Abstract: Methods and apparatus for capturing images on screens which display multiple windows. Exemplary embodiments eliminate unnecessary reading and writing of information pertaining to display data that is not visible. A user designates an arbitrary region of a screen to be captured, which can cross windows that are displayed at different layers within the image. A snapshot of the selected region is obtained by retrieving data for each of the pixels in the region, converting them into standard values, and storing them in an off-screen pixel map. Before the data for the pixels is obtained, a listing is made of all windows that are encompassed by the designated region. For each window a record is made of the portion of the window that is visible within the designated region. If no portion is visible, the window is removed from the list.

Abstract: A control device for adjusting multiple parameters associated with an element or item of a user interface in an easy and intuitive manner. A slider control can be used to change the format or appearance of a timescale presented by the user interface. By using a single visual interface control, a slider control, a time-based scaling of a given view can be easily switched between predefined timescale settings for the timescale. The slider control, which comprises a fob and a rail, can control the parameters that dictate the appearance of the timescale, such as time units, date format, and labels. Once selected, the fob can be moved along the rail to a stop associated with parameter values for the timescale. The presentation of the timescale can be varied by moving the fob from one stop to the next stop along the rail, thereby varying the parameters defining the appearance of the timescale.

Abstract: Collections of articles or entities are represented on a video display in a manner that allows one to view the relationship, if any, between those articles. One embodiment uses circular representations to model set membership of the entities in one or more of the collections. Another embodiment displays many-to-many and one-to-many relationships between the entities and the collections using two overlapping sets of connective representations with icons displayed at the overlaps to indicate the relationship.

Abstract: A system, with a screen display, and an application server, is provided. Preferably, the application server registers one of a plurality of metaphor elements with a set of device attributes. A status indicating metaphor or a control metaphor is developed for use with the one of the plurality of metaphor elements. When displaying a metaphorical template, including the one of the plurality of metaphors on the screen display, the status indicating or control metaphor is associated with the one of the plurality of metaphor elements for facilitating the programming of a job or controlling an output of the job.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product that permit a user to view an image of an object on a graphical user interface (GUI) and perform operations on the image. The method comprising the steps of displaying a set of pictorial representation types on the GUI and allowing the user to select one of the pictorial representation types, by making a likeness determination between the image and the set of pictorial representation types. The system performs a process on the image based on the selected pictorial representation type.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to setting the direction and the quantity of movement by a point and to execute scrolling. A reference point is set in the display screen of the display apparatus of the electric device, in advance. When a user selects a display mode of a data processing function and designates a point within the display screen through a coordinate inputting apparatus, the device calculates a positional deviation of a designate point from the reference point as a deviation of a coordinate value, switches a display image so that an image component which is displayed at a position corresponding to the designate position is located at a position corresponding to the reference position, and scrolls the image. Further, when a point is designated successively a plurality of times as a designation point, an image which is sequentially switched is scrolled the plurality of times at predetermined time intervals.

Abstract: The invention is carried out in the following environment. The computer system has at least a visual operator interface, an operating system for operating applications within the computer system, and memory for storing at least part, preferably all, of an application. The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and application for constructing in a graphical user interface a list of values, with each value having multiple components. Also disclosed is a means for adding, modifying, and deleting values or components of values. Additionally disclosed is a means for copying selected values or components of values from one entry to another entry in the list of values.

Abstract: Multiple testing elements (26) are coupled to a bus (25) operated under the control of a graphically programmed computer (12). The computer (12) interrogates the bus (25) to identify the testing elements (26) coupled thereto. Icons (44) representing the testing elements (26) are displayed in an "Equipment Shelf" window (40). The user drags icons (44') from this window (40) onto a "Test Bench" window (42) and draws lines between I/O ports (4531 . . . 4431) on the icons (453 . . . 443) to graphically create a test circuit (54). The computer (12) generates bus commands to activate switches (28) to couple the testing elements (26) in the same manner as the graphical test circuit (54). Graphically set test ranges and parameters (472-494) are automatically sent to the testing elements (26) and test results (470) presented on the same computer display (16). The system (10) may be dynamically reconfigured for different tests without hand rewiring or loading of other test programs.

Abstract: A screen saver program is provided within a computer system. The screen saver program includes a note facility for generating notes. The notes facility includes a note-taker interface. The screen saver program is run on the computer system and in response to receiving input from a user, the note-taker interface is displayed on a video display of the computer system. In response to input by the user via the note-taker interface, a note is created. Subsequently, the screen saver program is dismissed and the note is displayed on the video display when the screen saver is dismissed.

Abstract: A character generator for a keyboard where the keyboard has keys for entry of characters. Each key is assigned a character and each of at least some of the keys are multiple-character keys assigned multiple characters. The character generator includes a generator for generating one of the characters assigned to each of a sequence of character keys that are entered on the keyboard, there being an ambiguity as to the correct character to be generated when any multiple-character key is entered in the sequence of keys. An ambiguity resolver operates in response to the sequence of character keys that have been entered for resolving the correct character for any of the multiple-character keys in the sequence of keys that are entered.

Abstract: A system and method for resizing a window, containing a first display for displaying first data in a first format and a second display for displaying second data in a second format, to a height and a width, thereby creating a resized window. The system determines whether the first display can be drawn to a first scale thereby ensuring that the first display will fit within the resized window. If the first display will fit within the resized window, then the system draws the first display to the first scale. The system draws to a second scale the second display to a remaining area of the resized window after the first display is drawn. The second scale will consist of the entire window if the first display cannot be drawn to the first scale. The invention resizes the first display and the second display within the resized window to ensure a useful presentation of data.

Abstract: The system and method of the present invention for detecting screen hotspots provides a graphical user interface environment that enables a user to select screen hotspots that are graphically represented by complex shapes and multiple colors. The use of complex-shaped multi-colored hotspots enables the creation of more realistic graphical representations implementing screen hotspots. Monochrome bitmaps, or masks, are created for each and every hotspot of each and every window view that may be displayed on a screen. Each mask defines valid coordinates for the corresponding hotspots such that, so long as a cursor is located on a valid coordinate, the user can select that hotspot, regardless of the complex shape or multiple colors used to graphically represent the hotspot.

Abstract: An information visualization system which uses dynamic queries in combination with movable viewing operation regions (VORs) for searching of two dimensional databases. Boolean and real-valued queries are made by overlapping viewing operation regions which include filters to search for specific data in the database. The viewing operation regions include interactive interfaces such as sliders and/or buttons to control the value of the filter function and define a composition operation generated by overlapping the VORs. The system provides a graphical display of database values and direct manipulation tools for exploring relationships between the database.

Abstract: A desktop manager application (20) manages graphical object creation, repositioning, resizing and related object placement functions in the context of a multi-monitor or other enhanced desktop environment. In a preferred implementation, the program manager (20) manages multi-pass window creation by allowing a graphical user interface operating system (16) to fill in a window structure in a hidden form and thereafter analyzing the window's coordinates relative to selected display criteria such as avoiding monitor splits. Based on this analysis, the program manager (20) selectively repositions the window under consideration in accordance with the display criteria. The program manager (20) thus provides a more user friendly interface between a GUI operating system (16) and applications in the enhanced desktop environment.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing displays in which the locations of nodes of a graph relative to each other are a function of the significance of a relationship between the nodes. The technique used to locate the nodes produces groups of nodes with significant relationships to each other which are set visually apart from the other nodes. The relationships between the nodes are defined by using a statistic to give weights to links between the nodes. Statistics may also be used to determine the size, shape, and color of the nodes and the color and width of the links. The display may also include histograms which show the numbers of links or nodes which have given values of the statistics and which relate the colors in which the nodes and links are displayed to values of the statistics. The histograms may further be used to interactively define masks for links and nodes, and masked links and nodes are not taken into account in making the display.

Abstract: An application programmers interface for shared address book services in a computer system that provides a register function call that enables a set of client communication application programs executing on the computer system to each register a callback function. The application programmers interface also provides a notify function call that enables an address book application program executing on the computer system to notify the appropriate client communication application program via the appropriate callback function that a user has selected a destination identifier for the corresponding communication type.

Abstract: A computer-implemented messaging application (e.g., e-mail, browser, paging) lists messages addressed to a user in a graphical message window of a graphical user interface. The message window lists both read and unread messages. The read messages are displayed visually differently than the unread messages to distinguish between the two types. A highlight bar identifies a particular message in the list. The message window has a preview pane in which the highlighted message can be previewed by a user without opening that message into a separate window. Heuristics are employed to determine whether the user is likely to be reading the message while it is displayed in the preview pane. For instance, scrolling the message in the preview pane is evidence that the user is likely to be reading the message. If any heuristic condition is met, the message is marked as read.

Abstract: A process and system for (a) minimizing operator interaction for selecting various functions of an application using a main window thread, an intelligent worker thread and a preemptive modeless dialog box; and (b) minimizing display clutter. The intelligent worker thread is capable of reading messages sent from a designated Window function requesting the creation of a preemptive modeless dialog box, determining whether any previous preemptive modeless dialog box is active, deleting any previous preemptive modeless dialog box and creating a subsequent preemptive modeless dialog box requested by the message sent from the designated Window function, and dispatching foreign keypushes back to the main window thread.

Abstract: The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it.RTM. notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Abstract: Individual messages that are displayed on a screen are modified to allow a user to select options relating to the future display of the message and, if the message is to be displayed, then the procedure for removing the message from the screen. As a message is displayed, it is provided with an options pushbutton. Selection of the pushbutton provides the display of the options for displaying and removing the message.