GUI RESOURCE EDITOR FOR AN EMBEDDED SYSTEM

• US 20020057268A1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: SUZUKI, ATSUSHI, SAIB, JOSEPH
• Granted Patent: US 6,429,885 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A technique for converting displayable objects of a graphics user interface (GUI) display into a code representation with minimal user intervention. The technique includes creation of the GUI display and analysis of each displayable object when prompted by the user to convert to a code representation. The analysis features accessing parameters of each displayable object to produce an object data file, a color data file storing colors used by the displayable objects of the GUI display and a bitmap data file to contain bitmaps of logos or images featured in the GUI display. These data files are complied with an implementation file featuring a software library to generate an executable program having the code representation of the GUI display.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a monitor; and

a computer coupled to the monitor, the computer executing software to automatically convert a displayable object appearing on the monitor into a code representation of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayable object includes a button.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayable object includes a rectangle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayable object includes a text field.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein a plurality of parameters of the displayable object includes an X-offset value, a Y-offset value, a height value, a width value, a color type and a gradation value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayable object along with other displayable objects are used to produce a complex display object being one of a simulated remote control and a simulated front-panel.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of parameters of the displayable object includes an object identification and a plurality of navigation parameters.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayable object further includes a text string.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a data structure of the displayable object includes an X-offset, a Y-offset, a height, a width and a font type.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the code representation is a data structure in C programming code.

11. A method comprising:

creating an object characterized by a plurality of parameters;

producing an object data file from the plurality of parameters associated with the object;

producing a color data file; and

compiling at least the object data file and the color data file to produce an executable program that, when executed, generates a graphics user interface (GUI) display including the object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the producing of the object data file includes loading the plurality of parameters into C programming data structures.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the compiling includes

providing an implementation file including a software library of function calls;

and

compiling together the object data file, color data file, and the implementation file to produce the executable program.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein prior to compiling, the method comprises producing a bitmap file to contain a bitmap of any detailed image in combination with the displayable object.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the compiling includes

providing an implementation file including a software library of fraction calls;

and

compiling together the object data file, the color data file, the bitmap data file and the implementation file to produce the executable program.

16. A machine readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for processing by a computer, the computer program comprising:

a first program to obtain parameter values associated with a displayable object;

a second program to convert the displayable object into a code representation of the displayable object; and

a third program to prompt the compilation of the code representation, a software library and the parameter values of the displayable object to produce an executable program that, when executed by the computer, produces signals for displaying the displayable object.