Effects framework for GUI components

• US 8,510,662 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Haase, Chet S., Muller, Hans E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US11/475,520
• Time in Patent Office: 2,605 Days
• Field of Search: 715/746, 715/765, 715/769
• US Class Current: 715/746
• 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

Methods for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface are provided. One method includes defining a screen display having one or more components. The method also includes defining a start state for at least one of the one or more components and defining an end state for at least one of the one or more components. An operation of determining if a component identified for transition includes a defined start state and a defined end state is also provided. The method determines a transition type for the component that that has the defined start state and the defined end state and identifies an effect type based on the determined transition type. To render, the method includes (a) altering a graphics state at a time interval and (b) painting the component for the identified graphics state at the time interval. The method repeats (a)-(b) until the graphics state matches the defined end state. The component is then rendered at the defined end state using a particular defined transition effect.

Claims

1. A method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

identifying a graphical component of the GUI, the identified graphical component having a start state and a defined end state, wherein the graphical component is a GUI widget;

accessing an effects engine for each transition state of the identified graphical component when the identified graphical component transitions between the first state and the end state, the accessing being in response to one or more timer initiated calls received by the effects engine, wherein the identified graphical component undergoes one or more transition states, and each transition state is determined by the identified graphical component and the start state and the defined end state of the identified graphical component; and

assigning the rendering of each transition state to an animation layer, the animation layer storing each transition state change for display on the transition panel; and

assigning data associated with the end state to a container layer, wherein state changes in the animation layer proceed until the state changes in the animation layer match the end state in the container layer, and wherein the animation layer and the container layer are separate buffers.

2. The method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI) as recited in claim 1, wherein the effects engine is configured to execute one of predefined transitions or custom transitions.

3. The method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI) as recited in claim 1, wherein the GUI has a transition panel for displaying the component, the transition panel being associated with a container layer for storing the end sate and the animation layer further storing data associated with each transition between the start state and the end state of the component.

4. The method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI), as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the predefined transitions and custom transitions is associated with one of custom effects or standard effects by a transition engine.

5. The method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI), as recited in claim 1, wherein the timer initiated calls are received from a transition effects framework, the transition effects framework being in communication with a timer, the timer being called by the transition effects framework when transitions in state are to be trigged for rendering of state changes between the start state and the end state.

6. A method for enabling integration of effects graphics when rendering graphical displays associated with components of a transition panel, comprising:

identifying effects code segments, each effects code segment defining a predefined graphical transition effect that can be applied to components of the transition panel;

selecting a graphical component of the transition panel, the graphical component having a start state within the transition panel and an end state, the selected graphical component being assigned an effects code segment, wherein the graphical component is a widget in a graphical user interface;

receiving one or more timed triggers to render state changes between the start state and the end state of the selected graphical component, the rendering of state changes being performed in accordance with the assigned effects code segment during each timed trigger, such that the assigned effects code segment is determined by the selected graphical component and the start state and the end state of the selected component; and

assigning the rendering of the state changes to an animation layer, the animation layer holding the state changes for display on the transition panel; and

assigning data associated with the end state to a container layer, wherein the state changes in the animation layer proceed until the state changes in the animation layer match the end state in the container layer, and wherein the animation layer and the container layer are separate buffers.

7. The method for enabling integration of effects graphics when rendering graphical displays associated with components of a transition panel, as recited in claim 6,

wherein the predefined graphical effect is assigned to the graphic component by a transition engine and identified by the effect code segments are one of custom effects or standard effects.

8. The method for enabling integration of effects graphics when rendering graphical displays associated with components of a transition panel, as recited in claim 6,

wherein the timed triggers are received from a transition effects framework, the transition effects framework being in communication with a timer framework, the timer framework being called by the transition effects framework when transitions in state are to be triggered for rendering of the state changes between the start state and the end state.

9. A method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

defining a screen display having one or more graphical components, wherein the graphical components are widgets in a graphical user interface;

defining a start state for at least one of the one or more graphical components;

defining an end state for at least one of the one or more graphical components;

determining if a graphical component identified for transition includes a defined start state and a defined end state;

determining a transition type for the graphical component that has the defined start state and the defined end state, the transition type defined by the graphical component and the start state and the end state of the graphical component;

identifying an effect type based on the determined transition type;

rendering the transition into an animation layer that stores the transition, the rendering including;

(a) altering a graphics state at a time interval;

(b) painting the identified graphical component for the identified graphics state at the time interval;

(c) repeating (a)-(b) one or more times until the graphics state of the identified graphical component matches the defined end state in a container layer; and

rendering the identified graphical component at the defined end state from the container layer, wherein the animation layer and the container layer are separate buffers.

10. The method for rendering effects of graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI) as recited in claim 9, wherein (c) is performed a number of identified graphics states and each graphics state is illustrated for a period of time to define a transition effect.

11. The method for automated integration of rendering effects with graphical components of a graphical user interface (GUI) as recited in claim 9, wherein determining the transition type is performed by a transition engine.