A computer display has a display processor connected to a presentation space buffer and a screen buffer. The presentation space buffer is larger than the screen buffer, and is divided into a plurality of partitions. Each partition has a partition window which maps into the screen buffer. If a partition is active, its associated partition window is written into the screen buffer at the mapped location. The screen buffer periodically refreshes the display screen, so a plurality of partition windows are displayed to the computer user. One or more scroll groups can be defined, and one or more partitions can be assigned to each scroll group. Each defined scroll group has a vertical scroll trigger and a horizontal scroll trigger. The display monitors the movement of the cursor within a partition window. When the cursor gets close enough to a boundary of a partition window, to trigger a scroll trigger, the display shifts the partition window within its partition and writes this updated partition window into the screen buffer. Updated partition windows are written into the screen buffer for the other partitions in the scroll group.

A display apparatus employing an information processor including a display for displaying information as an image on a surface, a display controller for causing the display to display a window containing first information, a cursor control for indicating a point on the display, and controller for positioning the window at a distance from the point to allow second information to be displayed therebetween.

An easy-to-use technique for specifying measurements of a document to be printed uses a pointing method, such as a cursor which is moved around a display screen by means of a pointing device having a select button. The pointing cursor is moved to each desired location in a predetermined sequence, and the select button is pressed. The values of the measurements so selected are calculated based on the relative position of the pointing cursor at the time the select button is pressed.

A method for continuously scrolling a large scale picture, comprising scrolling picture data of first partial picture memory in a predetermined direction, the first picture memory having a region with a position and a size, reserving second partial picture memory having a region of a different position and a predetermined size in the predetermined direction of scrolling, the region of the second partial picture memory overlapping that of the first partial picture memory, changing display data from the first partial picture memory to the second partial picture memory at the time when scrolled position become near to a boundary region of the first partial picture memory, continuously scrolling picture data of the second memory.

A method and apparatus of the alternately displaying two separate data entry views of an electronic mail object. A first data entry view graphically displays a visual metaphor of at least one sheet of note paper partially overlying an envelope, with only a portion of the envelope visible in the display. A second data entry view graphically displays a visual metaphor of an envelope overlying a portion of at least one sheet of note paper, with only a portion of the sheet of note paper visible in the display. In either view, the overlying displayed sheet of note paper or envelope is active for the entry of message text or destination information, respectively, while the partially displayed envelope or sheet of note paper is inactive to such data entry. Instead, the selection with a pointing device of the partially obscured envelope or sheet of note paper causes that selected envelope or sheet of note paper to be fully displayed and rendered active for data entry while rendering inactive and partially obscuring the previously active field.