Multi-size control for multiple adjacent workspaces

• US 5,771,042 A
• Filed: 07/17/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Santos-Gomez, Lucinio
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/682,454
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Methods, data processing systems or program products which provide a user interfaces capable of controlling the size of multiple workspaces with limited user input. The size of workspaces is controlled by connecting workspaces to create a single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of adjacent workspaces. Simultaneously resizing of the connected workspaces is done utilizing the single size control separator for the connected workspace and is based upon translation of the size control separator. The border of a workspace may be snapped to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces. Additionally, Size of a workspace may be controlled by connecting common corners of at least three adjacent workspaces to create a corner single size control separator for all at least three adjacent workspaces. The connected workspaces are resized utilizing the corner single size control separator based upon the translation of the corner single size control separator. The corner of a workspace may be snapped to the corner of adjacent workspaces to connect the workspaces and create the corner single size control separator.

Claims

1. A method of controlling size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting workspaces to create a single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace by snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the border of an adjacent workspace; and

resizing connected workspaces utilizing the single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the size control separator.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by user input.

3. A method of controlling the size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment, the method comprising:

connecting common corners of at least three adjacent workspaces to create a corner single size control separator for all of the at least three adjacent workspaces;

resizing the at least three connected workspaces utilizing the corner single size control separator based upon the translation of the corner single size control separator.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said connecting step further comprises the step of snapping the corner of a workspace to the corner of adjacent workspaces to connect the workspaces and create the corner single size control separator for the corners of the at least three adjacent workspaces when the corner of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the common corners of the adjacent workspaces.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by user input.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the translation of the corner single size control separator is unconstrained and wherein the resizing of the workspaces resize the connected workspaces based upon the vertical and horizontal translation of the corner single size control separator.

7. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

connecting workspaces to create a border single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace;

resizing connected workspaces utilizing the border single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the border single size control separator.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said connecting step further comprises the step of snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a border single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the border of an adjacent workspace.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the translation of the border single size control separator is restricted to normal to the direction of the border single size control separator.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by user input.

11. A system for controlling the size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment comprising:

a display device for displaying a user interface having at least two workspaces;

means for connecting workspaces displayed on the display device to create a single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace by snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the border of an adjacent workspace;

means responsive to user input and said means for connecting for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the size control separator.

12. A system according to claim 11, further comprising means for defining said predetermined distance based on user input.

13. A system for controlling the size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment, the apparatus comprising:

a display device for displaying a user interface capable of having at least three workspaces;

means for connecting common corners of at least three adjacent workspaces to create a corner single size control separator for all of said at least three adjacent workspaces;

means, responsive to user input and said means for connecting for resizing said at least three connected workspaces utilizing the corner single size control separator based upon the translation of the corner single size control separator.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said means for connecting further comprises means for snapping the corner of a workspace to the corner of adjacent workspaces to connect the workspaces and create the corner single size control separator for the corners of the at least three adjacent workspaces when the corner of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the common corners of the adjacent workspaces.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising means for defining said predetermined distance based on user input.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein the translation of the corner single size control separator is unconstrained and wherein said means for resizing resizes the connected workspaces based upon the vertical and horizontal translation of the corner single size control separator.

17. A system according to claim 13, further comprising:

means for connecting workspaces to create a border single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace;

means, responsive to user input and said connecting means, for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the border single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the border single size control separator.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein said means for connecting workspaces to create a border single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace comprises means for snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a border single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined border distance from the border of an adjacent workspace.

19. A system according to claim 17, wherein said means for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the border single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the border single size control separator comprises means for restricting the translation of the border single size control separator to normal to the direction of the border single size control separator.

20. A system according to claim 18, further comprising means for defining said predetermined border distance based on user input.

21. A computer program product for controlling the size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer-readable program code means for connecting workspaces displayed on the display device to create a single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace by snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the border of an adjacent workspace,

computer readable program code means, responsive to user input and said computer readable program code means for connecting workspaces, for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the size control separator.

22. A computer program product according to claim 21, further comprising computer-readable program code means for defining said predetermined distance based on user input.

23. A computer program product for controlling the size of multiple workspaces in a user interface environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer-readable program code means for connecting common corners of at least three adjacent workspaces to create a corner single size control separator for all of said at least three adjacent workspaces;

computer-readable program code means, responsive to user input and said computer readable program code means for connecting common corners, for resizing said at least three connected workspaces utilizing the corner single size control separator based upon the translation of the corner single size control separator.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23 wherein said computer-readable program code means for connecting further comprises computer-readable program code means for snapping the corner of a workspace to the corner of adjacent workspaces to connect the workspaces and create the corner single size control separator for the corners of the at least three adjacent workspaces when the corner of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined distance from the common corners of the adjacent workspaces.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24, further comprising computer-readable program code means for defining said predetermined distance based on user input.

26. A computer program product according to claim 23, wherein the translation of the corner single size control separator is unconstrained and wherein said computer-readable program code means for resizing comprises computer readable code means for resizing the connected workspaces based upon the vertical and horizontal translation of the corner single size control separator.

27. A computer program product according to claim 23, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for connecting workspaces to create a border single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace;

computer-readable program code means, responsive to user input and said computer readable program code means for connecting workspaces, for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the border single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the border single size control separator.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein said computer-readable program code means for connecting workspaces to create a border single size control separator for borders of workspaces which are aligned with the border of an adjacent workspace comprises computer-readable program code means for snapping the border of a workspace to the border of an adjacent workspace to connect the workspaces and create a border single size control separator for the borders of the adjacent workspace when the border of a workspace is moved to within a predetermined border distance from the border of an adjacent workspace.

29. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein said computer-readable program code means for resizing connected workspaces utilizing the border single size control separator for the connected workspace based upon translation of the border single size control separator restricts the translation of the border single size control separator to normal to the direction of the border single size control separator.

30. A computer program product according to claim 28, further comprising computer-readable program code means for defining said predetermined border distance based on user input.