Abstract: An object-oriented framework is used to create multimedia application programs which route multimedia data from a multimedia source, such as a storage, to a multimedia presentation device for presentation. A variety of multimedia objects are defined in the storage, each of which has input and output ports, and a display is used to create the presentations by means of interactive graphics. Each of the objects generates its own graphic image and the application program is created by positioning the graphic images on the display and connecting them together with other connecting objects that generate graphic images, such as line segments. When the graphic images are connected, the underlying objects connect their input and output ports together to form the multimedia application program. The connecting objects can also perform data processing in the process of passing information from one object to another.

Abstract: Remote procedure call (RPC) objects are provided in both a client node and a server node of a client-server network for invoking and responding to service requests generated by calls to local service objects. Specifically, the RPC objects comprise a "caller" object which, once instantiated, accepts service requests from client objects. A service request made by calling a function in the local service object is automatically routed by the caller object to a local service program if the requests can be serviced locally, or to a remote server node if the appropriate service program is located on the remote node. The RPC objects also include a "dispatcher" object which is located at the remote service node and receives incoming service requests. The service requests are actually satisfied by means of service functions which are part of service objects in the server node, but these latter service functions are associated with the local service objects by means of a "dictionary" located in the dispatcher object.

Abstract: A data-driven global registry method for use to extend a framework in an object oriented programming (OOP) based computer system is provided. The method includes providing a new class defined in a shared class library which has data members and member functions related to a particular task. In addition, a new class attributes file which specifies attributes associated with the new class is generated. The new class attributes file is placed in a global registry configuration directory in a computer system such that a plurality of client applications can access the global registry configuration directory to determine if the new class has been installed in the class library. In an alternative embodiment, an object-based global registry method is provided. In addition, a storage device readable by a computer system for implementing either OOP-based global registry method and OOP-based global registries themselves are provided.

Abstract: A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic process for debugging computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). The debugging system uses a database of information relating machine executable code to source code. The database is developed during the compilation process using an extensible object-oriented set of tools. The tools standardize the information developed during compilation into an information format which the debugging system can utilize to provide the user with a powerful source code view of the corresponding executing code.

Abstract: Computer software, process, and object-oriented objects that decouple the details of accessing graphical data from the details of processing and iterating through the graphical data. The invention first receives a filter routine and a funnel routine, and passes an iterator, that enumerates over the graphical data, to the funnel routine. Then the invention repetitively calls both the filter and funnel routines to enumerate over the graphical data. The filter routine selects, orders and returns graphical data. The funnel routine processes the graphical data and also can pre-terminate enumeration. Developers have the capability extend the invention by providing their own versions of the filter and funnel routines and by modifying the enumeration.

Abstract: A method and system for selecting a location in a first document, selecting a location in a second document, performing an action on the second document and performing the identical action on the first document at the defined location. An alternative embodiment links a first object to a second object and performs an action, such as launching an application of the second object, and remembering the location where the document was last accessed. Another embodiment, termed the whole model embodiment, provides an anchor to an entire object. The anchor enables an action to be applied to the whole object. For example, to copy data from a clipboard object, the copy command is directed to the anchor of the clipboard object. Still another embodiment provides an anchor representative of the first misspelled word or highest value in a document or a spreadsheet.

Abstract: A Shared Document Framework for use by an application program provides collaborative access to a shared document by means of a caucus service associated with the shared document. The caucus service receives messages from caucus members and broadcast transmits them to all caucus members in global order. The Framework includes shared document class information, from which a shared document instance may be created.

Abstract: A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic process for debugging computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). The system performs goal directed debugging in response to a user request. The user merely inputs a high level debugging request, and the system breaks down the request into a set of goals and subgoals for implementing the high level user request. The system automatically develops one or more hypotheses which are tested in attempting to handle the debugging request of the user. Once a hypothesis is found to be true, the system automatically initiates backtracking, and further hypothesis, if necessary, to carry out the user request.

Abstract: An object-oriented file system in an object-oriented operating system includes a file system entity class that is subclassed into a volume, directory and file subclass. These classes encapsulate standard file system properties such as name, creation date, and size, as well as standard operations such as create, open, close, and property accessors. Using object-oriented programming, the class properties and operations can easily be modified and extended. Also provided is a convenient and efficient means for searching through the entities, and collecting heterogeneous sets. Further, a category of notification classes is provided for notifying clients when an entity has changed. Still further, user authentication and protection domains are used to protect against unauthorized access. Finally, a means for working with foreign file systems running under different operating systems is provided.

Abstract: Screen objects used by the application programs to draw or paint on the display screen are created in accordance with a predefined class structure which represents a generic display system. Developers of specialized hardware develop specialized classes based on the predefined structure to handle specific command sets and protocols. When the system is initially powered up or reconfigured, the screen objects are created from the generic and specialized classes as necessary by examining the actual display hardware present in the system. When the specialized classes are used to create the screen objects, the screen objects receive the specialized command sets and protocols necessary to interact with display hardware which have been provided by the hardware developers.

Abstract: A method and system provides an object-oriented framework for rendering three-dimensional surfaces on a two-dimensional display in a flexible manner. The framework comprises two main classes that work together to render discretized data points that represent the three-dimensional graphic objects. The first class is used to construct a surface object which has a first member function that generates vertex information for each of the data points and stores the vertex information in a memory. The surface object also contains a second member function which generates indices into the stored vertex information which indices define shards on the surface which is being rendered. The second class is used to construct a rendering object which calls the first and second member functions in the surface object to first process the vertex data for display and then use the shard indices to retrieve the processed vertex data to render the surface.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling various multimedia objects throughout the course of a multimedia presentation on a computer with a storage and a display utilizes a control object defined in the storage and associated with each multimedia object. The control objects each contain an internal current time value which is used to control presentation of multimedia data by the associated multimedia object. The internal current time value is calculated as a function of an input time value and control objects can be connected together so that the internal current time value of one clock object serves as the input time value of another clock object so that multimedia objects can be synchronized. Each control object can also be directly manipulated via a mouse or other pointing device to directly control the associated multimedia object to position the object to a particular position in time, or adjust the playback rate.

Abstract: A hardware configuration system for enabling automatic configuration of hardware in a computer system. First, at system ipl, the particular computer system is identified based on its identification number. Then, a specific software component object is instantiated based on the computer system. All of the details of the standard computer system are predefined in the software component object based on supported hardware and peripherals for the specific hardware. Then a test is performed to determine if additional hierarchies are present. Each hierarchy has an associated identification number. If so, then for each hierarchy, the hierarchy is processed as discussed above. The result is a set of instantiated objects completely specifying the hardware environment.

Abstract: A window server communicates with clients and creates, destroys and modifies window objects. Objects are created in response to parameters provided by clients. Clients can obtain a variety of information regarding windows managed by the window server. Hardware windows are supported by subclassing objects, which provides polymorphic screen objects. Therefore, it does not matter whether the window is created by a hardware or software entity. Clients may be notified by the window server in response to certain events occurring with respect to particular windows, such as a configuration change. The window server also dynamically manages a default window layering scheme which takes into account the parameters specified, or not specified, by clients as well as the characteristics of the windows currently being managed by the window server. The window server also supports window clustering, which allows a window to span monitors.

Abstract: A distributed program history database system is designed for use on a client-server network. The system consists of a plurality of program history servers which maintain version information for various program components. A program developer, upon logging into a client terminal on the network, establishes a workspace or project and connects with one of the history servers. After connection to the history server has been made, a draft of the program configuration is retrieved from the server. The configuration draft may include information for constructing some of the program components and "bridge" information identifying other program history servers where additional program components are located. The workspace uses the component information to assemble components and the bridge information to connect to other servers and retrieve the remaining components in order to assemble the complete source code for a program in the workspace.

Abstract: A method and system for formatting numerical information. An object-based operating system provides various number formatting services. Some objects scan text and convert the text to numerical information, and convert non-text numerical information to text, and convert between different numerical formats and languages. The system provides a common ground from which application programs can speak a seemingly common numerical language without specifying the details of converting numerical information between systems of representation. The present system relieves application developers of the burden of handling details of numerical information, and provides ease of information transfer between monetary systems and cultures having differing languages. The system also provides for conversion between number formats to allow for easier processing and/or comprehension of the numerical information, and normalization and alignment of any textual representation of numeric information.

Abstract: A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events, including an audio event is disclosed. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events, including an audio object, are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects, including a MIDI data object, with the associated clock object or objects. Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks. The multimedia objects, including the audio object, may include external multimedia sources managed by the computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing software programs systematically generates test data by removing from a potential test data candidate pool data which is syntactically incorrect for proper operation with the software program and then data which is semantically incorrect for the software program. The resulting reduced data collection is applied to the collection of components to generate output values which are then checked against post condition rules to verify that the software program operated correctly.

Abstract: User interface objects are stored in a user interface object archive which is a database physically located in the shared library of an associated application program. In order to facilitate "localization", or preparation of an application developed in one language for use in an "area" or a locale which uses another language, the user interface objects are stored in a hierarchical locale tree within the archive. All objects are stored in the base or root of the hierarchy, but only those objects which require a translation are stored in an area associated with a more specific locale. At runtime, a complete collection of objects is assembled by starting at the desired locale and proceeding up the hierarchy level-by-level. Translated objects at lower levels of the hierarchy "override" those at higher levels so that the most complete translations of each object are obtained during this search.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for representing the attributes of an object representing a person or entity in an object oriented operating system running on a computer. The information is presented in the form of a graphic depiction of a business card with information specific to a particular person, place or thing appearing on the business card. The information on the business card and the card itself can be used to invoke various actions. Further, any information on the card can be copied, pasted or otherwise manipulated by the system.