Abstract: A tool for a display system comprises means for superimposing a box on a portion of a buffer of data visible on a display; the box being representative of the size and location of the visible portion with respect to the whole of the buffer. For example, a box of an appropriate size can be superimposed on a portion of a buffer of data displayed in a window at an appropriate location in the window to allow the two-dimensional extent of the visible portion of the buffer with respect to the rest of the buffer of data to be represented in an easily understood manner. The invention finds particular application as part of a scroll tool. By the provision of means for interacting with the scroll box the user is provided with a user-friendly manner of scrolling around a document in a plurality of directions. This scroll tool is much more convenient to use than conventional scroll bars and does not take up unnecessary screen real estate.

Abstract: A method for verifying the conformance of an application program to a set of system rules characterized by the development of a conformance database, the performance of a static analysis of the application program to determine whether the application program is in static conformance with the conformance database and the performance of a dynamic analysis of the application program to determine whether the application program is in dynamic conformance with the conformance database. The static analysis produces a graph of the basic blocks of the application program and analyzes the graph for conformance to system rules, dead code and coverage metrics. The dynamic analysis adds a small amount of monitoring code into an executable application program which monitors the application program as it is exercised in a test harness. The monitoring code produces a log database which can be analyzed for run-time non-conformities of the application program.

Abstract: The system and method provides a user interface tool for simultaneously selecting a menu item and a value, from a range of values, for the menu item. The user interface tool is referred to as a valuator menu, since it allows both the selection of a value from a range of values, and the selection of a menu item from a menu list. As a user moves a cursor over a menu of selectable items on a screen display, the item underneath the cursor is highlighted. In addition, as the user moves the cursor within the highlighted menu item, a value relative to the position of the cursor within that menu item is displayed. This valuator value is dynamically updated as the cursor position changes within the menu item. When the user performs an input selection, i.e. through a mouse button or a keyboard interaction, both the selected menu item and the value, relative to the cursor position, are simultaneously returned to the application program running on the data processing system.