Data display system

• US 4,845,644 A
• Filed: 06/09/1987
• Issued: 07/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ricketts, Martin W., Anthias, Tefcros, Herrod, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Herndon, H. R.
• Application Number:
  US07/059,881
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 382/44-45, 340/721, 340/724, 340/729
• US Class Current: 715/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A data display system in which input-output display devices are connected to a central processor, and users select application programs that are run on the central processor. The control system of the central processor includes a display manager control system and a windowing control mechanism which allows a plurality of tasks to be performed concurrently and the results displayed in areas of a display screen. The windowing control mechanism includes, a task manager control program which runs as an application in the display manager control system and includes means to interact, via the display manager, with the operator to allow applications to be initiated, means to create tasks to control the processing of the application in such a way that the applications can be suspended or resumed according to whether the operator is ready for them, and means to identify to the display manager a coordination controller that the display manager can call to allow the task manager to suspend and resume applications. The display manager includes, means to combine data from each application and build a display representation that shows many windows into the various applications onto a single screen, and means to call the coordination controller identified by the task management application so that the task manager can suspend applications that are waiting for input and resume those applications which have input available.

Claims

1. A data display system comprising:

a display device;

a host processor for processing applications;

a task manager control system for initiating the processing of applications on the host processor in response to an operator, said task manager also controlling the processing of multiple applications on the processor, said processing control including suspending the processing of applications waiting for input when no input is available, said processing control including resuming the processing of suspended applications when input becomes available, each application having an associated operator window;

a display manager control system for displaying multiple operator windows on the display device, one of the displayed operator windows being a current window, the remaining operator windows being subordinate windows; and

a coordination controller for identifying the current and subordinate windows, said coordination controller signaling the task manager control system to suspend the processing of an application waiting for input when the application is associated with a subordinate window, said coordination controller signaling the task manager control system to process an application waiting for input when the application is associated with the current window.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which application programs are given access to a virtual display device interface and applications have full use of a display device and in which the applications have no requirement to be aware of the presence of a task manager or the windowing environment.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, in which the display manager provides functions for the operator to manipulate the windows on the display.

4. A data display system as claimed in claim 1, in which input-output display devices are connected to a CPU and users select application programs that are run on the CPU and including a windowing control system which allows a plurality of tasks to be performed concurrently and the results displayed in areas of a display screen,

wherein the windowing control system includes a window manager which interacts with the operator to allow applications to be initiated,

create tasks to control the processing of the application in such a way that the applications can be suspended or resumed according to whether operator is available for them,

and further wherein an application which the window manager controls may itself be a window manager which itself performs the application and tasking control functions described above.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, in which a window manager which controls another window manager as an application need have no awareness of whether an application is a window manager or not or have any awareness of window created by the hierarchically dependent window manager and where conversely the dependent window manager need have no awareness that it is being controlled by another window manager.

6. A data display system as claimed in claim 5, and in which more than one window area displayed on a display screen may overlap.

7. A data display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the coordination controller signals the task manager control system to process an application waiting to produce output to the associated operator window but not waiting for input, whether the application is associated with a current window or a subordinate window; and

when output is produced to an operator window, the coordination controller signals the display manager to update the operator windows displayed on the display device.

8. A data display system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coordination controller identifies the operator windows so that any application can write information to any operator window.

9. A method of operating a data display system comprising a display device and a host processor for processing applications, said method comprising the steps of:

managing the processing of multiple applications by initiating the processing of applications on the host processor in response to an operator, suspending the processing of applications waiting for input when no input is available, and resuming the processing of suspended applications when input becomes available, each applications having an associated operator window;

displaying multiple operator windows on the display device, one of the displayed operator windows being a current window, the remaining operator windows being subordinate windows; and

coordinating control of the managing of the processing of the multiple applications by identifying the current and subordinate windows, signaling the task manager control system to suspend the processing of an application waiting for input when the application is associated with a subordinate window, and signaling the task manager control system to process an application waiting for input when the application is associated with the current window.

10. A method of operating a data display system in which input-output display devices are connected to a central processor and user select application programs that are run on the central processor and including in the control system of the central processor a display manager control system and a windowing control mechanism which allows a plurality of tasks to be performed concurrently and the results displayed in areas of a display screen, said method comprising the steps of:

running a task manager control program which functions as an application in the display manager control system and includes the steps of;

interacting via the display manager, with the operator to allow applications to be initiated,

creating tasks to control the processing of the application in such a way that the applications can be suspended or resumed according to whether operator input is available for them,

identifying to the display manager a coordination controller that the display manager calls to allow the task manager to suspend and resume applications,

combining data from each application and building a display representation that shows many windows into the various applications onto a single screen and,

calling the coordination controller identified by the task management application so that the task manager can suspend applications that are waiting for input and resume those applications which have input available so that it can be resumed.