System and method for introducing enhanced features into a java swing application program interface

• US 6,993,773 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Broussard, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US09/870,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 709/320, 709/328, 717/100, 717/106, 717/114, 345/744, 719328-332, 719/320, 715762-763
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing additional features in an enhanced version of the portable application program interface, Java Swing. The enhanced API can replace the first generation heavyweight abstract windowing toolkit used by legacy Java application programs, with no changes required to those programs. Thus, legacy applications running on various platforms can benefit from the improved functionality. Among the added features are a consistent, platform neutral GUI look and feel, Unicode font encoding for all text controls, and improved text drawing (based on the use of a high performance Java font rasterizer). The enhanced version of Swing is referred to herein as AWTSwing.

Claims

1. A display system, comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled between the display and a first application program interface (API) and adapted to execute code within the first API during runtime of an application program, wherein execution of said code by the processor generates an image upon the display, such that a look and feel of the image displayed using the first API is the different across diverse operating systems, wherein the first API lacks functionality provided by a second API within a second display system, which is configured for using the second API to generate an image with the same look and feel across diverse operating systems, and wherein the functionality lacked by the first API comprises;

support for Unicode font encoding and font searching capability; and

enhanced text support, including popup menus with cut and paste editing capability, and undo/redo editing,

software components adapted for incorporation into the first API; and

a third API, resulting from the incorporation of the software components into the first API and configured for providing at least some of the functionality present in the second API and absent in the first API, while retaining the look and feel consistency of the second API.

2. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the image generated comprises pixels presented upon the display via the graphical user interface associated with the application program.

3. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the image contains representations of buttons, list boxes and slide bars on which a pointer device can be directed by a user.

4. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program runs under a standard computer operating system, such as Windows, Unix or OS/2.

5. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the application program is written in Java programming language.

6. The display system as recited in claim 5, wherein the first API comprises a Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT), the second API comprises Java Swing and the third API comprises AWT-Swing.

7. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the functionality lacked by the first API further comprises the use of an advanced font rasterizer for the generation of high quality text.

8. The display system as recited in claim 1, wherein the functionality lacked by the first API further comprises consistently proper menu bar behavior, independent of the operating system under which the application program is running.

9. A method for displaying an image, comprising:

running an application program upon a computer, wherein the application program is coupled to a first API adapted for the display of images, such that a look and feel of the images displayed using the first API is inconsistent across diverse operating systems, wherein the first API lacks functionality provided by a second API adapted for the display of images, such that a look and feel of the images displayed using the second API is consistent across diverse operating systems, wherein the functionality lacked by the first API comprises;

support for Unicode font encoding and font searching capability; and

enhanced text support, including popup menus with cut and paste editing capability, and undo/redo editing;

replacing the first API with a third API, created by incorporating into the first API, software components that confer at least some of the functionality present in the second API and absent in the first, and wherein the third API retains the look and feel consistency of the second API; and

re-running the application program.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said displaying comprises presenting pixels upon the display via a graphical user interface associated with the application program.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the displaying the image comprises presenting representations of buttons, list boxes and slide bars upon the display on which a pointer device can be directed by a user.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the application program runs under a standard computer operating system, such as Windows, Unix or OS/2.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the application program is written in Java programming language.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the first API comprises a Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT), the second API comprises Java Swing and the third API comprises AWT-Swing.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the functionality lacked by the first API further comprises the use of an advanced font rasterizer for the generation of high quality text.

16. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the functionality lacked by the first API further comprises consistently proper menu bar behavior, independent of the operating system under which the application program is running.