Dynamic guides

• US 20040239691A1
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Jobs, Steven P., Rosner, Roger, Sprang, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/651
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus that, in some embodiments, displays one or more guides when a selected object moves into a particular alignment with one or more other objects is described. The one or more guides may be used to align the objects in relation to one another. In this way, the screen is free from the clutter of guides when they are not needed, but the guides are present when they are needed, i.e., when the selected object moves into or near alignment with another object or objects.

Claims

1. An authoring tool for a presentation program comprising:

a display component to display a first object and a second object in a presentation; and

an alignment component to automatically display a guide when an alignment property of the first object is aligned with an alignment property of the second object.

2. The authoring tool of claim I wherein the alignment component automatically hides the guide when the first object is out of alignment with the second object.

3. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for executing a method creating a presentation program, the method comprising:

selecting, with a pointing device, a first object in a first position;

moving, with a pointing device, the first object by dragging the first object; and

dynamically displaying one or more guides when a geometric property of the first object is aligned with a geometric property of one or more stationary objects wherein the geometric property is a center or an edge.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3 further comprising dynamically hiding the one or more guides when the geometric property of the first object is out of alignment with the geometric property of the one or more stationary objects.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 3 further comprising dynamically hiding the one or more guides after the first object is dropped into a second position.

6. A computerized method comprising:

Receiving data representing a position of a selected object;

Receiving data representing one or more positions of a plurality of unselected objects; and

Generating through computer automated operations and displaying one or more alignment guides to indicate the alignment of the selected object with one or more of the unselected objects wherein the alignment is determined relative to alignment properties of the selected object and the plurality of unselected objects.

7. The computerized method of claim 6 further comprising automatically displaying the alignment guides until the selected object is unselected.

8. The computerized method of claim 6 further comprising automatically displaying the alignment guides until the selected object is out of alignment.

9. The computerized method of claim 6 wherein the alignment is determined relative to a geometric property of the selected object and the plurality of unselected objects.

10. The computerized method of claim 6 wherein the alignment is determined relative to a user specified property of the selected object and the plurality of unselected objects.

11. The computerized method of claim 6 wherein the alignment is determined relative to an edge or a center of the selected object and the plurality of unselected objects.

12. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium; and

computer executable instructions executable by the processor from the computer readable medium for executing a method of aligning objects based on a alignment property of a first object in relation to an alignment property of one or more other object.

13. The computer system of claim 12 further comprising a display device and wherein the method further comprises dynamically displaying on the display device a visual indicator when objects are aligned.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the visual indicator is a guide.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for aligning objects based on a alignment property of a first object in relation to an alignment property of one or more other objects; and

means for dynamically displaying one or more visual indicators to indicate the alignment of the first object with one or more of the other objects.

16. A method comprising displaying an alignment guide on a graphical display in response to dragging a first displayed object into a position relative to a second displayed object on the display, wherein the alignment guide is an indication of how the first object is aligned with the second object.

17. In a graphical display a method comprising dynamically displaying an alignment guide that provides an indication of how a first displayed object is aligned with a second displayed object in response to moving the position of one of the objects relative to the other object.

18. A method comprising selectively displaying, in a graphical display, an alignment guide that indicates a relationship of how one displayed object is aligned with another displayed object, wherein the selective displaying occurs in response to moving one of the displayed objects into a position that meets one or more criterion for when to display the alignment guide.

19. A method comprising dynamically displaying an alignment guide in a graphical display in response to movement of a first displayed object into a position that meets one or more criterion for when to display the alignment guide.

20. A method comprising displaying a pop-up alignment guide in a graphical display according to one or more criterion, wherein the alignment guide provides a visual indication useful for aligning a displayed object.

21. A method comprising automatically displaying an alignment guide in a graphical display according to one or more criterion and in response to the movement of a displayed object, wherein the alignment guide provides a visual indication useful for aligning the displayed object in the display.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the criterion include one or more geometric relationships between the displayed object and one or more other displayed objects.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the criterion include a specification of where on the graphical display to display the alignment guide.

24. A method comprising dynamically displaying an alignment guide on a graphical display.

25. A method comprising dynamically displaying a plurality of alignment guides on a graphical display under the control of an authoring tool.

26. A method comprising dynamically displaying one or more visual indicators of alignment between a selected object and two or more stationary objects.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether a first object is within a threshold distance of a second object; and

means for displaying at least one guide when the first object is within the threshold distance.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for refraining from displaying the at least one guide when the first object is not within the threshold distance.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the threshold distance comprises a snap threshold.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first object is selected.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second object is unselected.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first object is moving.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second object is stationary.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for creating the guide from a first object guide and a second object guide when the first object guide and the second object guide overlap.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for determining a first bounds for the first object and a second bounds for the second object.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first bounds surrounds and is larger than the first object and the second bounds surrounds and is larger than the second object.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first bounds is equal to the first object and the second bounds is equal to the second object.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising:

means for displaying the first and second bounds when the first object is within the threshold distance.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising:

means for determining a snapped position for the first object based on a minimum of horizontal offsets from the at least one guide to the first bounds.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising:

means for determining a snapped position for the first object based on a minimum of vertical offsets from the at least one guide to the first bounds.

41. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises:

means for displaying a horizontal guide.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the means for displaying the horizontal guide further comprises:

means for displaying the horizontal guide from a top portion of the first bounds to one of a top portion of the second bounds, a middle portion of the second bounds, and a bottom portion of the second bounds.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the means for displaying the horizontal guide further comprises:

means for displaying the horizontal guide from a middle portion of the first bounds to one of a top portion of the second bounds, a middle portion of the second bounds, and a bottom portion of the second bounds.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the means for displaying the horizontal guide further comprises:

means for displaying the horizontal guide from a bottom portion of the first bounds to one of a top portion of the second bounds, a middle portion of the second bounds, and a bottom portion of the second bounds.

45. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises:

means for displaying a vertical guide.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for displaying the vertical guide further comprises:

means for displaying the vertical guide from a left portion of the first bounds to one of a left portion of the second bounds, a center portion of the second bounds, and a right portion of the second bounds.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for displaying the vertical guide further comprises:

means for displaying the vertical guide from a center portion of the first bounds to one of a left portion of the second bounds, a center portion of the second bounds, and a right portion of the second bounds.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the means for displaying the vertical guide further comprises:

means for displaying the vertical guide from a right portion of the first bounds to one of a left portion of the second bounds, a center portion of the second bounds, and a right portion of the second bounds.

49. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises means for displaying a line.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises means for displaying a dashed line.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises means for displaying a dotted line.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the means for displaying the guide further comprises means for displaying a solid line.

53. A signal-bearing medium encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed comprise:

determining whether a first object is within a threshold distance of a second object; and

when the first object is within the threshold distance, displaying at least one guide.