Space allocation and positioning method for screen display regions in a variable windowing system

• US 5,060,170 A
• Filed: 08/09/1989
• Issued: 10/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bourgeois, Nancy E., Lindquist, Arwin B., Hause, Sandra L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Clark, David L.
• Application Number:
  US07/391,290
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 340/721, 340/734, 340/731, 340/750, 340/798, 340/799
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

In display screen or system technology, a window is a viewing area on the video display. It may be the full screen region or a smaller region represented within a border of typically rectangular shape into which data from application programs and the like may be written for display. One or more windows may appear on the face of a video display screen. In the context of the present invention, the window areas are of variable size selected by the operator and resizing of the regions or areas within each variable window must be modified to suit the newly selected window size. Attributes associated with the regions to be placed within a given window include those for relative priority of display within the window, location within the window and the minimum dimensions of each region to be included within the window. Program controlled operations examine the minimum specifications for the regions to be displayed within a window in comparison with the operator-selected window size in which the regions are to be displayed, and aportion the available window space among the regions to be displayed in accordance with their relative priority and location in the window and their specified minimum sizes, and generate the control parameters necessary for recreating the window display with the appropriate regional spaces allocated and located within the window.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling construction of visual window displays from area specifications describing relative area positions, priorities and minimum sizes comprising the steps of:

determining whether specified minimum dimensions of a composite of specified areas to be displayed within a window are equal to or less than available space within the window; and

if sufficient space is available within the window, allocating final dimensions and arrangement from the available space by first allocating dimensions in a primary axis of orientation and then allocating the dimensions in an axis orthogonal to said primary axis.

2. Method as described in claim 1 further comprising steps of:

said allocating of available window areas among said specified regions is determined by the specified minimum size, priority and position.

3. A method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

allocating the available space of said window among regions to be displayed therein by assigning window space in the primary axis of orientation of the composite regions to be displayed to said regions in the order of their priorities as indicated by said priority specifications.

4. A method as described in claim 3 further comprising:

arranging said regions within said window space in accordance with the relative area position specifications.

5. A computer-implemented method of generating a display of regions within a viewing window comprising steps of:

encoding region control indicators for controlling the generation of region displays, said indicators comprising a primary axis of orientation indicator, a relative regional location indicator, a priority indicator and a minimum dimension indicator; and

allocating space within a specified viewing window among said specified regions by utilizing said indicators in comparison with corresponding characteristics of the viewing window.

6. A method as described in claim 5, further comprising:

allocating the space within the viewing window by assigning first a dimension available in a primary axis of orientation indicated by said primary direction indicator to said regions in the order of the specified region priorities as indicated by said region priority indicators.

7. A method as described in claim 6, further comprising:

arranging said regions within said space in accordance with said relative location indicators of said regions.

8. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising:

allocating space in a direction orthogonal to said primary axis of orientation; and

arranging said regions within said window space in accordance with said relative location indicators.