Focus state themeing

• US 8,458,608 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, Christopher A., Amadio, Louis, Tinling, Aaron B., Raiz, Gregory L
• Primary Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US11/408,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,601 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/866, 715/744, 715/730, 715/854
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Focus state themeing is accomplished by separating the processing of the focus state from the processing of an operative state of a control element. The operative states of the control element are entered or exited based upon the detection of input from a user or the detection of control availability by the operating system or by an application running on the operating system. Once an operative state is determined for a control element, the focus state of the control element is detected and merged with the operative state to generate a theme state for the control element. The theme state is a combination of the operative state and the focus state. There is one combined theme state for each operative-focus combination. Various display configurations may be used to represent a control element with a combined operative-focus state. The control element is then rendered on a display based on the operative state theme and the focus state theme.

Claims

1. A computer program product, stored on at least one computer storage medium, encoding computer executable instructions for executing a method for displaying at least one control on a display, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of operative state themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of operative state themes defines customized appearance settings for the at least one control based on an operative state of the at least one control, and wherein the customized appearance settings comprise one or more of;

a control shape and a control layout;

receiving a selection of an operative state theme;

displaying a plurality of focus themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of focus themes defines different customized appearance settings for the at least one control based on a focus state of the at least one control;

receiving a selection of a focus theme;

determining the operative state for the at least one control in a user interface, wherein the operative state comprises one of;

a normal state, a default state, a disabled state, a hot state, or a selected state;

determining the focus state for the at least one control, wherein the focus state comprises one of;

focused or unfocused;

upon determining the operative state and the focus state for the at least one control, merging the customized appearance settings of the selected operative state theme with the different customized appearance settings of the selected focus theme to generate a merged theme for the at least one control, comprising one of;

displaying the at least one control according to a normal-focus theme when the determined operative state is a normal state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the at least one control according to the normal-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the normal state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

displaying the at least one control according to a default-focus theme when the determined operative state is a default state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the at least one control according to the default-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the default state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

displaying the at least one control according to a hot-focus theme when the determined operative state is a hot state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the at least one control according to the hot-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the hot state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state; and

displaying the at least one control according to a selected-focus theme when the determined operative state is a selected state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the at least one control according to the selected-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the selected state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state.

2. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the operative state theme includes a separate theme for each of the normal state, the disabled state, the hot state, and the selected state.

3. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the determination of the focus state for the at least one control is based on a focus input from a user interface.

4. The computer program product as defined in claim 3, wherein the focus input is one of a mouse input, a keyboard input, a trackball input, a touch pad input, a joystick input and a microphone input.

5. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of displaying the at least one control using the normal-focus theme comprises:

receiving operative state theme data for the normal state and focus theme data for the focused state;

drawing the at least one control based on the operative state theme data for the normal state; and

drawing a focus indicator on the at least one control based on the focus theme data for the focused state.

6. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of displaying the at least one control using the hot-focus theme comprises:

receiving operative state theme data for the hot state and focus theme data for the focused state;

drawing the at least one control based on the operative state theme data for the hot state; and

drawing a focus indicator on the at least one control based on the focus theme data for the focused state.

7. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of displaying the at least one control using the selected-focus theme comprises:

receiving operative state theme data for the selected state and focus theme data for the focused state;

drawing the at least one control based on the operative state theme data for the selected state; and

drawing a focus indicator on the at least one control based on the focus theme data for the focused state.

8. A computer storage medium encoding computer executable instructions for performing a method of providing a merged theme when displaying a control on a user-interface, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of operative state themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of operative state themes defines customized appearance settings for the control based on an operative state of the control, and wherein the customized appearance settings comprise one or more of;

a control shape and a control layout;

receiving a selection of an operative state theme for the control;

displaying a plurality of focus themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of focus themes defines different customized appearance settings for the control based on a focus state of the control;

receiving a selection of a focus theme for the control;

determining the operative state of the control, wherein the operative state of the control comprises one of;

a normal state, a default state, a disabled state, a hot state, or a selected state;

determining the focus state of the control, wherein the focus state comprises one of;

focused or unfocused;

generating the merged theme for the control by merging the customized appearance settings of the selected operative state theme and the different customized appearance settings of the selected focus theme, comprising one of;

displaying the control according to a normal-focus theme when the determined operative state is a normal state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the control according to the normal-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the normal state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

displaying the control according to a default-focus theme when the determined operative state is a default state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the control according to the default-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the default state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

displaying the control according to a hot-focus theme when the determined operative state is a hot state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the control according to the hot-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the hot state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state; and

displaying the control according to a selected-focus theme when the determined operative state is a selected state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein displaying the control according to the selected-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the selected state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state.

9. The computer storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the selected focus theme comprises a predetermined theme different from the selected operative state theme for the control.

10. The computer storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein displaying the control using the merged theme comprises:

retrieving selected operative state theme properties;

retrieving selected focus theme properties; and

drawing the control using both the selected operative state theme properties and the selected focus theme properties.

11. A system for rendering controls in a user interface, comprising:

one or more processors for executing computer executable instructions; and

one or more computer readable storage media storing computer executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors provide;

an operating state detector detecting an operative state of one or more controls;

a focus state detector detecting a focused state of at least one control;

a selection module providing;

a plurality of operative state themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of operative state themes defines customized appearance settings for the one or more controls based on a detected operative state for each control, and wherein the customized appearance settings comprise one or more of;

a control shape and a control layout; and

a plurality of focus themes for selection, wherein each of the plurality of focus themes defines different customized appearance settings for the at least one control based on the detected focus state of the at least one control;

a theme module that builds themes for the one or more controls and the at least one control based on a selected operative state theme and a selected focus theme, wherein building themes comprises;

building the selected operative state theme having customized appearance settings based on the detected operative state of each of the one or more controls, wherein the theme module builds a separate theme for each of;

a normal state, a default state, a disabled state, a hot state, and a selected state; and

building a merged theme of the at least one control by merging the customized appearance settings of the selected operative state theme and the different customized appearance settings of the selected focus theme, wherein the theme module builds the merged theme based on the detected operative state of the at least one control and the detected focus state of the at least one control, wherein building the merged theme comprises one of;

building a normal-focus theme when the determined operative state is a normal state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein building the normal-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the normal state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

building a default-focus theme when the determined operative state is a default state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein building the default-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the default state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state;

building a hot-focus theme when the determined operative state is a hot state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein building the hot-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the hot state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state; and

building a selected-focus theme when the determined operative state is a selected state and the determined focus state is focused, wherein building the selected-focus theme comprises creating a merged graphical image that combines a first graphical image associated with the selected operative state theme for the selected state with a second graphical image associated with the selected focus state theme for the focused state; and

a rendering module that renders the one or more controls and the at least one control based on the themes built by the theme module.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the rendering module renders each of the one or more controls using only the selected operative state theme for one of the normal state, the disabled state, the hot state, and the selected state.