COMPOSABLE SELECTION MODEL THROUGH REUSABLE COMPONENT

• US 20150095851A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Olenick, Brad, Armas, Federico Silva, Sanderson, Steven, Dias, Alvaro Rahul
• Granted Patent: US 9,805,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence

Abstract

A selection component that facilitates selection of user interface items. Upon receiving a user interface item identification from a data model component, the selection component determines a selection state of the identified user interface item using maintained selection state. The selection component then propagates the selection state in two directions. In one direction, the selection component notifies the identified user interface item of the selection state so that the user interface item may visualize its selection state. In the other direction, the selection component notifies an action module of the selection state of the user interface item so that the action module may take further action external to the user interface item based on the selection state. For instance, the action module might create a new user interface element.

Claims

1. A method for a selection component to facilitate selection of one or more user interface items, the method comprising:

an act of maintaining selection state representing whether or not each of one or more user interface items is selected;

an act of receiving a user interface item identification;

an act of determining a selection state of the identified user interface item using the maintained selection state;

an act of notifying the user interface item of the selection state so that the user interface item may visualize its selection state; and

an act of notifying an action module of the selection state of the user interface item so that the action module may take further action external to the user interface item based on the selection state.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication from the action module that an action external to the user interface item has been taken to change the selection state of the user interface item from a first selection mode to a second selection mode;

in response to the received indication from the action module, an act of notifying the user interface item of a switch of the selection state of the user interface item from the first selection mode to the second selection mode so that the user interface item may visualize the selection state as being the second selection mode; and

in response to the received indication from the action module, an act of updating the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the second selection mode.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication from the user interface item that interaction has occurred with the user interface item so as to change the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode;

in response to the received indication from the user interface item, an act of notifying the action module that the selection state of the user interface item has changed to the first selection mode; and

in response to the received indication from the user interface item, an act of updated the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the first selection mode.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising

an act of receiving a second indication from the action module that an action external to the user interface item has been taken to change the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode;

in response to the received second indication from the action module, an act of notifying the user interface item of a switch of the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode so that the user interface item may visualize the selection state as being the first selection mode; and

in response to the received second indication from the action module, an act of updating the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the first selection mode.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, the first selection mode being a deselected state, and the second selection mode being a selected state.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, the first selection mode being a selected state, and the second selection mode being a deselected state.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication from the user interface item that interaction has occurred with the user interface item so as to change the selection state of the user interface item from the first selection mode to the second selection mode;

in response to the received indication from the user interface item, an act of notifying the action module that the selection state of the user interface item has changed to the second selection mode; and

in response to the received indication from the user interface item, an act of updating the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the second selection mode.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication from the action module that an action external to the user interface item has been taken to change the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode;

in response to the received indication from the action module, an act of notifying the user interface item of a switch of the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode so that the user interface item may visualize the selection state as being the first selection mode; and

in response to the received indication from the action module, an act of updating the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the first selection mode.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

an act of receiving a second indication from the user interface item that interaction has occurred with the user interface item so as to change the selection state of the user interface item from the second selection mode to the first selection mode;

in response to the received second indication from the user interface item, an act of notifying the action module that the selection state of the user interface item has changed to the first selection mode; and

in response to the received second indication from the user interface item, an act of updated the selection state of the user interface item as maintained by the selection component to the first selection mode.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7, the first selection mode being a deselected state, and the second selection mode being a selected state.

11. The method in accordance with claim 7, the first selection mode being a selected state, and the second selection mode being a deselected state.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1, the user interface item being a first user interface item, the action module being a first action module, the selection state of the first user interface item being first selection state, the method further comprising:

an act of receiving a second user interface item identification;

an act of determining a second selection state of the identified second user interface item using the maintained selection state;

an act of notifying the second user interface item of the second selection state so that the second user interface item may visualize the second selection state; and

an act of notifying a second action module of the second selection state of the second user interface item so that the second action module may take further action external to the second user interface item based on the second selection state.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12,

the act of receiving the first user interface identification, and the act of receiving the second user interface identification are performed by receiving a single message that includes both the first user interface identification and the second user interface identification.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, the further action external to the user interface item being a creation of a new user interface item.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1, the user interface item being a button element.

16. The method in accordance with claim 1, the user interface item being a member of a list.

17. The method in accordance with claim 1, the user interface item being a region visualized in another user interface element.

18. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the action performed by the action component depends on one or more conditions determined by at least one of the selection component and the data component that provides the user interface item identification to the selection component

19. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method of managing a selection state, the method comprising:

an act of maintaining selection state representing whether or not each of a plurality of user interface items are selected;

an act of receiving an indication from an action module that a selection state associated with a user interface item has changed;

an act of changing the maintained selection state associated with the user interface item.

20. A method for a selection component to facilitate de-selection of one or more user interface items, the method comprising:

an act of maintaining selection state representing whether or not each of a plurality of user interface items are selected, wherein a particular user interface item has, and is visualized as having, a selected mode;

an act of detecting that an action has been taken by the user outside of the particular user interface item which is to cause the particular user interface item to be deselected; and

in response to the act of detecting, performing the following;

an act of changing the maintained selection state associated with the particular user interface item; and

an act of changing a visualization of the user interface item to reflect the deselected mode of the particular user interface item.