Abstract: An image map Java Bean or ActiveX control has a display image property and a mapping image property. The mapping image comprises a plurality of regions colored from a pre-determined sequence of colors. When instantiated the image map displays the display image. The image map is, responsive to user interaction with the display image, to obtain a coordinate in the display image and to reading an index color of a corresponding coordinate in the mapping image. If the index color is from the pre-determined sequence of colors, the image map indicates user selection of a region of the display image by highlighting the region.

Abstract: A set of software components, a system and a method provide to a user of a data processing system per-value interpretative information relating to application data values. The method includes the following steps: in response to user selection of a set of an application component's data values, generating per-value interpretation information corresponding to the selected data values; and, in response to subsequent movement of an input device pointer into a display screen area associated with a data value within the set, presenting the interpretation information to the user via an output device connected to the data processing system. A processing component selectable by the user from set of processing components preferably responds to user selection of both the operation to be performed and a set of application data by performing the processing operation on the set of data to produce a result, and then generating per-value interpretation information corresponding to that result.

Abstract: A user interface builder provides support for creation of customized user interfaces, enabling users to associate images, animation, sound clips and other media with specific predefined states of a user interface control. A set of object classes for each control predefined within the user interface builder include a first class defining the functional behavior and a comprehensive state model for the control, and a second class which encapsulates property attributes which may be set by a user to be associated with specific states of the control. In particular, desired graphics images, audio and animation sequences can be associated with a control via simple GUI interaction, avoiding the need for an interface creator to write code for standard interface control functions and so enabling easy creation of interfaces with semantic consistency and customized appearance.

Abstract: A data processing system and method in which processing operations represented as icons are selectable by a user for application to subsequently selected data items. The icon representing the operation is selected and then a pointer giving a visual indication of the selected operation is moved over data items to select them and then the operation is automatically performed. This sequence of processing is more efficient than the alternative of selecting data and then selecting an operation to be performed, since the user knows what process will be applied at the time of selecting the data. Also, repeated performance of the operation to a different data set merely requires selection of the new data.