Automatic window resize behavior and optimizations

• US 20060236264A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hally, Judson Craig, Cain, Jonathan Marshall, Knudsen, Jeremy Scott
• Application Number:
  US11/108,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20060236264A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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

A method and system for managing the layout of an application window during a resize operation. An application is responsive to a resize request to automatically resize the application window to have minimum height and/or width the dimensions when the user adjusts one or more of the window'"'"'s dimensions below a threshold value. The application is also responsive to the resize request to selectively add or remove control components from the user interface in response to size adjustments to the window being made by the user.

Claims

1. A method of managing an application window displayed via a user interface, said application window having at least one dimension representative of size, said method comprising:

receiving input data from a user defining a requested size for the application window being displayed via the user interface; and

resizing the application window to a selected one of a plurality of default sizes as a function of the requested size, said application window containing one or more pre-defined user interface elements for optimizing the user interface at the selected default size.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defines the requested by inputting a desired value of the application window dimension via a keyboard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defines the requested size by selecting and dragging one or more sides of the application window displayed in the user interface via a mouse.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defines the requested size by selecting and dragging a corner of the application window displayed in the user interface via a mouse.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the requested size of the application window to a threshold size and wherein resizing the application window to the selected default size includes resizing the application window to the threshold size when the requested size is smaller than the threshold size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the input data received from the user includes a requested dimension of the application window, and wherein comparing the requested size to the threshold size includes comparing the requested dimension to a threshold dimension.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein resizing the application window includes resizing the application window to the requested dimension when the requested dimension is greater than the threshold dimension.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein resizing the application window includes resizing the application window to a predetermined minimum dimension when the requested dimension is less than the threshold dimension.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the dimension comprises one or more of the following:

height and width.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

11. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of modifying an application window on the display, said application window having a height and a width, said method comprising:

receiving size data from a user via the user interface selection device, said size data being representative of a desired size of the application window being displayed via the graphical user interface, said size data specifying a desired height and width of the application window;

comparing the specified height and width of the application window to a threshold height and width;

resizing the application window to have the specified height and specified width when the specified height and width are greater than the threshold height and width, respectively, and

resizing the application window to a predetermined minimum height and width when the specified height and width are less than the threshold height and width, respectively, said application window at the predetermined minimum height and width containing one or more pre-defined user interface elements for optimizing the user interface.

12. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components for managing an application window being displayed via a user interface, said application window having at least one dimension defining the size thereof, said components comprising:

a user interface component for receiving input data from a user, said input data defining a requested size for the application window being displayed via the user interface;

a comparing component for comparing the requested size of the application window to a threshold size;

a resizing component for resizing the application window to a selected one of a plurality of default sizes as a function of the requested size, said application window containing one or more pre-defined user interface control elements for optimizing the user interface at the selected default size.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the resizing component includes computer-executable instructions for resizing the application window to the requested size when the requested sized is greater than the threshold size and for resizing the application window to the threshold size when the requested sized is less than the threshold size.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the user interface component receives input data from a user inputting height and width values via a keyboard.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the user interface component is responsive to a change in the position of a vertical border or a horizontal border of the application window to generate a resize request, said resize request defining the requested size of the window as a function of a current position of each of the vertical and horizontal borders.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein input data received by the user interface component includes a requested height and/or a requested width, and wherein the comparing component includes computer-executable instructions for comparing the requested height and/or width to a threshold height and/or width, respectively.

17. The computer-readable media claim 16, wherein the resizing component includes computer-executable instructions for resizing the application window to the requested height when requested height is greater than the threshold height and to the requested width when the requested width is greater than the threshold height.

18. The computer-readable media claim 16, wherein the resizing component includes computer-executable instructions for resizing the application window to have a minimum height when the requested height is less than the threshold height and to have a minimum width when the requested width is less than the threshold width.

19. The computer-readable media claim 12, further comprising a layout component for changing a layout of the control elements contained in the application window when the requested sized is less than the threshold size.

20. The computer-readable media claim 19, wherein the layout component includes computer-executable instructions for removing one or more of the control elements from being displayed in the application window when the requested sized is less than the threshold size.