NOTIFICATION OF STATE TRANSITION OF AN OUT-OF-FOCUS APPLICATION

• US 20080046100A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balasubramanian, Swaminathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method, a computer program product, a computer system and a method for supporting an application. The method includes: starting an application having multiple possible states and multiple possible state transitions, the application having rules specifying computer screen display actions to be performed upon state transitions of the application; placing the application in a current display mode and displaying the current display mode on a computer screen; monitoring the state of the software application; upon a state transition of from a current state to a new state, the state transition not initialed by a user of the application, applying a rule associated with the state transition to determine a new display mode; changing a display mode of the application from the current display mode to the new display mode based upon the rules; and displaying the new display mode on the computer screen.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

starting an application having multiple possible states and multiple possible state transitions, said application having rules specifying computer screen display actions to be performed upon state transitions of said application;

placing said application in a current display mode and displaying said current display mode on a computer screen;

monitoring the state of said software application;

upon a state transition of from a current state to a new state, said state transition not initiated by a user of said application, applying a rule associated with said state transition to determine a new display mode;

changing a display mode of said application from said current display mode to said new display mode based upon said rules; and

displaying said new display mode on said computer screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each state of said multiple possible states is independently selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a processing state, an error state, a warning state, an input required state and one or more application specific states.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each rule selects an action selected from the group consisting of (i) bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (ii) waiting a pre-defined duration of time before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iii) waiting until a particular state transition has occurred a pre-defined number of times before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iv) changing a display icon, (v) not changing the display mode of said application, and (vi) other user defined notification actions.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said changing said display icon includes (1) when said displayed icon is a standard icon, adding an overlay icon to said standard icon, said standard icon identifying said application and said overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (2) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, changing said overlay icon, said changed overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (3) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, removing said overlay icon, said standard icon indicating said new state of said application.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

a user configuring one or more of said rules to perform an action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a rule selects from two or more computer screen display modes based on evaluation of an event that caused a particular state transition of said application.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

requesting a rule from a user when a particular state transition occurs for which no rule exists.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

executing a default rule when a particular state transition occurs for which no rule exists.

8-1. A computer program product, comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program therein, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

load an application into computer memory, said software application having multiple possible states and multiple possible state transitions, said application having rules specifying computer screen display actions to be performed upon state transitions of said application;

place said application in a current display mode and display said current display mode on a computer screen;

monitor the state of said software application;

upon a state transition of from a current state to a new state, said state transition not initialed by a user of said application, apply a rule associated with said state transition to determine a new display mode;

change a display mode of said application from said current display mode to said new display mode based upon said rules; and

display said new display mode on said computer screen.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each state of said multiple possible states is independently selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a processing state, an error state, a warning state, an input required state and one or more application specific states.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each rule selects an action selected from the group consisting of (i) bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (ii) waiting a pre-defined duration of time before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iii) waiting until a particular state transition has occurred a pre-defined number of times before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iv) changing a display icon, (v) not changing the display mode of said application, and (vi) other user defined notification actions.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said changing said display icon includes (1) when said displayed icon is a standard icon, adding an overlay icon to said standard icon, said standard icon identifying said application and said overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (2) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, changing said overlay icon, said changed overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (3) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, removing said overlay icon, said standard icon indicating said new state of said application.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to:

request a user to configure one or more of said rules to perform an action.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein a rule selects from two or more computer screen display actions based on evaluation of an event that caused a particular state transition of said application.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to:

request a rule from a user when a particular state transition occurs for which no rule exists.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to:

execute a default rule when a particular state transition occurs for which no rule exists.

17. A computer system comprising a processor, an address/data bus coupled to said processor, and a computer-readable memory unit coupled to communicate with said processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed implement a method for dynamically notifying a user of a change in state of an application running on said computer system, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

loading a software application into said memory unit, said application having multiple possible states and multiple possible state transitions, said application having notification priorities specifying computer screen display actions to be performed upon state transitions of said application or having rules to determine notification priorities;

loading a state transition registry and a state transition handler into said memory unit;

said application registering a set of state transitions and associated notification priorities, associated rules for determining notification priorities, or both associated notification priorities and associated rules for determining notification priorities with said state transition registry;

placing said application in a current display mode and displaying said current display mode on a computer screen;

monitoring the state of said software application;

upon a state transition of from a current state to a new state, said state transition not initialed by a user of said application, notifying said state transition registry of a particular state transition that has occurred;

said transition registry (i) selecting a particular notification priority associated with said particular state transition and passing said particular notification priority to said state transition handler or (ii) said state transition registry requesting said application to evaluate a particular rule associated with said particular state transition, said application evaluating said rule and passing a determined notification priority to said state transition registry, and said state transition registry passing said determined notification priority to said state transition handler;

said state transition handler requesting an operating system running on said computer system to handle either said particular notification priority or said determined notification priority; and

said operating system processing either said particular notification priority or said determined notification priority, said processing resulting in a change of a display mode of said application from said current display mode to said new display mode and displaying said new display mode on said computer screen.

18. The computer system of claim 17:

wherein each state of said multiple possible states is independently selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a processing state, an error state, a warning state, an input required state and an application specific state; and

wherein each rule selects an action selected from the group consisting of (i) bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (ii) waiting a pre-defined duration of time before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iii) waiting until a particular state transition has occurred a pre-defined number of times before bringing said application in-focus or displaying a message box, (iv) changing a display icon, (v) not changing the display mode of said application, and (vi) other user defined notification actions.

19. The computer system of claim 17:

wherein said changing said display icon includes (1) when said displayed icon is a standard icon, adding an overlay icon to said standard icon, said standard icon identifying said application and said overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (2) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, changing said overlay icon, said changed overlay icon indicating said new state of said application or (3) when said displayed icon includes an overlay icon over said standard icon, removing said overlay icon, said standard icon indicating said new state of said application.

20. The computer system of claim 17, the method further including the steps of:

said state transition registry requesting a notification priority or a rule from a user when a particular state transition occurs for which no notification priority or rule exists;

or

state transition registry executing a default notification priority or a default rule when said particular state transition occurs for which no notification priority or rule exists.