Model for layout animations

• US 20080120534A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Kevin R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,692,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

Described is a technology (e.g., in Windows® Presentation Foundation) by which user interface elements are reconfigured into a new configuration, with at least some of the elements transitioned from between configurations in an animated manner. To animate, elements have interim data computed therefor between the first configuration and the new configuration over a series of frames. As frames are rendered, the interim layout data provides an animation effect, which may be movement via interim coordinates, resizing via interim size data, and fading in or out via interim opacity data. The layout system may defer computationally expensive layout operations until the elements are in the second configuration. If an element'"'"'s size is not at least a minimum, that element'"'"'s visualization may be changed. If an element'"'"'s content does not fit, a priority among pieces of the content may determine which piece or pieces will be shown.

Claims

1. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

receiving a request to reconfigure a set of elements into a new configuration, each element of the set having first layout data corresponding to an initial laid out state;

determining second layout data for each element in the set of elements in the new configuration corresponding to a final laid out state; and

transitioning at least some of the elements from their initial laid out state to their final laid out state, including determining interim layout data corresponding to each frame of a series of frames such that the interim layout data provides an animation effect.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein determining the final layout data comprises communicating with a pluggable layout algorithm.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the new configuration changes the location of the elements, and wherein transitioning at least some of the elements from their starting layout data to their final layout data comprises computing interim location coordinates as the interim layout data.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the new configuration changes the size of the elements, and wherein transitioning at least some of the elements from their starting layout data to their final layout data comprises computing interim size data as the interim layout data.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the new configuration removes at least one element between the initial laid out state and the final laid out state, and wherein transitioning at least some of the elements from their starting layout data to their final layout data comprises fading out each removed element by determining interim opacity layout data, or moving out each removed element by determining interim location layout data, or both fading out and moving out each removed element.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, setting each removed element to a hidden state when the opacity layout data corresponds to the final layout data for that element, and reconfiguring the new configuration into another new configuration that excludes each element set to the hidden state.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the new configuration adds at least one element between the initial laid out state and the final laid out state, and wherein transitioning at least some of the elements from their starting layout data to their final layout data comprises fading in each added element by determining interim opacity layout data, or moving in each added element by determining interim location layout data, or both fading in and moving in each added element.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the new configuration corresponds to a sort operation that changes the locations of at least two elements between the initial laid out state and the final laid out state, and wherein transitioning at least some of the elements from their starting layout data to their final layout data comprises computing interim location coordinates as the interim layout data for each element having a changed location.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein determining the second layout data comprises, selecting an element, determining if that element has sufficient size for outputting content, and if not, substituting another element for that element or substituting content into that element, for the final laid out state.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein determining the second layout data comprises, selecting an element, determining if that element has sufficient size for all of its content, and if not, accessing priority data to include a subset of the content in that element and exclude other content from that element.

11. In a computing environment, a system comprising, a control that computes interim layout data for elements between an initial laid out state corresponding to a first configuration and a final laid out state corresponding to a second configuration;

and

rendering means coupled to the control for outputting a series of frames based upon varying interim layout data from the control to provide a visible representation of animation of at least some of the elements between the first and second configurations.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of layout algorithms configured for coupling to the control, wherein the control obtains target layout data corresponding to the final laid out state from a selected one of the layout algorithms.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control comprises a dynamic panel control in a Windows®

Presentation Foundation environment, and wherein the layout algorithms comprise dynamic panel layout components in the Windows®

Presentation Foundation environment.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the control computes interim location coordinates as the interim layout data to provide an animated movement effect, computes interim size data as the interim layout data to provide an animated resizing effect, or computes interim opacity data as the interim layout data to provide an animated fading effect, or computes any combination of interim location coordinates, interim size data, or interim opacity data.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising, means for deferring computationally expensive layout operations until the until sufficient resources are available in the computing environment.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising, means for changing the visualization of an element based upon the available size for that element.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising, means for changing the layout of an element'"'"'s content based upon a priority among pieces of the content and the available size of the element.

18. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

receiving a request to reconfigure a set of elements into a new configuration, each element of the set having first layout data corresponding to an initial laid out state;

determining second layout data for each element in the set of elements in the new configuration corresponding to a final laid out state, including,

a) for at least one element, determining whether the available size for that element is at least a minimum size, and if not, changing the visualization of that element; and

b) for at least one element, determining whether content of that element fits within the element'"'"'s, and if not, adjusting the element'"'"'s content based upon a priority among pieces of the content, such that prioritized lesser amount of the content will be rendered in the element; and

transitioning at least some of the elements from their initial laid out state to their final laid out state, including determining interim layout data corresponding to each frame of a series of frames such that the interim layout data provides an animation effect.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining the interim layout data comprises computing interim location coordinates as the interim layout data to provide an animated movement effect, computing interim size data as the interim layout data to provide an animated resizing effect, or computing interim opacity data as the interim layout data to provide an animated fading effect, or computing any combination of interim location coordinates, interim size data, or interim opacity data.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising, deferring computationally expensive layout operations until the elements are in the second configuration.