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System and method for property-based focus navigation in a user interface

  • US 7,636,897 B2
  • Filed: 11/19/2004
  • Issued: 12/22/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer system for changing focus between different objects of a user interface and in a declarative manner that allows an application developer to customize how focus changes between the different objects and how navigation of focus between the different objects will behave for the objects during runtime interactions with a user of an application, the computer system comprising:

  • a processor; and

    computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to;

    display, using an application executing on the computer system, a plurality of user interface objects organized in two or more logical groupings, a first user interface object of the plurality of user interface objects being displayed as having input focus;

    receive user input;

    determine that the user input corresponds to a request from the user to change the input focus from the first user interface object to a different interface object of the plurality of user interface objects, wherein determining that the user input corresponds to the request from the user to change the input focus comprises accessing a focus navigation resource selected as corresponding to the first user interface object and that is separate from the application and separate from all user interface objects and that defines at least one property defining a behavior to be followed by the application when changing the input focus between the different user interface objects;

    change the input focus from the first user interface object to the different user interface object, wherein changing the input focus comprises;

    accessing the at least one property of the focus navigation resource;

    determining that the first user interface object is within a first logical grouping of user interface objects, the first logical grouping having a focus order immediately preceding a second logical grouping of user interface objects;

    determining that the at least one property is a once value defining a focus navigation behavior for allowing the input focus to be on only one user interface object within the first logical grouping, before moving the input focus to the second logical grouping;

    in response to determining that the at least one property is a once value, changing the input focus to a user interface object of the second logical grouping irrespective of whether there is another user interface object within the first logical grouping that follows the first user interface object within the first logical grouping and irrespective of whether the first user interface object is the last user interface object within the first logical grouping; and

    display, within the application, the input focus as being changed to the second user interface object.

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