Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and medium are provided for providing a custom view of a set of user-interface elements (UI elements) to a requesting component. The method includes representing the UI elements as a raw tree structure composed of a set of nodes, which correspond to the UI elements; identifying a subset of the nodes that satisfy the condition(s); and communicating to the requesting component a representation of all or some of the identified nodes. The apparatus includes a request-transmission component for submitting to an interface component instructions and a transmission-reception component for receiving from the interface component the information associated with one or more UI elements that satisfy the one or more conditions.

Abstract: Identifier information is generated for a user interface element of interest within a user interface of a computer program based on a description of a hierarchical element path comprising, e.g., some combination of parent elements that the user interface element inherits from, class names of user interface elements, module names of application programs in the element path, and sibling order information. Process identifiers may also be added to distinguish between user interface elements of two different process instances of the same program. Unlike more fragile identifiers, such an element path identifier persists across instances of the computer program, across different computers, across different builds of the program, etc. Converting between a user-defined data type and a string type and vice versa also is provided.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: A remote automation system is described herein that allows application accessibility information to be used remotely and extended to allow custom UI elements to be automated. The remote automation system receives a request at a remote computer for automation data related to an application running on the remote computer. The remote automation system requests automation data from the application running on the remote computer and serializes the automation data for transmission to the client computer. The system transmits the serialized automation data to the client computer in response to the request. When the client computer receives the response, the system deserializes the automation data and provides the deserialized automation data to a local application on the client computer. Thus, the remote automation system allows users to view applications running on a remote system but run accessibility applications locally.

Abstract: Techniques relating to enabling accessibility functionality in remote terminal session scenarios are described. In one instance, a process detects a request from an accessibility functionality regarding a display element in a remote terminal session. The process sends a query relating to the request to a component located on a computing device which generated the display element. The process also receives a response to the query.

Abstract: A method and system providing a client with user interface information are described. The method and system implement a set of application program interfaces for providing user interface information to a client through an accessibility system. The accessibility system includes a mechanism for transferring user interface information from a provider side to the client side and a logical tree for selectively revealing user interface information. The application program interface system includes client side application program interfaces for assisting the client in obtaining user interface information. The client side application program interfaces include an automation class, a logical element class, a raw element class, control pattern classes, and an input class. The provider side application program interfaces include a provider automation class, a provider automation interface, a raw element interface, and control pattern provider interfaces.

Abstract: Identifier information is generated for a user interface element of interest within a user interface of a computer program based on a description of a hierarchical element path comprising, e.g., some combination of parent elements that the user interface element inherits from, class names of user interface elements, module names of application programs in the element path, and sibling order information. Process identifiers may also be added to distinguish between user interface elements of two different process instances of the same program. Unlike more fragile identifiers, such an element path identifier persists across instances of the computer program, across different computers, across different builds of the program, etc. Converting between a user-defined data type and a string type and vice versa also is provided.

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for providing direct synchronous input. An input monitor determines where an input from a sender that is directed to a target element is about to be delivered. One example for providing an input monitor includes using a system hook. If the input monitor determines that the input is about to be delivered to the target element, the input is delivered to the target element, and the sender is notified that delivery to the target element succeeded. An interface for providing a direct synchronous input is also described. The interface has a start method for monitoring inputs being sent to target elements from a sender. The interface also has a received event for notifying the sender when a particular input is received by the target element.

Abstract: Control patterns are used to describe functionality that may be exposed by one or more types of elements or controls. Functionality that is common among two or more types of elements is described by the same control pattern. Certain predefined methods, structures, properties, and/or events may be associated with a particular control pattern. Elements that support the control pattern, when queried, return an interface that describes those methods, structures, properties, and/or events. Control patterns are mutually exclusive in the functionality they represent, so they may be combined in arbitrary ways to expose the complete set of functionality offered by a particular control.

Abstract: A method and system providing a client with user interface information are described. An accessibility system for providing user interface information to a client. The accessibility system comprises an accessibility system core including user interface automation services and APIs. The user interface automation tools filter information based on whether the user interface information is interesting to the client. The accessibility system additionally comprises a client side interface including a logical tree for revealing user interface information that is interesting to the client and for hiding user interface information that is not interesting to the client. The accessibility system also comprises a server side interface for facilitating information transfer from a server side regardless of the server side technology.

Abstract: A universal console (UC) platform for a UC device is provided. The user sets up or initializes the UC by describing his or her preferences and disabilities. The UC digests and stores this user information. Later, as the user encounters various devices and applications to be controlled, and indicates a desire to control a particular device, the device to be controlled or other source sends a canonical user interface (UI) description of the device's UI to the UC. The canonical UI description adheres to an abstract format to describe in high-level terms the functionality of the device's UI. From the canonical UI representation, the UC device is capable of recognizing (1) the action-commands to which the device responds including parameters and (2) the decisions, selections, and input the user needs to provide for the console to determine which action-commands to send and the values of the action-command parameters.

Abstract: A query can request user interface information from a user interface element hierarchy. Calls from a client program seeking user interface information related target user interface can be handled by a broker module. The broker module can operate across process boundaries and assemble efficient high-level user interface information queries to reduce the number of cross-process calls needed to collect the user interface information. Reducing the number of cross-process calls can result in better performance through improved speed of response to queries seeking user interface information across process boundaries.

Abstract: Identifier information is generated for a user interface element of interest within a user interface of a computer program based on a description of a hierarchical element path comprising, e.g., some combination of parent elements that the user interface element inherits from, class names of user interface elements, module names of application programs in the element path, and sibling order information. Process identifiers may also be added to distinguish between user interface elements of two different process instances of the same program. Unlike more fragile identifiers, such an element path identifier persists across instances of the computer program, across different computers, across different builds of the program, etc. Converting between a user-defined data type and a string type and vice versa also is provided.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and medium are provided for representing multiple programmatic hierarchal structures as a single hierarchal structure. The method includes identifying at least first and second datasets corresponding to first and second hierarchal structures. Referential links are provided between the first and second sets of data so that the first and second hierarchal structures appear as a single hierarchal structure to a software application. An application program interface enables user-interface elements to be manipulated and includes a set of instructions that can receive a request for information related to displaying one or more elements, a set of instructions that identify multiple hierarchal trees capable of satisfying the request, a set of instructions that represent the hierarchal trees as a single hierarchal tree, and a set of instructions that communicates the representation of the single hierarchal tree to a receiving component.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.

Abstract: An improved graphics processing system and method are described for magnifying visual output information for printing, display, or other output. A graphics engine transforms display information so as to magnify one or more components or areas of an output image for display via output hardware such as a screen or printer. Magnification parameters are supplied to the graphics engine by one or more magnification applications. In an embodiment of the invention, the graphics engine performs compositing of magnified and unmagnified content for display. In an alternative embodiment, the graphics engine outputs corresponding scaled image material to the appropriate magnification application for rendering. In a further embodiment, the graphics engine may operate in both modes.