Abstract: A computer-implemented system for managing an external application in response to a user's selection of an item in a compound document which is displayed by a client application. The managing system includes an application manager and a file manager which are simple in construction because there is no need for them to communicate directly with the external application; rather, they simply monitor the external application. In response to user selection of an item in the compound document, the client application copies the selected item to an external temporary file and sends the temporary file name to the application manager. Based on the file name, the application manager associates an external application to the file, launches the external application, issues polling requests for activity of the external application, and outputs the file name to the file manager.

Abstract: A method of and system for generating a user-display interface which displays and manages multiple child windows anywhere on a display screen. An application is executed to create a server and to create a context manager, the context manager for monitoring current context. The application also creates and initializes a frame window, the frame window including at least an application menu and being commanded by the server so that a header block of the frame window may be selectively displayed by the operating system as a visible window on a display screen. The frame window is executed to create zero or more child nodes in response to requests to open child nodes from the application, each of the child nodes having a context type associated therewith and zero or more of the child nodes being context sensitive, the context type being monitored by the context manager, each of the child nodes being commanded by the frame to be selectively displayed by the operating system as a visible window on the display screen.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for changing a dynamic tool palette in accordance with a current context of an application includes providing a static display of windowing functions and a dynamic display of windowing functions wherein the dynamic display is altered in accordance with a current context of an application. In the invention, the application is executed and the context of the application is registered with a context memory. The registered context is examined and a determination is made as to the applicable windowing functions associated with the registered context. In accordance with the determination result, the dynamic display is modified.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for defining and displaying an irregular bitmap on a display device context using a rectangular source bitmap creates a working bitmap from a source bitmap for the window it will be displayed on. A black and white mask of the source bitmap is created and then an inverse black and white mask of the source bitmap is created. A bitmap is created with a background color the same as the background color of the window and the irregular bitmap in black, and a bitmap is created with a black background and the irregular bitmap in its original color. A rectangular bitmap is then created with its background color set to the window background color and the irregular bitmap in its original color, and the bitmap is displayed on the window. Lastly, the unneeded bitmaps and device contexts are deleted and the display device context is released.