Abstract: Techniques for an ink experience with images are discussed herein. In various implementations, an image is displayed via an image management application for viewing and/or editing images. In conjunction with interaction scenarios provided via the application, an inking mode for adding inked annotations to the image is enabled. Input to apply one or more inked annotations to the image is obtained, such as via finger touches on a touchscreen, drawing with a stylus, camera-based gestures, or other natural input mechanisms. Responsive to obtaining the input, data blocks corresponding to the one or more inked annotations are appended to an image file as additional data blocks for the image.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide an ability to describe, independent of a programming language, one or more interfaces associated with an operating system. Alternately or additionally, a compiler associated with a specific programming language can be configured to map the independent interface description(s) to the specific programming language. In some embodiments, an application can be configured to programmatically determine one or more interfaces of the operating system.

Abstract: Techniques for an ink experience with images are discussed herein. In various implementations, an image is displayed via an image management application for viewing and/or editing images. In conjunction with interaction scenarios provided via the application, an inking mode for adding inked annotations to the image is enabled. Input to apply one or more inked annotations to the image is obtained, such as via finger touches on a touchscreen, drawing with a stylus, camera-based gestures, or other natural input mechanisms. Responsive to obtaining the input, data blocks corresponding to the one or more inked annotations are appended to an image file as additional data blocks for the image.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: A method referred to as visual window browsing allows a user to browse through windows on their desktop. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, moving open windows to form a visual stack with the topmost window in the stack being in focus. Responsive to a browse the windows in the visual stack can be browsed, where the topmost window moves to the bottom of the visual stack and the other windows move higher in the stack, with the second highest window becoming the topmost window and being in focus. Successive browse commands causes this behavior to repeat allowing a user to cycle through each of the open windows.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide an ability to describe, independent of a programming language, one or more interfaces associated with an operating system. Alternately or additionally, a compiler associated with a specific programming language can be configured to map the independent interface description(s) to the specific programming language. In some embodiments, an application can be configured to programmatically determine one or more interfaces of the operating system.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide an ability to describe, independent of a programming language, one or more interfaces associated with an operating system. Alternately or additionally, a compiler associated with a specific programming language can be configured to map the independent interface description(s) to the specific programming language. In some embodiments, an application can be configured to programmatically determine one or more interfaces of the operating system.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Information about the operating system application programming interfaces is stored in a known format in a known location. This information fully describes the APIs exposed by the operating system and is stored in API metadata files. A language compiler or interpreter uses this API information to build a natural and familiar representation of the native system API in the target language. The language compiler or interpreter can read the API information at compile time and/or runtime. The metadata is used to allow an application to refer to named elements in the API. Projections are built that use the metadata to map named elements in the API to named elements in the target language, and to define wrappers that marshal data of those elements between the target representation and the native operating system representation.

Abstract: Native operating system application programming interfaces (API's) are described using metadata and such descriptions are stored in a standard file format in a known location. By storing API definitions using such metadata, other applications can readily identify and use the APIs. To create such API representations, during development, a developer describes the shape of the API, including (but not limited to) the classes, interfaces, methods, properties, events, parameters, structures and enumerated types defined by the API. This API description is processed by a tool which generates a machine-readable metadata file. The machine-readable metadata file contains the same information as the API description, however in a format designed to be machine read rather than human authored.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide an ability to describe, independent of a programming language, one or more interfaces associated with an operating system. Alternately or additionally, a compiler associated with a specific programming language can be configured to map the independent interface description(s) to the specific programming language. In some embodiments, an application can be configured to programmatically determine one or more interfaces of the operating system.

Abstract: A method referred to as visual window browsing allows a user to browse through windows on their desktop. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, moving open windows to form a visual stack with the topmost window in the stack being in focus. Responsive to a browse the windows in the visual stack can be browsed, where the topmost window moves to the bottom of the visual stack and the other windows move higher in the stack, with the second highest window becoming the topmost window and being in focus. Successive browse commands causes this behavior to repeat allowing a user to cycle through each of the open windows.

Abstract: A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with at least one second window, the at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the common window are performed automatically on any underlying window. For example, when a user chooses to save the contents of the common window, the contents of all of the windows of the common window may be saved.

Abstract: Techniques and implementations for providing enhanced functionality for handling data in Internet browsers or other applications used for accessing data over a network, including providing thumbnail image displays of the current appearance of webpages referenced by URLs returned in a set of search results, providing thumbnail image displays of the webpages referenced by a list of favorite or bookmarked websites, providing thumbnail image displays of webpages which have been blocked from appearing on a user's screen, and providing thumbnail image displays of images which have been extracted from webpages and stored for potential future use.

Abstract: A method referred to as x-ray browsing for allowing a user to browse through windows on their desktop is provided. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, making a first window the window in focus on the display screen and changing the relative opacities between a content portion of the first window and a content portion of the second window. By controlling the opacities a single window can be made opaque while the remaining windows can be made transparent to allow a user to successively navigate among open windows.

Abstract: A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with a second window, where the second window is independent of the first window, arranging the first window and the second window on a display screen, where the first window and the second window are configured to fit within a predetermined region of the display screen, and notifying an application program corresponding to the first window that the second window is associated with the first window. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and the second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the first window are performed automatically on the second window. For example, when a user is comparing two documents, she can scroll down one document and have the second document automatically scroll as well.

Abstract: A method for displaying at least one visualization of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of receiving an input corresponding to a request to access visualizations of windows for a plurality of windows, and for each window of the plurality of windows, displaying a visualization of at least a portion of the content of the window in an area separately defined from the plurality of windows, wherein the at least a portion of the content includes dynamic video content. Another method provides for grouping and ordering the visualizations when displayed. Another method allows for display of visualizations related to child and/or parent windows.

Abstract: A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with at least one second window, the at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the common window are performed automatically on any underlying window. For example, when a user chooses to save the contents of the common window, the contents of all of the windows of the common window may be saved.

Abstract: A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with at least one second window, the at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and the second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the common window are performed automatically on any underlying window. For example, when a user chooses to save the contents of the common window, the contents of all of the windows of the common window may be saved.