Dynamic control configuration

• US 20080195951A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Oshiro, Marc Seiji, Law, Veronica, Margolis, Jeffrey Neil, Vong, William Hong
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/735
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A toolbar displays dynamically configured controls based on a size of a window in which an application is running and on the media type presented. A large set of available controls may be available for the toolbar; however, the size of the application window in which the application is running may not be able to display all of the available controls in the window in such as way as to be comfortably used by a user. Accordingly, the controls may be scaled, filtered, and interchanged according to the “real estate” available in the application window, as well as other contextual aspects of the application, to provide a more user-friendly experience.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a size and a media type associated with an application window of a software application executing on a computing system;

evaluating a set of predefined configurations defining one or more controls to be displayed in a toolbar of the application window;

selecting a configuration from the set of predefined configurations, based on the size and the media type associated with the application window;

displaying the selected configuration of the one or more controls in the toolbar.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each predefined configuration is associated with a size condition and the operation of selecting a configuration comprises:

selecting the configuration if the size associated with the application window satisfies the size condition associated with the selected configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining controls having a base control size and a second predefined configuration defining controls having a scaled control size, the scaled control size being scaled from the base control size by a scaling factor less than one.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a size of a full screen application window, and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a size of an application window that is smaller than full screen.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining more controls than a second predefined configuration.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a first size and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining a different version an individual control than a version of the individual control defined in a second predefined configuration.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a first size and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein each predefined configuration is associated with one or more priorities and the operation of selecting a configuration comprises:

determining one or more priority levels in an ordered fashion;

evaluating the one or more priority levels against the one or more priorities;

selecting the configuration having the one or more priority levels that satisfy the one or more priorities and having a toolbar configuration size that satisfies the size of the application window.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more priorities include an exclusion priority and a group replacement priority.

11. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a computer process, the computer process comprising:

determining a size and a media type associated with an application window of a software application executing on a computing system;

selecting a configuration from a set of predefined configurations defining one or more controls to be displayed in a toolbar of the application window, based on the size and the media type associated with the application window;

displaying the selected configuration of the one or more controls in the toolbar.

12. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein each predefined configuration is associated with a size condition and the operation of selecting a configuration comprises:

selecting the configuration if the size associated with the application window satisfies the size condition associated with the selected configuration.

13. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining controls having a base control size and a second predefined configuration defining controls having a scaled control size, the scaled control size being scaled from the base control size by a scaling factor less than one.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a size of a full screen application window, and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a size of an application window that is smaller than full screen.

15. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining more controls than a second predefined configuration.

16. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a first size and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining a different version an individual control than a version of the individual control defined in a second predefined configuration.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the first predefined configuration is associated with a size condition that is satisfied by a first size and the second predefined configuration is associated with a size condition satisfied by a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size.

19. A system comprising:

a processing unit executing computer-readable program code that determines a size and a media type associated with an application window of a software application and selects a configuration from a set of predefined configuration defining one or more controls to be displayed in a toolbar of the application window, based on the size and the media type associated with the application window; and

an output device that displays the selected configuration of the one or more controls in the toolbar.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the set of predefined configurations includes a first predefined configuration defining controls having a base control size and a second predefined configuration defining controls having a scaled control size, the scaled control size being scaled form the base control size by a scaling factor less than one.