Screen manager for data processing system

In a data processing system comprising a CPU controlled through an operating system and an application task so as to be able to process the application task, a data storage memory, and a video display, having a physical display screen, responsive to the application task, the operating system having a screen manager comprising:

• means responsive to an application task to designate as a plurality of viewports distinct portions of the physical display screen and to designate corresponding distinct sections of data, stored in the data storage memory, to be displayed in the respective viewports, each viewport designated after a first viewport being formed as a subdivision of a larger viewport;
• means for controlling display of each designated section of data in its corresponding viewport portion of the physical display screen;
• means responsive to the application task for changing the designated distinct viewport portions of the physical display screen and for independently, for each viewport, changing the designated distinct sections of stored data corresponding to each viewport and to thus change the display of data;
• and
• means for updating the display to include changes in the stored data made by the application task.

In a data processing system comprising a CPU controlled through an operating system and application task software so as to be able to process the application task, a data storage memory, and a video display, having a physical display screen, responsive to the application task, the system further comprising

• A. a screen manager in the operating system comprising:
• means responsive to an application task to designate as a plurality of viewports distinct portions of the physical display screen and to designate corresponding distinct sections of data, stored in the data storage memory, to be displayed in the respective viewports;
• means for controlling display of each designated section of data in its corresponding viewport portion of the physical display screen;
• means responsive to the application task for changing the designated distinct viewport portions of the physical display screen and for independently, for each viewport, changing the designated distinct sections of stored data corresponding to each viewport and to thus change the display of data;
• and
• means for updating the display to include changes in the stored data made by the application task;
• and
• B. the application task software comprising means for subdividing said distinct sections of data, stored in the data storage memory, into areas displayed in a fixed side-by-side relationship when displayed through the operating system and independently controlled by the application task software.

In a data processing system comprising a CPU controlled through an operating system and application tasks so as to be able to process multiple application tasks together, a data storage memory, a keyboard for interacting with application tasks, and a video display, having a physical display screen, responsive to the application tasks, the operating system having a screen manager comprising:

• means responsive to a plurality of application tasks to designate a plurality of virtual screens for independent display on the physical display screen;
• means responsive to an input to the data processing system to select one of the virtual screens for display under control of an application task;
• means responsive to an application task to designate as a plurality of viewports distinct portions of the physical display screen and to designate corresponding distinct sections of data stored in data storage memory to be displayed in the respective viewports;
• means responsive to an application task for changing the designated distinct viewport portions of the physical display screen and for indepently, for each viewport, changing the designated distinct sections of stored data corresponding to that viewport and to thus change the display of data;
• and
• means for updating the display to include changes in the stored data made by an application task.

A method of displaying data in a data processing system comprising:

• responsive to a plurality of application tasks, designating in an operating system of the data processing system a plurality of virtual screens, each virtual screen corresponding to a portion of the physical display screen;
• selecting one of the virtual screens and displaying that virtual screen in a first portion of the physical display screen in response to an input to the data processing system;
• and
• displaying in a second portion of the physical display screen identifiers corresponding to the designated virtual screens.

A method of displaying data in a data processing system comprising:

• responsive to an application task, designating in an operating system as a plurality of viewports distinct portions of a physical display screen and designating corresponding distinct sections of data stored in a data storage memory to be displayed in the respective viewports;
• displaying each designated section of data in its corresponding viewport portion of the physical display screen;
• responsive to the application task, changing the designated distinct viewport portions of the physical display screen and independently, for each viewport, changing the designated distinct sections of stored data corresponding to each viewport to thus change the display of data;
• and
• updating the display to include changes in the stored data made by the application task.

A method of displaying data in a data processing system comprising:

• responsive to a plurality of application tasks, designating in an operating system a plurality of virtual screens for independent display on a physical display screen;
• selecting one of the virtual screens and displaying that virtual screen in a first portion of the physical display screen in response to an input to the data processing system;
• responsive to an application task, designating as a plurality of viewports distinct portions of the physical display screen and designating corresponding distinct sections of data stored in data storage memory to be displayed in the respective viewports;
• responsive to an application task, changing the designated distinct viewport portions of the physical display screen and independently for each viewport changing the designated distinct sections of stored data corresponding to that viewport to thus change the display of data;
• and
• updating the display to include changes in the stored data made by an application task.