Abstract: Embodiments relate to determining the health of a network community. Aspects include defining, via a computer processor, measurable aspects associated with the network community. The measurable aspects include metrics for one or more of: quantified interactions among users in the network community, quantified activities among the users that are associated with a topic, and quantified activities indicative of network community accessibility. Aspects also include monitoring activities conducted via the network community, collecting data from monitored activities that correspond to the measurable aspects, and analyzing collected data from the monitored activities. The analyzing is performed as a function of the metrics. Aspects further include determining, via the computer processor, a health status of the network community from results of the analyzing.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for automatically managing an environment for a physical zone over a period of time. Position coordinates are received from a plurality of entities. It is determined which of the entities will occupy the physical zone over a time frame, the physical zone including at least one environmental characteristic. Environmental preferences are accessed for the entities determined to occupy the physical zone for the time frame. The environmental characteristic of the physical zone is adjusted for the time frame based on the accessed environmental preferences for the entities.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to determining the health of a network community. Aspects include defining, via a computer processor, measurable aspects associated with the network community. The measurable aspects include metrics for one or more of: quantified interactions among users in the network community, quantified activities among the users that are associated with a topic, and quantified activities indicative of network community accessibility. Aspects also include monitoring activities conducted via the network community, collecting data from monitored activities that correspond to the measurable aspects, and analyzing collected data from the monitored activities. The analyzing is performed as a function of the metrics. Aspects further include determining, via the computer processor, a health status of the network community from results of the analyzing.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for automatically managing an environment for a physical zone over a period of time. Position coordinates are received from a plurality of entities. It is determined which of the entities will occupy the physical zone over a time frame, the physical zone including at least one environmental characteristic. Environmental preferences are accessed for the entities determined to occupy the physical zone for the time frame. The environmental characteristic of the physical zone is adjusted for the time frame based on the accessed environmental preferences for the entities.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for supporting an integrated development environment (IDE) for efficient graphical user interface (GUI) programming in source code are provided. The IDE user selects one or more GUI components for immediate rendering. The IDE, which has its own GUI, contains an event handler that detects modifications to the source code to the selected components. When a modification is detected, the IDE attempts to compile the source code to the modified component. If the compilation succeeds, the IDE dynamically loads the newly compiled code and executes the newly compiled code to render the component in the IDE's own runtime environment. Subsequent modifications to the component's source code result in immediate recompilation and rerendering of the component by the IDE so that the user is provided instant feedback as the GUI source code is modified.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for assisting individuals with vision impairment in their selection of items that are typically displayed in a list.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for automatically validating a GUI for accessibility are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a markup language, such as XML, is utilized to specify a set of declarative validation rules to be applied to components in an object-oriented GUI. GUI validation code is generated from the XML rules. This GUI validation code is incorporated into the software to be validated using aspect-oriented programming to insert the validation code at the point(s) in the software where the GUI is generated and/or rendered. When the software is executed and the GUI generated, the validation code is executed to verify that each component in the GUI hierarchy complies with the specified accessibility rules. The results of the validation are then reported to the developer.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for recording GUI events and for persistently identifying the events' target GUI components for subsequent playback of the recorded events are disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each GUI component is assigned a numerical identifier by traversing the component hierarchy in a well-defined order. As the GUI components are visited during the traversal, the components are numbered sequentially according the order in which the components were visited. When events are received, they are recorded along with the number corresponding to the target component of the event. Upon a subsequent execution of the GUI program, the hierarchy is traversed again in the same order, which results in the same assignment of identifying numbers to components. Therefore, the recorded events may be played back by applying each event to its corresponding target component, as identified by number.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for generating GUI code from a declarative specification is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a markup language, such as XML, is utilized to specify the hierarchical structure of an object-oriented GUI and the various attributes of its components. Additional special-purpose attributes and/or nested markup tags corresponding to particular types of event handlers and events are used to embed lines of non-markup program code (typically imperative program code) within the XML document. To produce the program code for the GUI, the XML document is processed and instructions for constructing the GUI to the XML document's specifications are generated. The embedded non-markup program code is formed into event handlers in the generated output program code, which are associated, in the output program code, with the GUI components to which they correspond.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for assisting individuals with vision impairment in their selection of items that are typically displayed in a list.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for facilitating the traversal of a hierarchy of GUI components containing components and/or containers from disparate GUI toolkits is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, auxiliary associative data structures relating parent components in one toolkit to children in another toolkit are defined. When examining a component to determine if it has children, an appropriate associative data structure is consulted to determine if that component has a child from a disparate toolkit. In accordance with this preferred embodiment, additional associative data structures are defined, which also record the reverse “child-parent” relationship, so as to allow the GUI component tree to be traversed in both directions.

Abstract: The present invention is a portable, configurable, inexpensive large scale projection system. The system is comprised of a plurality of projectors mounted on a structure and a display screen. The structure can be reconfigured to hold more or fewer projectors, and can be disassembled for easy transportation and reassembled. In an embodiment, the structure is comprised of containers and the projectors are mounted on calibration tables.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program are provided to enable an engine to employ a plurality of architectures in building and rendering a hierarchical structure, such as a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Currently, engines are typically hard coded to employ a single architecture, thus, requiring the engine to be architecturally specific. However, with the variety of architectures that exist and that are in use, it is useful to have an engine that can interact with many architectures. Therefore, an engine is provided with an interface that allows for interaction with many architectures while maintaining an engine that is architecturally neutral.

Abstract: A method, a computer program, and an apparatus are provided for building a hierarchical data tree. Typically, hierarchical trees are utilized in building Graphic User Interfaces. However, there are a variety of other uses. During the process of building, a rendering engine is employed to develop the tree, but some objects, attributes, or tags may not be identifiable to the rendering engine. In such cases, a reflection engine can be employed to identify the unidentifiable operational elements. The combination of a rendering engine with a reflection engine allows for increased flexibility in designing a hierarchical tree without the rigors of handwriting a large number of lines of code.

Abstract: The present invention provides for rendering a display over a plurality of graphical interfaces. A column number associated with each member of a plurality of display devices is assigned. A row number associated with each member of a plurality of display devices is assigned. An image to be displayed on at least one of the plurality of display devices is generated. A plurality of segments from the generated image is generated. A first and second offset for the at least one of the plurality of display devices are generated. At least two segments of the image devices, as a function of the first and second offset, are selected. The at least two selected segments on the at least two display devices are displayed. Through the use of software to perform many of these functions, flexibility of distribution between client computer and server computers can be had.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method of creating a control path for an animated object are provided. The system, apparatus and method enable an animator to draw a control path over a background image. The background image is an image through which the animated object is to navigate. After drawing the control path over the background image, different colors may be assigned at different locations of the control path. Each color is used to instruct the animated object to take a specific action. For example, a color may be used to instruct the animated to move from right-to-left, another color may be used to instruct the object to stop, turn right, turn left etc. Consequently, as the animated object is moving along the control path and encounters a particular color, the animated object may behave as instructed.

Abstract: An adaptation of a computer operating system manages storage of EA (extended attribute) data in association with object names, the latter representing paths in direct access storage devices (e.g. directories and sub-directories), and data files stored in such paths. EA data stored in association with a data file name can be accessed either jointly with or separate from the respective data file. EA data comprises one or more variable length sets of bytes stored in disk drive sectors assigned by the operating system. The location of each set is determinable by means of an EA handle that is stored in a path table containing the respective object name. Function calls from application programs to the operating system use either a file name or EA handle to access EA data. Function calls specifying only an EA handle allow EA information to be stored, modified or read without specific association to or linkage with file data.

Abstract: A data processing system, such as a personal computer, contains bootable DOS programs that are stored in a ROM as an alternate file system in which the files are stored in packed format. When the system is powered on, the programs are rapidly booted up or loaded from ROM into RAM and executed to "instantly" (as it appears to the user) place the system in operation.

Abstract: A method of passing data between objects located distributed among a plurality of virtual address space domains established by processes executing on a data processing system comprises several steps. First, a session initiation message from a source object in a domain is broadcast to other objects in the domain. Responsive to receipt of the session initiation message by a domain agent (a type of object) for the domain, forwarding the session initiation message from the domain agent to each of a plurality of domain agents in other virtual address space domains. Responsive to receipt of the session initiation message by the domain agent for a second domain, transmitting the session initiation message from the domain agent for the second domain to an agent object in the second domain for the source object.

Abstract: A data processing system has files stored on disks in a tree structure of directories and files. The system is operated to rapidly open files which have been recently opened or for which partial path information is available, by accessing a drive cache in main memory. The cache has entries chained in a tree structure which is then searched to provide the same information during the opening process as that information which would otherwise have to be gotten from a disk. When the cache is full, a new entry replaces the least recently used entry.