphically display properties based on the set of property definitions.

21. Computer software embodied in a propagated signal for graphically displaying visual properties, the computer software comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the following functions:

implement a user interface environment that graphically displays third party properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions include a property descriptor interface, a property change listener interface, a property interface, a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of properties, and a property type interface;

input a set of property definitions from a third party that conform to the set of interface definitions;

process the set of property definitions; and

graphically display properties based on the set of property definitions.