System and method for manipulating toolbar component dimensions

• US 7,409,646 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: VedBrat, Kanwal, Xu, Jingyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu D
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US10/464,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20040261036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 715/815, 715/845
• US Class Current: 715/815
• 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

A system and method for manipulating toolbar dimensions are provided. Each toolbar includes a number of toolbar components having a textual representation and a graphic representation. As the toolbar dimensions are adjusted, a first size threshold defines when to adjust the graphic representation while maintaining the text representation, a second size threshold defines when to omit the textual representation and adjust the graphic representation and a third size threshold determines when to omit the graphic representation and fix the textual representation.

Claims

1. In a computer system including a display and at least one user input device, a method for manipulating the dimensions of a toolbar, wherein the toolbar includes one or more toolbar components including a graphical representation and a textual representation and wherein the toolbar is associated with at least one reference attribute, the method comprising:

obtaining user input corresponding to a modification of a dimension of the toolbar;

obtaining a current reference attribute value for the toolbar corresponding to the modification;

if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between a maximum size threshold and a first threshold, adjusting dimensions of the graphical representation of each toolbar component relative to the modified dimension of the toolbar while maintaining the relative position of the toolbar components to each other and displaying the toolbar such that the adjusted graphical representation and the textual representation of each toolbar component is displayed;

if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between the first threshold and a second threshold, adjusting dimensions of the graphical representation of each toolbar component relative to the modified dimension of the toolbar while maintaining the relative position of the toolbar components to each other and displaying the toolbar such that the adjusted graphical representation but not the textual representation of each toolbar component is displayed; and

if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between the second threshold and a base threshold, fixing the dimensions of the textual representation of each toolbar component relative to the modified dimension of the toolbar while maintaining the relative position of the toolbar components to each other and displaying the toolbar such that the textual representation but not the graphical representation of each toolbar component is displayed.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the toolbar includes at least one graphical control for manipulating the dimensions of the toolbar and wherein the user input is a graphical user input device manipulation of the graphical control.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user input is keyboard input manipulation of the toolbar.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the keyboard input corresponds to manipulating a numerical dimension of the toolbar.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the keyboard input corresponds to manipulating arrow keys.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user input corresponds to a user manipulation of a window associated with the toolbar.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the toolbar reference attribute is a length of each toolbar component.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the toolbar reference attribute is a height of each toolbar component.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between a maximum size threshold and a first threshold, maintaining the dimension of the textual representation.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between the first threshold and the second threshold:

determining whether each toolbar component currently includes the graphic representation and the textual representation; and

if each toolbar component currently includes the graphic representation and the textual representation, for each toolbar component, omitting the textual representation and enlarging the dimensions of the graphic representation corresponding to a current dimension of each toolbar component.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between the first threshold and the second threshold:

determining whether each toolbar component currently includes only a textual representation; and

if each toolbar component currently includes only a textual representation, for each toolbar component, omitting the textual representation and display the graphic representation.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein if the current reference attribute value for the toolbar is between the second threshold and the base threshold:

determining whether each toolbar component currently includes the graphic representation only; and

if each toolbar component currently includes the graphic portion only, omitting the graphic portion, adding the textual representation to each toolbar component, and enlarging the dimensions of the textual representation.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic representations and the textual representations for each toolbar component are different.