METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESIZING A DISPLAY WINDOW ALONG A DIMENSION

• US 20080005692A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hoblit, Robert S.
• Application Number:
  US11/428,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer usable program to adjust a display window along a dimension. The method includes displaying a display window on a desktop, the display window having a first boundary, a second boundary opposite the first boundary, a third boundary about perpendicular to the first boundary, and a fourth boundary opposite the third boundary. The method further includes receiving a resize command to resize the display window. Finally, the method includes, responsive to receiving the resize command, moving the first boundary with respect to a first window limit and moving the second boundary with respect to a second window limit. The distance between the third boundary and the fourth boundary remains fixed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for adjusting a display window, the computer implemented method comprising:

displaying the display window on a desktop, the display window having a first boundary, a second boundary opposite the first boundary, a third boundary about perpendicular to the first boundary, and a fourth boundary opposite the third boundary;

receiving a resize command to resize the display window; and

responsive to receiving the resize command, moving the first boundary with respect to a first window limit and moving the second boundary with respect to a second window limit, wherein the distance between the third boundary and the fourth boundary remains fixed.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the third boundary and the fourth boundary abuts a line of display window unoccupied pixels.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a stored size state associated with the display window;

reducing the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary, in response to a determination that a stored size state is associated with the dimension; and

resetting a sizing button to display a resize symbol.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a height of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a width of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a resize command occurs in response to a user selecting a width maximize sizing button.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a resize command occurs in response to a user selecting a height maximize sizing button.

8. A computer program product, comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer usable medium, for adjusting a display window, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for displaying the display window on a desktop, the display window having a first boundary, a second boundary opposite the first boundary, a third boundary about perpendicular to the first boundary, and a fourth boundary opposite the third boundary;

computer usable program code for receiving a resize command to resize the display window; and

computer usable program code for, responsive to receiving the resize command, moving the first boundary with respect to a first window limit and moving the second boundary with respect to a second window limit, wherein the distance between the third boundary and the fourth boundary remains fixed.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein one of the third boundary and the fourth boundary abuts a line of display window unoccupied pixels.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code for retrieving a stored size state associated with the display window;

computer usable program code for reducing the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary, in response to a determination that a stored size state is associated with the dimension; and

computer usable program code for resetting a sizing button to display a resize symbol.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a height of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a width of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code for receiving a resize command is responsive to a user selecting a width maximize sizing button.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code for receiving a resize command occurs is responsive to a user selecting a height maximize sizing button.

15. A data processing system comprising:

a processor;

a bus connected to the processor;

a computer usable medium connected to the bus, wherein the computer usable medium contains a set of instructions for adjusting a display window, wherein the processor is adapted to carry out the set of instructions to;

display the display window on a desktop, the display window having a first boundary, a second boundary opposite the first boundary, a third boundary about perpendicular to the first boundary, and a fourth boundary opposite the third boundary;

receive a resize command to resize the display window; and

responsive to receiving the resize command, move the first boundary with respect to a first window limit and move the second boundary with respect to a second window limit, wherein the distance between the third boundary and the fourth boundary remains fixed.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein one of the third boundary and the fourth boundary abuts a line of display window unoccupied pixels.

17. The data processing system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further adapted to carry out the set of instructions to:

retrieve a stored size state associated with the display window;

reduce the distance between the first boundary and the second boundary, in response to a determination that a stored size state is associated with the dimension; and

reset a sizing button to display a resize symbol.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a height of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein a distance between the first boundary and the second boundary comprises one of a width of the display window, a distance between anchored screen elements, and a distance between a display boundary and an anchored screen element.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein receipt of the resize command is responsive to a user selecting one of a width maximize sizing button and a height maximize sizing button.