Method and system for separation of content and layout definitions in a display description

• US 7,856,596 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Labarge, Matthew R., Crider, Michael P., Zaika, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries; Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US10/780,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20050183008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,499 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/517, 715/523, 715/526, 715/200, 715/204, 715/229, 715/234, 715/243, 715/248, 715/251, 715/273, 715/274
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets

Abstract

A method and system for specifying alternate layouts of a user interface element of a display description is provided. In one embodiment, a display system provides a display description language that separates the definition of content of a user interface element from the layout of the user interface element. This separation allows alternate layouts to be specified that are conditionally applied to content of the user interface element without having to repeat the content. In another embodiment, the display system allows each element of a table to be positioned within a specific cell within the table.

Claims

1. A method in a computing device for specifying alternate layouts of an element of a display description specified using a display description language, the method comprising:

providing a display description file that specifies the display description using the display description language that includes;

a definition of the element, the definition of the element occurring only once in the display description file;

a first condition and a first layout for the definition of the element; and

a second condition and a second layout for the definition of the element; and

when processing the definition of the element of the provided display description file,

parsing by the computing device the display description file to identify the definition of the element, the first condition and the first layout, and the second condition and the second layout;

retrieving a parameter for controlling the layout of the element;

determining whether the retrieved parameter indicates that the first condition is satisfied or the second condition is satisfied;

displaying the element in accordance with the first layout when it is determined that the first condition is satisfied; and

displaying the element in accordance with the second layout when it is determined that the second condition is satisfied;

wherein layouts and conditions included in the same display description file only specify how to display elements defined in the display description file,

wherein the element has child elements and the layouts specify the layout of the child elements,

wherein a layout specifies a table in which the child elements are to be displayed, and

wherein the layout that specifies the table further specifies that a cell within the table for a child element and another cell for another child element is to be automatically selected.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the element has a class and the conditions and layouts are provided in a style for that class.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the conditions and layouts are attributes of an element for that class.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the conditions and layouts are provided as attributes within the definition of the element.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a layout is from a group consisting of vertical layout, horizontal layout, vertical flow layout, and horizontal flow layout.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the display description language is XML based.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the display description language is HTML based.

8. A method performed by a computing device with a storage device and a display for specifying alternate layouts of an element of a display description specified using a display description language, the method comprising:

providing in the storage device a display description file that specifies the display description using the display description language that includes;

a definition of the element, wherein the element has child elements, the definition of the element occurring only once in the display description file;

a first condition and a first layout for the definition of the element; and

a second condition and a second layout for the definition of the element,

wherein the layouts specify the layout of the child elements and wherein a layout specifies a table in which the child elements are to be displayed and further specifies a cell within the table for a child element and another cell for another child element is to be automatically selected; and

when processing by the computing device the definition of the element of the provided display description file,

parsing by the computing device the display description file to identify the definition of the element, the first condition and the first layout, and the second condition and the second layout;

retrieving a parameter for controlling the layout of the element;

determining whether the retrieved parameter indicates that the first condition is satisfied or the second condition is satisfied;

displaying on the display the element in accordance with the first layout when the first condition is satisfied; and

displaying on the display the element in accordance with the second layout when the second condition is satisfied;

wherein layouts and conditions included in the display description file only specify how to display elements defined in the display description file.

9. A computer system for specifying alternate layouts of an element of a display description specified using a display description language, the computer system including a processor and a storage device, the processor is configured to:

provide in the storage device a display description file that specifies the display description using the display description language that includes;

a definition of the element, wherein the element has child elements, the definition of the element occurring only once in the display description file;

a first condition and a first layout for the definition of the element; and

a second condition and a second layout for the definition of the element,

wherein the layouts specify the layout of the child elements and wherein a layout specifies a table in which the child elements are to be displayed and further specifies a cell within the table for a child element and another cell for another child element is to be automatically selected; and

the processor when executing the definition of the element of the provided display description file,

parsing by the computing device the display description file to identify the definition of the element, the first condition and the first layout, and the second condition and the second layout;

retrieving a parameter for controlling the layout of the element;

determining whether the retrieved parameter indicates that the first condition is satisfied or the second condition is satisfied;

displaying on the display the element in accordance with the first layout when the first condition is satisfied; and

displaying on the display the element in accordance with the second layout when the second condition is satisfied;

wherein layouts and conditions included in the display description file only specify how to display elements defined in the display description file.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the element has a class and the condition and layout pairs are specified in a style for that class.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the condition and layout pairs are attributes of an element for that class.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the condition and layout pairs are attributes within the definition of the element.

13. The computer system of claim 9 wherein a layout is from a group consisting of vertical layout, horizontal layout, vertical flow layout, and horizontal flow layout.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, the computer instructions when executed by a computer performs a method for specifying alternate layouts of an element using a display description language, the method comprising:

providing a display description file that specifies the display description using the display description language that includes;

a definition of the element, the definition of the element occurring only once in the display description file;

a first condition and a first layout for the definition of the element; and

a second condition and a second layout for the definition of the element; and

when processing the definition of the element of the provided display description file,

parsing by the computing device the display description file to identify the definition of the element, the first condition and the first layout, and the second condition and the second layout;

retrieving a parameter for controlling the layout of the element;

determining whether the retrieved parameter indicates that the first condition is satisfied or the second condition is satisfied;

displaying the element in accordance with the first layout when it is determined that the first condition is satisfied; and

displaying the element in accordance with the second layout when it is determined that the second condition is satisfied;

wherein layouts and conditions included in the same display description file only specify how to display elements defined in the display description file,

wherein the element has child elements and the layouts specify the layout of the child elements,

wherein a layout specifies a table in which the child elements are to be displayed, and

wherein the layout that specifies the table further specifies that a cell within the table for a child element and another cell for another child element is to be automatically selected.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the conditions and layouts are defined in a style associated with the element.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the style is associated with the element based on a class.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the conditions and layouts are defined as attributes of the element.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the data structure is specified using XML.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the data structure is specified using HTML.