Application and user interface framework interaction

• US 9,263,002 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Blanco, Leonardo Esteban, Borysenko, Michael I., Gossman, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Sams, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US13/308,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

Interaction between an application, a user interface framework, and a graphics module to render a portion of an application surface. The application requests a surface corresponding to a particular range of the application surface from the user interface framework. In response, the user interface framework provides the requested ranged surface to the application. The application instructs the graphics module to populate the ranged surface by drawing into the ranged surface. The application then instructs the user interface framework to compose the ranged surface using the drawn ranged surface and other information available to the user interface framework. The user interface framework composing a composed surface using the drawn surface provided by the application, and additional information available to the user interface framework. The user interface framework may cache information from previously composed surface to allow for faster re-rendering should those portions later come into view on the display.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause an application to perform a method for interfacing with a user interface framework and a graphics module to render a portion of an application surface, the method comprising:

an act of the application requesting a ranged surface from the user interface framework, the ranged surface corresponding to a particular range of the application surface;

an act of the application receiving the requested ranged surface from the user interface framework, the ranged surface being a blank canvas that is not yet populated with any image data or application elements;

an act of the application instructing the graphics module to populate the ranged surface by drawing into the ranged surface;

an act of the application receiving the drawn ranged surface from the graphics module, the drawn ranged surface being populated by image information but not yet having interactivity exposed;

an act of the application instructing the user interface framework to compose the ranged surface using the drawn ranged surface and other information available to the user interface framework to produce a composed surface which integrates the drawn ranged surface with the other information available to the user interface framework and has interactivity applied to at least one element of the composed surface.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

an act of the application using the user interface framework to render the composed ranged surface within the application surface.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

an act of the application determining a range of the application surface to render prior to the act of request the ranged surface.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of determining a range of the application surface to render comprises:

an act of the application receiving a notification of a visible range from the user interface component, the visible range corresponding to a range of the application surface that is visible on a display.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the act of receiving the application receiving the notification of the visible range occurs in response to the following:

an act of the application requesting the visible range from the user interface component.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of determining further comprises:

an act of the application determining the range based on the visible range.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 6, wherein the act of the application determining the range based on the visible range comprises:

an act of the application determining that the range is the visible range.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of the application determining the range of the application surface to render comprises:

an act of the application detecting user interaction; and

an act of the application determining the range based on the user interaction.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the user interaction is a typing interaction.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the user interaction is a scrolling interaction, wherein the act of the application determining the range based on the user interaction comprises:

an act of the application interacting with the user interface framework to determine the range.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of determining the range of the application surface to render comprises:

an act of the application receiving a update notification from the user interface framework;

an act of the application requesting an update recommendation from the user interface framework;

an act of the application receiving the update recommendation from the user interface framework; and

an act of the application determining the range based on the update recommendation.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ranged surface does not include all of the displayed area of the application surface.

13. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ranged surface includes all of the displayed area of the application surface.

14. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ranged surface includes at least one portion of the application surface that is not part of the displayed area of the application surface.

15. A method for a user interface framework to interface with an application to render a portion of an application surface, the method comprising:

an act of the user interface framework receiving a request for a ranged surface from the application, the ranged surface corresponding to a particular range of the application surface;

an act of the user interface framework providing the requested ranged surface to the application, the ranged surface not yet having been populated with any image data;

an act of the user interface framework receiving from the application

1) a drawn surface corresponding to the ranged surface, the drawn surface having been populated by image information by a graphics module but not yet having interactivity exposed, and

2) an instruction to compose the drawn surface to produce a composed surface which integrates the drawn surface with additional information available to the user interface framework; and

an act of the user interface framework composing a composed surface using the drawn surface provided by the application and the additional information available to the user interface framework and has interactivity applied to at least one element of the composed surface.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising:

an act of the user interface framework causing at least a portion of the composed surface to be rendered on a display.

17. The method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising:

an act of the user interface framework caching at least a portion of the composed surface.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

an act of the user interface framework determining that a portion of the application surface corresponding to the cached portion of the composed surface; and

an act of the user interface framework causing the cached portion of the composed surface to be displayed.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the act of the interface framework causing the cached portion of the composed surface to be occurs without having the application redrawn that portion of the application surface.

20. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories;

a display;

a computer program product having one or more computer storage media having there thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause computing system to

     1) instantiate an application and a user interface framework in the one or more memory modules,

     2) cause the application to create an application surface, and

     3) cause the application and user interface framework to interact as follows;

the application requesting a ranged surface from user interface framework, the ranged surface corresponding to a particular range of the application surface;

in response to the request for the ranged surface, the user interface framework providing the requested ranged surface to the application, the ranged surface not yet having been populated with any image data;

upon the application receiving the requested ranged surface from the user interface framework, the application instructing the graphics module to populate the ranged surface by drawing into the ranged surface;

upon the application receiving the drawn ranged surface from the graphics module, the drawn ranged surface being populated by image information but not yet having interactivity exposed, the application instructing the user interface framework to compose the ranged surface using the drawn ranged surface and other information available to the user interface framework to produce a composed surface which integrates the drawn ranged surface with the other information available to the user interface framework and has interactivity applied to at least one element of the composed surface; and

in response to the instruction to compose, the user interface framework composing a composed surface using the drawn surface provided by the application and the other information available to the user interface framework.