Automatic layout management through static GUI analysis

• US 9,933,929 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Pitsillides, Alice, Portal, Christian A., Gandhe, Jyoti, Hicklin, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ma, Tize
• Application Number:
  US14/677,485
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A device may generate a graph of a set of elements included in a graphical user interface. An attribute of an element, of the set of elements, may be represented by a vertex of the graph. A layout relationship associated with the set of elements may be represented by an edge of the graph. The device may detect a change to the graphical user interface from a first display condition to a second display condition. The device may determine another vertex location for the vertex corresponding to another attribute for the element based on detecting the change from the first display condition to the second display condition and based on the graph of the set of elements. The device may provide, for display, the set of elements in the second display condition based on the other attribute for the element.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, by a device, a graph of a set of elements included in a graphical user interface,

an attribute of an element, of the set of elements, being represented by a vertex of the graph,

the vertex being associated with a vertex location, and

a layout relationship associated with the set of elements being represented by an edge of the graph;

selecting, by the device, a path included in the graph of the graphical user interface,

the path including a particular set of vertices and a particular set of edges,

the particular set of vertices including the vertex, and

the path being selected based on a set of selection criteria;

determining, by the device, a set of resize factors associated with the path;

determining, by the device, another vertex location for the vertex based on a set of resize factors associated with the path,

the other vertex location corresponding to another attribute for the element of the set of elements; and

providing, by the device and for display, the set of elements based on the other attribute for the element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering a location of a particular vertex, of the particular set of vertices, to an altered location based on the graph; and

altering the attribute of the element based on the altered location of the particular vertex.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change from a first display condition to a second display condition; and

adjusting a display of the set of elements based on detecting the change from the first display condition to the second display condition.

4. The method of claim 3, where the change from the first display condition to the second display condition comprises at least one of:

a change to a display size associated with the graphical user interface,

a change to a display on which the graphical user interface is displayed,

a change to a display resolution at which the graphical user interface is displayed,

a change to a display orientation at which the graphical user interface is displayed,

a change to a language of the graphical user interface,

a change to an operating system used to display the graphical user interface, or

a change to an application used to display the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a first attribute of a first particular element, of the set of elements, with a second attribute of a second particular element, of the set of elements; and

determining the layout relationship based on comparing the first attribute with the second attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change from a first display condition to a second display condition; and

causing the graphical user interface to be displayed in the second display condition based on adjusting the display of the set of elements.

7. The method of claim 1, where the graphical user interface is a particular element of the set of elements.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

generate a graph of a set of elements included in a graphical user interface,

an attribute of an element, of the set of elements, being represented by a vertex of the graph,

the vertex being associated with a vertex location,

a layout relationship associated with the set of elements being represented by an edge of the graph,

the edge being associated with an edge length;

select a path included in the graph of the graphical user interface,

the path including a particular set of vertices and a particular set of edges,

the particular set of vertices including the vertex, and

the path being selected based on a set of selection criteria;

determine a set of resize factors associated with the path;

determine another vertex location for the vertex based on the set of resize factors associated with the path,

the other vertex location corresponding to another attribute for the element of the set of elements; and

provide, for display, the set of elements based on the other attribute for the element.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8,

where the one or more instructions, further cause the one or more processors to:

detect a change to the graphical user interface based on the graph of the set of elements; and

determine another edge length for the edge based on detecting the change to the graphical user interface and based on the graph of the set of elements; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the set of elements, further cause the one or more processors to;

provide the set of elements based on the other edge length for the edge.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8,

where the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

generate the particular set of vertices corresponding to one or more boundaries of the set of elements; and

generate the edge based on the set of vertices; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the other vertex location for the vertex, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the other vertex location based on at least one of;

the edge, or

the edge and one or more other edges associated with the graph.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions cause the one or more processors to:

determine that another element, of the set of elements, shares an alignment relationship with the element of the set of elements,

the element being represented by another vertex; and

merge the other vertex with the vertex based on determining that the other element, of the set of elements, shares the alignment relationship with the element of the set of elements,

edges of the other vertex connecting to the vertex based on merging the other vertex with the vertex.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the one or more instructions cause the one or more processors to:

assign the other vertex location to the other vertex based on merging the other vertex with the vertex.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the attribute of the element is at least one of:

a boundary of the element, or

a center-point of the element.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the other vertex location, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine the other vertex location based on at least one of;

a maximum size of the edge,

a minimum size of the edge, or

a resizability of the edge.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where a resize factor, of the set of resize factors, corresponds to an extent to which a particular edge is to increase or decrease in size compared to one or more other edges of the graph.

16. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

generate a graph of a set of elements of a graphical user interface,

an attribute of an element, of the set of elements, being represented by a vertex of the graph,

the vertex being associated with a vertex location, and

a layout relationship associated with the set of elements being represented by an edge of the graph,

the edge being associated with an edge length;

select a path included in the graph,

the path including a particular set of vertices and a particular set of edges,

the particular set of vertices including the vertex, and

the path being selected based on a set of selection criteria;

determine a set of resize factors associated with the path;

determine another vertex location for the vertex based on the set of resize factors associated with the path,

the other vertex location corresponding to another attribute for the element of the set of elements; and

provide, for display, the set of elements based on the other attribute for the element.

17. The device of claim 16, where the one or more processors are further to:

store the graph in a data structure;

obtain the graph from the data structure; and

utilize the graph to provide, for display, an element of the set of elements.

18. The device of claim 16,

where the one or more processors are further to:

determine a location for the element based on the other vertex location; and

where the one or more processors, when providing, for display, the set of elements, are further to;

provide, for display, the element at the location for the element.

19. The device of claim 16,

where the one or more processors are further to:

select a particular edge of the particular set of edges,

the particular edge being connected to a first vertex, of the particular set of vertices, and a second vertex of the particular set of vertices;

adjust the edge from a first edge size to a second edge size based on the set of resize factors; and

relocate at least one of the first vertex or the second vertex based on adjusting the edge from the first edge size to the second edge size.

20. The device of claim 16, where the one or more processors, when generating the graph, are to:

generate the particular set of vertices; and

generate one or more edges, of the particular set of edges, to connect one or more vertices of the particular set of vertices.