Method and system for presenting user interface (UI) information

• US 8,127,252 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McKeon, Brendan, Winser, Michael Edward Dulac, Wagoner, Patricia Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): Queler, Adam M
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US10/868,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and medium are provided for providing a custom view of a set of user-interface elements (UI elements) to a requesting component. The method includes representing the UI elements as a raw tree structure composed of a set of nodes, which correspond to the UI elements; identifying a subset of the nodes that satisfy the condition(s); and communicating to the requesting component a representation of all or some of the identified nodes. The apparatus includes a request-transmission component for submitting to an interface component instructions and a transmission-reception component for receiving from the interface component the information associated with one or more UI elements that satisfy the one or more conditions.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for providing a custom logical view of a set of user-interface elements (UI elements), the media comprising:

analyzing the set of UI elements so as to construct a raw tree structure having a plurality of nodes, the nodes corresponding to respective UI elements of the set, the raw tree structure including a plurality of logical trees that are aggregated to appear as a single tree by providing a set of referential links between a first node of a first logical tree of the plurality of logical trees and a second node of a second logical tree of the plurality of logical trees;

identifying a subset of the nodes that satisfy one or more conditions that were received from a requesting component and that are associated with the function of the UI elements; and

communicating to a requesting component a custom representation of the raw tree structure that includes the subset of the nodes.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein said UI elements include viewable components of a user interface (UI).

3. The media of claim 2, wherein said viewable components include:

a button;

a button component, including a button image or button text;

a menu;

a menu item;

a textbox;

a drop-down menu;

a list box;

a radio button;

a scroll bar;

a link, including a hyperlink;

an icon, or a highlightable component.

4. The media of claim 2, wherein said one or more conditions relate to a desired attribute of said UI element(s).

5. The media of claim 4, wherein said desired attribute is a link;

a property;

a pattern;

or an event.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein said custom representation of the raw tree structure includes a new UI element utilizing an assimilation of data related to said identified nodes.

7. The media of claim 6, said requesting component comprises:

a client application;

a process;

a segment of computer-useable code;

or

an end user.

8. An application interface (API) embodied on one or more computer-storage media for processing calls from a requesting component to navigate a tree structure composed of nodes that represent a plurality of user-interface elements (UI elements), the API comprising computer-readable program components for:

receiving from the requesting component a request to navigate the tree structure to a target UI element, the request including at least one condition associated with the function of the target UI element to be met, and the tree structure including a plurality of logical trees that are aggregated to appear as a single tree by providing a set of referential links between a first node of a first logical tree of the plurality of logical trees and a second node of a second logical tree of the plurality of logical trees;

providing for the application of the at least one condition to all or a portion of the nodes, whereby the target UI element is identified based on the condition or conditions that are applied; and

returning to the requesting component attribute information associated with the identified UI element.

9. The API of claim 8, wherein said at least one condition includes criteria to be possessed by said target UI element.

10. The API of claim 9, wherein said target UI element comprises:

a button;

a button component, including a button image or button text;

a menu;

a menu item;

a textbox;

a drop-down menu;

a list box;

a radio button;

a scroll bar;

a link, including a hyperlink;

an icon, or a highlightable component.

11. The API of claim 10, wherein said requesting component comprises:

a client application;

a process;

a segment of computer-useable code;

or

an end user.

12. The API of claim 10, wherein the application of at said at least one condition, includes:

iteratively visiting said all or a portion of the nodes and determining whether said nodes satisfy the at least one condition.

13. The API of claim 12, wherein said attribute information includes information related to physical characteristics of said UI elements.

14. The API of claim 13, wherein said physical UI characteristics include one or more of the following:

an identification of a single node;

a hierarchal representation of a set of nodes;

an indication as to whether the UI element is focusable;

an indication as to whether the UI element has the focus;

an indication as to whether the UI element is selectable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is resizeable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is manipulatable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is viewable;

an indication as to the screen location of said UI element; and

/or

an indication of the relationship said UI element is to another UI element.

15. Employing the API of claim 8 to provide a custom view of a set of UI elements.

16. Employing the API of claim 8 to provide navigation information.

17. Employing the API of claim 8 to navigate a raw tree structure.

18. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of representing to a requesting component a portion of user-interface elements (UI elements) of a target component, the UI elements having one or more attributes, the method comprising:

receiving from the requesting component at least one condition that indicates UI-element attributes of interest;

providing a logical tree composed of a plurality of nodes that represent a corresponding plurality of UI elements, the logical tree including a plurality of sub-trees that are aggregated to appear as a single tree by providing a set of referential links between a first node of a first sub-tree of the plurality of sub-trees and a second node of a second sub-tree of the plurality of sub-trees;

using the provided logical tree, identifying one or more UI elements that satisfy the at least one condition to generate a customized version of the logical tree that includes only the one or more UI elements that satisfy the at least one condition; and

conveying the customized version of the logical tree to the requesting component to provide the element information associated with the identified one or more UI elements, wherein the first and second nodes appear to the requesting component as a single node in the customized version of the logical tree.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein representing said portion of said UI elements includes providing element information about said UI elements to said requesting component.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein said element information includes:

an identification of a single node;

a hierarchal representation of a set of nodes;

an indication as to whether the UI element is focusable;

an indication as to whether the UI element has the focus;

an indication as to whether the UI element is selectable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is resizeable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is manipulatable;

an indication as to whether the UI element is viewable;

an indication as to the screen location of said UI element; and

/or

an indication of the relationship said UI element is to another UI element.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein said target component includes aspects of an operating system.

22. The media of claim 20, wherein said target component includes one or more UI subcomponents.

23. Employing the media of claim 18 to navigate to UI elements of said target component.

24. A system for providing information related to elements of a user interface (UI elements), the system comprising one or more computing devices having a processor and configured to provide:

a request-receiving component for receiving, at an interface component, instructions, the instructions including,

(1) one or more conditions that indicate attributes of interest that may be possessed by UI elements of the user interface, and

(2) a request for information related to the UI elements that satisfy the one or more conditions;

an intermediary-interpreter component configured to merge properties and patterns associated with a first and a second node of a first and a second logical tree respectively, at least one of the properties and patterns of the first node being provided by a different provider than at least one property or pattern of the second node;

a consolidator component configured to represent the first and second nodes as a single entity in a consolidated logical tree that is comprised of the first and second logical trees; and

a transmission component configured to transmit a customized logical tree that includes the information associated with one or more UI elements that satisfy the one or more conditions, the customized logical tree being a customized version of the consolidated logical tree that includes only nodes that provide the information associated with the one or more UI elements that satisfy the one or more conditions.

25. One or more computer-storage media having-computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for representing elements of a user interface (UI elements), the method comprising:

a) providing a representation of the UI elements as a raw tree structure having a plurality of virtual nodes and virtual branches, the nodes corresponding to the UI elements, the branches corresponding to relationships between UI elements;

b) providing for the reception of a condition associated with the function of the UI elements to be satisfied by UI elements of interest;

c) providing for the reception of an indication of a target set of nodes to evaluate;

d) providing for the evaluation of said condition against said nodes, and if said node represents a UI element that satisfies said condition, then providing a marker to represent said node, but if said node represents a UI element that does not satisfy said condition, then not providing said marker;

said marker including a character or string of alphanumeric symbols;

e) repeating step d until said target set of nodes has been evaluated; and

f) communicating said string to a requesting component that, incident to receiving said string, can use said string to construct a filtered view of said raw tree consisting of an identified starting node and only nodes that satisfy said condition, wherein at least one of the nodes that satisfy said condition comprise a plurality of nodes that are consolidated to appears as a single node.