Method and system for automatically resizing and repositioning windows in response to changes in display

• US 6,473,102 B1
• Filed: 05/11/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Fullerton, Guyerik B., Rodden, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/309,286
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/781, 345/788, 345/798, 345/800, 345/801, 345/784, 345/785, 345/840, 345/802, 345/767, 345/698, 345/699
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Windows in a graphical user interface are automatically repositioned and resized in response to changes in a display configuration. If a window is not capable of being fully displayed within the reconfigured display area, it is constrained to fit the available space. In determining the constraints for the window, the window is given a size which permits an integral amount of information to be displayed to the user. If a minimum required size is not already present in the available display area, the window is moved into the available area until the minimum size is attained. If the visible portion of the window already contains the minimum required area, a determination is made whether additional integral components of the window can be displayed. The window is then appropriately shrunk or expanded to permit an integral number of components to be displayed, and control elements are added to the window. The position of the window is varied so that it conforms to the position it occupied prior to the change in configuration so that, if the user expects to have the window at a particular position, it will remain at that position regardless of changes in the size or resolution of the display device.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining predetermined information at an accessible position in a graphical user interface for a computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication that an event has occurred which could affect the accessibility of the predetermined information;

calculating the size of an object which is required to display a minimum amount of said information;

determining whether an object of a size sufficient to contain said minimum amount of information is visible on a display device for the computer;

moving an object of said size onto the visible portion of the display device if such object is not visible in its entirety;

determining an integral number of units of said minimal amount of information that can be contained in the object that is visible on the display device;

resizing the object to accommodate said integral number of units; and

displaying the object and the integral number of units on the display device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said object is a window.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said object is a utility window which contains user-accessible buttons, and said minimum amount of information comprises one button.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said event is a change in the effective display area of the display device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said change in effective display area comprises a change in the resolution of the display device.

6. The method of claim 4 further including the steps of determining the position of at least one point on the object within the visible portion of the display prior to the occurrence of said event, and positioning said object so that said point occupies the same position in the visible portion of the display after the occurrence of said event.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said event is a movement of the object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating step comprises the calculation of a preferred size for an object which is capable of displaying all of the predetermined information, and determining whether an object of said preferred size is visible on the computer in its entirety.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the step of adding at least one scroll bar to the object if the displayed object is not of said preferred size.

10. A computer-readable medium containing an executable program which carries out the steps of:

receiving an indication that an event has occurred which could affect the accessibility of the predetermined information;

calculating the size of an object which is required to display a minimum amount of said information;

determining whether an object of a size sufficient to contain said minimum amount of information is visible on a display device;

moving an object of said size onto the visible portion of the display device if such object is not visible in its entirety;

determining an integral number of units of said minimal amount of information that can be contained in the object that is visible on the display device;

resizing the object to accommodate said integral number of units; and

displaying the object and the integral number of units on the display device.

11. A method for maintaining predetermined information at an accessible position in a graphical user interface for a computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication that an event has occurred which could have an affect upon the accessibility of the predetermined information;

calculating a preferred size for an object which is capable of displaying all of the predetermined information;

determining whether an object of said preferred size is visible on the computer in its entirety;

determining an integral number of units of information that can be contained in the object that is visible on the display device, if an object of the preferred size is not visible in its entirety;

resizing the object to accommodate said integral number of units; and

displaying the object and the integral number of units on the display device.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the step of moving the object if its size is less than that required to contain one integral unit of information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said object is a window, and said integral unit of information is a user-accessible button within said window.

14. The method of claim 11 further including the steps of determining the position of at least one point on the object within the visible portion of the display prior to the occurrence of said event, and positioning said object so that said point occupies the same position in the visible portion of the display after the occurrence of said event.

15. A system for displaying control elements within a graphical user interface, comprising:

a display device having a display area whose effective size can be varied;

a graphical user interface for controlling said display device to generate an image of a graphical object containing at least one user-accessible control element;

means responsive to a change in the effective size of the display area for determining an integral number of control elements that can be contained in the portion of said graphical object which is visible in the display area;

means for automatically moving the graphical object if its visible portion cannot accommodate at least one control element; and

means for resizing the graphical object to accommodate said integral number of control elements.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said graphical object is a window and said user-accessible control element is a button within said window.

17. The system of claim 15 further including means for determining the position of at least one point on the object within said display area prior to said change in effective size, and means for positioning said object so that said point occupies the same position after said change.

18. A graphical user interface for a computer system, comprising:

means responsive to an event which could affect the display of a graphical object in said user interface, for determining a minimum amount of information to be contained in the portion of said graphical object which is visible in a display area;

means for automatically moving the graphical object if its visible portion cannot accommodate said minimum amount of information; and

means for resizing the graphical object to accommodate said minimum amount of information.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said event is movement of the graphical object.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said event is a change in the configuration of a display system on which said user interface is displayed.

21. The system of claim 18 further including means for determining the position of at least one point on the object within said display area prior to said event, and means for positioning said object so that said point occupies the same position after said event.

22. A graphical user interface for a computer system, comprising:

means responsive to an event which could affect the display of a graphical object in said user interface, for determining a minimum amount of information to be contained in the portion of said graphical object which is visible in a display area;

means for determining whether the portion of the graphical object which is visible in said display area contains said minimum amount of information; and

means for resizing the graphical object to accommodate said minimum amount of information.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said event is movement of the graphical object.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said event is a change in the configuration of a display system on which said user interface is displayed.

25. The system of claim 22 further including means for determining the position of at least one point on the object within said display area prior to said event, and means for positioning said object so that said point occupies the same position after said event.

26. In a computer system, a method for maintaining access to information associated with a window of a graphical user interface, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a change in display environment;

determining, subsequent to the change in display environment, whether the window, in its entirety, is within a displayable area of the display environment;

identifying the visible portion of the window, if the entire window is not within the displayable area;

determining whether the visible portion of the window is sufficient to accommodate a minimum number of information units; and

adjusting the visible portion of the window as a function of said determination as to whether the visible portion of the window is sufficient to accommodate the minimum number of information units.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of detecting a change in display environment comprises the step of:

detecting a change in display resolution.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the display environment comprises a displayable area and a non-displayable area.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of adjusting the visible portion of the window comprises the step of:

shifting the window if it is determined that the visible portion of the window cannot accommodate the minimum number of information units, wherein said shifting results in a greater portion of the window being within the displayable area and wherein the visible portion of the window is, after the shifting operation, sufficient to accommodate the minimum number of information units.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of:

determining a second number of information units that can be accommodated by the visible portion of the window, where it is determined that the visible portion of the window can accommodate at least said minimum number of information units.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of adjusting the visible portion of the window comprises the step of:

adjusting the window so that it is no larger than necessary to accommodate the second number of information units.