Backwards navigation in flexible-page layout

A system, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• provide, to a display device, a first layout of a window subdivided into at least a first panel configured to display first content;
• receive a selection of second content to display in the window;
• determine a maximum number of panels permitted to be displayed within the window based on an orientation of the display device;
• determine that a second panel to be displayed within the window does not exceed the maximum number of panels;
• generate, responsive to the selection of second content and the determination that the maximum number of panels is not exceeded, a second layout of the window subdivided into at least the second panel configured to display the second content concurrently with the first panel displaying the first content, wherein a percentage of screen space of the first panel has been reduced to enable concurrent display of and access to both the first content and the second content in the second layout, and wherein the first and second contents displayed concurrently in the second layout are generated by separate applications;
• store a layout navigation sequence accessible for both forward and backwards layout navigation, wherein the layout navigation sequence includes an order in which both the first layout and the second layout of panels within the window are accessed, relative percentage of screen space of the panels within each layout, and relative contents displayed in each panel within each layout, and wherein the first layout and the second layout are different from each other;
• responsive to receiving a command to return to the first layout, select the first layout, from the stored layout navigation sequence;
• and
• render the first layout comprising the window subdivided into at least the first panel, wherein the second content is not displayed in the second panel in the window.

A non-transitory computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

• providing, to a display device, a first layout of a window subdivided into at least a first panel configured to display first content;
• receiving a selection of second content to display in the window;
• determining a maximum number of panels permitted to be displayed within the window based on an orientation of the display device;
• determining that a second panel to be displayed within the window does not exceed the maximum number of panels;
• generating, responsive to the selection of second content and the determination that the maximum number of panels is not exceeded, a second layout of the window subdivided into at least the second panel configured to display the second content concurrently with the first panel displaying the first content, wherein a percentage of screen space of the first panel has been reduced to enable concurrent display of and access to both the first content and the second content in the second layout, and wherein the first and second contents displayed concurrently in the second layout are generated by separate applications;
• storing, by the display device, a layout navigation sequence accessible for both forward and backwards layout navigation, wherein the layout navigation sequence includes an order in which both the first layout and the second layout of panels within the window are accessed, a relative percentage of screen space of the panels within each layout, and relative contents displayed in each panel within each layout, and wherein the first layout and the second layout are different from each other;
• responsive to receiving a command to return to the first layout, selecting the first layout, from the stored layout navigation sequence;
• and
• rendering, by the display device, the first layout comprising the window subdivided into at least the first panel, wherein the second content is not displayed in the second panel in the window.