Method and System for Implementing a User Interface with Ghosting

• US 20100153888A1
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Jarosz, Joseph P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,110 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/39 Circuit design at the physical level physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347

Abstract

An approach is described for implementing a GUI that an account for illegal operations by the user. Visual ghosting is implemented that includes separation support. If an object is manipulated into an impermissible/unacceptable configuration, ghosting separation is performed to display multiple ghost images, where a first ghost image shows a legal configuration of the object and a second ghost image shows the current configuration of the object. The second ghost continues to track the user'"'"'s manipulation of the object until a legal configuration is achieved. The improved approach provides a visual representation that corresponds to the expected end result, but is also be useful to track the user'"'"'s actions if there is a violation.

Claims

1. A computer program product that includes a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising a plurality of computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a process for implementing a graphical user interface displayed on a display device, the process comprising:

receiving an instruction to manipulate an object in the graphical user interface;

identifying a new configuration for the object;

determining whether the new configuration for the object is acceptable; and

configuring a display device to display a separation of images for the object if the new configuration is not acceptable, where the separation of images comprises a first display image corresponding to a current configuration for the object and a second display image corresponds to an acceptable configuration for the object.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the display device is configured to display a single image if the new configuration is acceptable, where the single image corresponds to the current configuration for the object.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 in which the object is manipulated to an acceptable configuration after being in a state in which the object is in an unacceptable configuration, where the first and second display images are merged into the single image corresponding to the new configuration that is acceptable.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the act of determining whether the new configuration for the object is acceptable is performed by identifying one or more relevant parameters for the object at the new configuration and checking the one or more relevant parameters against rule conditions to determine if there is a violation of a rule condition.

5. The computer program product of claim 4 in which the rule condition corresponds to an overlap rule, where the overlap rule prohibits a first object from overlapping a second object.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 in which the one or more relevant parameters comprises a location for the object, where a Boolean AND operation is performed for the object at the location against other objects to determine if the overlap rule is violated.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the acceptable configuration for the object corresponds to a last legal configuration for the object.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the acceptable configuration for the object corresponds to an optimal configuration for the object that does not violate a rule condition.

9. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the object is manipulated in the graphical user interface by moving the object from a first location to a second location, and the new configuration for the object is not acceptable if the second location causes an overlap of the object with another object.

10. The computer program product of claim 1 in which the graphical user interface is an interface to a computer aided design tool for manipulating graphical design elements.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 in which the computer aided design tool comprises an electronic design automation tool for implementing electronic circuit designs and the graphical design elements comprises electronic design elements.

12. A computer implemented method for implementing a graphical user interface on a display device, comprising:

receiving an instruction to manipulate an object in the graphical user interface;

identifying a new configuration for the object;

determining whether the new configuration for the object is acceptable; and

configuring a display device to display a separation of images for the object if the new configuration is not acceptable, where the separation of images comprises a first display image corresponding to a current configuration for the object and a second display image corresponds to an acceptable configuration for the object.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the display device is configured to display a single image if the new configuration is acceptable, where the single image corresponds to the current configuration for the object.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the object is manipulated to a acceptable configuration after being in a state in which the object is in an unacceptable configuration, where the first and second display images are merged into the single image corresponding to the new configuration that is acceptable.

15. The method of claim 12 in which the act of determining whether the new configuration for the object is acceptable is performed by identifying one or more relevant parameters for the object at the new configuration and checking the one or more relevant parameters against rule conditions to determine if there is a violation of a rule condition.

16. The method of claim 15 in which the rule condition corresponds to an overlap rule, where the overlap rule prohibits a first object from overlapping a second object.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the one or more relevant parameters comprises a location for the object, where a Boolean AND operation is performed for the object at the location against other objects to determine if the overlap rule is violated.

18. The method of claim 12 in which the acceptable configuration for the object corresponds to a last legal configuration for the object.

19. The method of claim 12 in which the acceptable configuration for the object corresponds to an optimal configuration for the object that does not violate a rule condition.

20. The method of claim 12 in which the object is manipulated in the graphical user interface by moving the object from a first location to a second location, and the new configuration for the object is not acceptable if the second location causes an overlap of the object with another object.

21. The method of claim 12 in which the graphical user interface is an interface to a computer aided design tool for manipulating graphical design elements.

22. The method of claim 21 in which the computer aided design tool comprises an electronic design automation tool for implementing electronic circuit designs and the graphical design elements comprises electronic design elements.

23. A system for implementing a graphical user interface on a display device, comprising:

a display device capable of displaying a graphical user interface;

a pointer device controllable by a user for manipulating an object in the graphical user interface; and

a computing system to control image displays on the display device, where the computing system receives instructions corresponding to manipulation of the pointer device to manipulate the object in the graphical user interface, where the display device displays a separation of images for the object if the a configuration for the object is not acceptable, where the separation of images comprises a first display image corresponding to a current configuration for the object and a second display image corresponds to an acceptable configuration for the object.

24. The system of claim 23 in which the display device is configured to display a single image if the new configuration is acceptable, where the single image corresponds to the current configuration for the object.

25. The system of claim 24 in which the object is manipulated to a acceptable configuration after being in a state in which the object is in an unacceptable configuration, where the first and second display images are merged into the single image corresponding to the new configuration that is acceptable.

26. The system of claim 23 in which the act of determining whether the new configuration for the object is acceptable is performed by identifying one or more relevant parameters for the object at the new configuration and checking the one or more relevant parameters against rule conditions to determine if there is a violation of a rule condition.

27. The system of claim 23 in which the acceptable configuration for the object corresponds to a last legal configuration for the object or to an optimal configuration for the object that does not violate a rule condition.

28. The system of claim 23 in which the object is manipulated in the graphical user interface by moving the object from a first location to a second location, and the new configuration for the object is not acceptable if the second location causes an overlap of the object with another object.

29. The system of claim 23 in which the graphical user interface is an interface to a computer aided design tool for manipulating graphical design elements.

30. The method of claim 29 in which the computer aided design tool comprises an electronic design automation tool for implementing electronic circuit designs and the graphical design elements comprises electronic design elements.