System of GUI Text Cursor, Caret, and Selection

• US 20070294644A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Yost
• Original Assignee: David Yost
• Inventors: YOST, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

The invention'"'"'s features improve the user interaction of Caret and Selection manipulation in text GUI components. The Precaret, like the Caret, indicates a position between text characters, but unlike the Caret, the Precaret continually tracks the Cursor, jumping from position to position to indicate exactly where the Caret will be placed when the mouse is clicked. The Gapper visually indicates a gap of one or more white space characters in the text or a gap of white space between paragraphs; the Gapper tracks either the Precaret or the Caret, whichever moved last. An enhanced Cursor switches to a less-obtrusive form while it is over text so as not to obscure the position of the Precaret while moving the mouse or the leading edge of the Selection while dragging the mouse. The Caret and Precaret change shape to indicate a special feature of a position within the text, such as the wrapping of one text row to the next.

Claims

1. In a text GUI component, an improved method of positioning a Caret at a character location near the current Cursor location, and displaying a Precaret that moves from character location to character location tracking the Cursor'"'"'s movement from pixel location to pixel location such that the Precaret dynamically displays in real time the location where the Caret will be positioned if the mouse is clicked at the current Cursor location, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining the Caret character location that will result from clicking the Mouse at the present Cursor pixel location;

(c) determining the Caret pixel location corresponding to said character location; and

(d) displaying the Precaret at said Caret pixel location.

2. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the locations and types of invisible spacing characters, and the step of displaying spacing character indicia for and only for spacing characters in the vicinity of a Cursor, comprising steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining the Caret character location that will result from clicking the Mouse at the present Cursor pixel location;

(c) determining if said character position is within a contiguous range of one or more spacing characters containing or adjacent to said character position; and

if and only if so,

(d) displaying highlight indicia for the spacing characters in said range of spacing characters.

3. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the locations and types of invisible spacing characters, and the step of displaying spacing character indicia for and only for spacing characters in the vicinity of a Caret, comprising steps of:

(a) determining if the Caret character location is within a contiguous range of one or more spacing characters containing or adjacent to the Caret character position; and

if and only if so,

(b) displaying highlight indicia for the spacing characters in said range of spacing characters.

4. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the amount of additional vertical spacing attached above or below paragraphs, and the step of displaying indicia for and only for said vertical spacing that is in the vicinity of a Cursor, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining the Caret character location that will result from clicking the Mouse at the present Cursor pixel location;

(c) determining if said character location coincides with the beginning of a paragraph or the end of a paragraph; and

if and only if so,

(c) determining the vertical spacing attached to the bottom of the paragraph above said character position (if any) and the vertical spacing attached to the top of the paragraph below said character position (if any); and

(d) displaying indicia for said vertical spacing.

5. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the amount of additional vertical spacing attached above or below paragraphs, and the step of displaying indicia for and only for said vertical spacing that is in the vicinity of a Carat comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if the Caret character location coincides with the beginning of a paragraph or the end of a paragraph; and

if and only if so,

(b) determining the vertical spacing attached to the bottom of the paragraph above said character position (if any) and the vertical spacing attached to the top of the paragraph below said character position (if any); and

(c) displaying indicia for said vertical spacing.

6. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the characteristics of the left or right end of a row of text, and the step of displaying indicia for said characteristics when and only when a Cursor is in the vicinity of said left or right end of a row of text, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining the Caret character location that will result from clicking the Mouse at the present Cursor pixel location;

(c) determining if said character location coincides with the left or right end of a row of text;

(c) determining the peripheral spacing properties relating to said character location, for example, “

wrapping from previous row”

, “

wrapping to next row”

, “

beginning of text”

, “

end of text”

;

(d) displaying indicia for said spacing properties.

7. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the characteristics of the left or right end of a row of text, and the step of displaying indicia for said characteristics when and only when a Caret is in the vicinity of said left or right end of a row of text, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if the Caret character location coincides with the left or right end of a row of text;

(c) determining the peripheral spacing properties relating to said character location, for example, “

wrapping from previous row”

, “

wrapping to next row”

, “

beginning of text”

, “

end of text”

;

(d) displaying indicia for said spacing properties.

8. In a text GUI component that displays indicia for spacing characters only in a single range of one or more contiguous spacing characters, a method for determining whether a range of spacing characters is a candidate for said display of indicia depending on whether a user most recently moved a Cursor or a Caret comprising steps of:

(a) determining whether the Cursor or the Caret was the object of the most recent user activity; and

(b) if the Cursor was the subject of the most recent activity;

then,

(c) displaying indicia for space characters in the vicinity of the Cursor;

else,

(d) displaying indicia for space characters in the vicinity of the Caret.

9. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying extent of a Selection that will result if a user shift-clicks a Mouse, and the step of displaying in real time an indication of said Selection, where said indication tracks mouse movement prior to clicking the Mouse, comprising steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining that the Shift key is pressed;

(c) determining if the present Cursor pixel location is such that if the user clicks the mouse, a text Selection will be created or modified; and

if so,

(d) displaying indicia of said text Selection.

10. In a text GUI component, an improved method for displaying the location of a Cursor without obscuring text, and displaying an alternate Cursor indicium when the Cursor is within a row of text, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Cursor pixel location;

(b) determining if the Cursor position is within a row of text; and

if so,

(c) displaying a less-obtrusive, alternate Cursor indicium.

11. In a text GUI component employing a Caret, an improved method for displaying the nature of the position of the Caret, and the step of altering the indicia of the Caret depending on features of the surrounding text, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Caret character position;

(b) determining whether the Caret is at beginning of text, at end of text, at beginning of paragraph, at end of paragraph, at beginning of wrapped line, end of wrapped line, or soft return, or at other special locations of interest; and

if so,

(c) displaying alternate Caret indicia indicating the characteristics of said character position.

12. In a text GUI component employing a Precaret, an improved method for displaying the nature of the position of the Precaret, and the step of altering the indicia of the Precaret depending on features of the surrounding text, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the present Precaret character position;

(b) determining whether the Precaret is at beginning of text, at end of text, at beginning of paragraph, at end of paragraph, at beginning of wrapped line, end of wrapped line, or soft return, or at other special locations of interest; and

if so,

(c) displaying alternate Precaret indicia indicating the characteristics of said character position.