As accessbar arbiter is provided that resolves conflicting requests from screen objects for locations on a video display. In addition, the accessbar arbiter governs the behavior of screen objects so as to prevent one screen object from negatively affecting another screen object. An example of these screen objects includes accessbars. An accessbar is a consistently visible user interface element that provides a user with access to computer programs. In a computer system, accessbars are typically anchored at the edge of the display and there is no limit to the number of accessbars that can appear on the display at a given time, thus problems may arise. For example, more than one accessbar may wish to be displayed at a given location. In addition, the functionality of one accessbar may affect the processing of other accessbars. Thus, for the accessbars displayed on a computer display to operate together, a centralized mechanism for governing accessbars' location and behavior is desirable. The system described herein provides such a mechanism, known as an accessbar arbiter. The system described herein governs accessbars' location by receiving requests for proposed locations and by granting the requests if the proposed locations would not conflict with another accessbar. If such a conflict would occur, the system described herein provides an alternate location. The system described herein governs accessbars' behavior by providing a number of notifications to the accessbars whenever an event occurs that may affect the processing of the accessbars. Such an event includes changes to another accessbar on the same side of the display or the start of a fullscreen application, such as a screen saver.
A data processor in which special regions 31a, 31b are set in the backmost screen, and comprises means for specifying the functions to be started corresponding to them, and means for registering the specified special regions 31a, 31b and the function to be started corresponding to them in correspondence to a specific wallpaper 31. When coordinates data of the position selected by the cursor in the backmost screen is included in the special regions 31a, 31b, the function registered in correspondence thereto is started. In such constitution, complicated operation for starting up a required function by accurately selecting a small icon by the cursor is eliminated, and the working efficiency and controllability are enhanced.
A user interface mechanism of a single window in a windows-based computer environment, called a navigation tab, allows a user of the window to preserve and then to quickly re-access various locations within the window at some future time if the locations have been designated "keep accessible" locations. When the user navigates to a new location within the same application or a new application, a label of the navigation tab changes to show the new location. Until the user or application designates a location "keep accessible," the number of navigation tabs of the windows does not increase and the label of the existing navigation tab is replaced. If a location is designated as one to which the user wishes to return (i.e. "keep accessible"), a visual cue is presented in the label of the navigation tab to indicate that it is to be kept accessible. When the user navigates from this "keep accessible" location to a new location, a new replaceable navigation tab for the new location will appear within the window. Any number of navigation tabs may be used within the window.
An interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a data display screen, a cursor control device for interactively positioning a cursor on the data display screen, and a window generator that generates and displays a window on a data display screen. The window region provides status and control information in one or more data display areas. The individiual data display areas may be controlled through the use of controls and indicators on the control strip itself using cursor control keys.
A computer system that assists the user of computer drawing programs is described. The computer system runs an application that displays modeless windows by first displaying an application window that presents information associated with the application. After the application window is created, the computer system displays a modeless child window that overlaps the application window, and within the modeless child window information associated with the application is presented.
An apparatus and method for maintaining a graphics display window on a display screen that will not be obscured by any other graphics display window. The graphic display apparatus comprises an arbiter, a gatekeeper and an access control table. The arbiter selects from among a plurality of computer applications requesting authorization on the display screen to display data. Authorization is granted via a persistence attribute. Once a persistence attributed is obtained, the graphics display window remains on the screen unobscured.
