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 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: 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 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: 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: Described herein are APIs that enable generating identifier information 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 parent elements that the user interface element inherits from. Unlike more fragile identifiers, an element path identifier persists across instances of the computer program, across different computers, across different builds of the program etc. Also described herein, are APIs that enable searching for a location of a user interface element of interest in a target program using the element path identifier for the user interface. The element path identifier may be represented in a string data type or a user defined data type. APIs for converting between a user-defined data type and a string type and vice versa are also provided. The element path identifier may be composed from common identifier information of component elements of an element path.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and medium are provided for obtaining information related to elements of a user interface that reside in a process separate from that of a requesting component in some embodiments. The method includes providing a request to identify an element of interest, providing a list of attributes that are desired to be returned in connection with the element of interest, requesting the element of interest, and contemporaneously returning attribute information according to the list of attributes with the element of interest.

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: 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 method and system providing a client with user interface information are described. An event mechanism within a client-server environment for keeping a client notified of user interface events. The event mechanism comprises a registration mechanism for allowing the client to register to receive interesting user interface information. A user interface automation client receives registration information from the client and conveys the interesting user interface information to the client upon receipt. A user interface automation server receives registration information from the user interface automation client and advises a user interface engine of the registration. The user interface automation server additionally receives the user interface information from the user interface engine.

Abstract: A method and system for providing user interface information through the use of a logical element tree are provided. The logical element tree is provided within a client side interface. The logical element tree provides user interface information to a client. The logical element tree includes a plurality of logical elements, each representing a user interface component. The logical element tree additionally includes a framework for connecting the logical elements so that the connected logical elements provide a logical representation of a user interface. A computer-implemented method for constructing a logical element tree includes locating native elements of underlying application technologies. The method further includes combining native elements to form a raw element tree and determining which portions of the raw element tree are interesting to the client. Finally, the logical element tree is constructed by inserting hints in the raw element tree to modify portions of the raw element tree.

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 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.