Application independent (open) hypermedia enablement services
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsKeith Bernstein, John A. Stephens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A set of hypermedia linking services enable client applications to incorporate hypermedia capabilities in an open system architecture. The users are provided with a consistent hypermedia interface completely managed by the hypermedia services and not by the client application itself. The graphical user interface includes methods for menu handling, dialog box presentation and pointing device message handling, e.g., mouse message handling. Normal hypermedia activities such as object management, object creation, object deletion and object modification is provided.
Claims48
In an open hypermedia system in which data for individual applications may be displayed on a screen of a display device in separate application windows for each of said applications, each of said application windows including a main application workspace in which said data is displayed, a method performed by said hypermedia system and providing a uniform and consistent graphical user interface for applications which utilize hypermedia services available from said open hypermedia system, said method presenting, independent of said applications, a menu of selectable hypermedia services to a user and comprising the steps of:
- establishing an awareness between said hypermedia system and an application upon application initialization;
- monitoring a current position of a user controlled pointer on said display device;
- and
- responsive to a first input by a user and said current position of said pointer, displaying a menu of selectable services appropriate to a current position of said user controlled pointer within an application window.
In an open hypermedia system in which data for individual applications may be displayed on a screen of a display device in separate application windows, each of said windows including a main application workspace in which said data is displayed, said hypermedia system providing a uniform and consistent graphical user interface for applications which utilize hypermedia services available from said open hypermedia system, said method performed by said hypermedia system and comprising the steps of:
- displaying on said screen a first link marker within an application window, said link marker being linked to one or more link markers and/or objects;
- maintaining a database of said link markers;
- and
- in response to activation of said first link marker by a user, searching said database and displaying on said screen a link marker or object linked to said first link marker.
In a windowing computer display in which data from one or more applications may be displayed in separate windows, said windows being individually movable on a screen of said computer display in such a manner windows may overlay one another and normally obscure portions of underlying windows, the method of supporting transparent windows on said display screen comprising the steps of:
- allocating an area on said screen for a window;
- checking said window for a transparent attribute;
- painting said window on said screen if said transparent attribute is not detected;
- but
- if said transparent attribute is detected, hiding said window and then, if said window overlies a second window, repainting said second window.
An open hypermedia system in which data for individual applications may be displayed on a screen of a display device in separate application windows for each of said applications, each of said application windows including a main application workspace in which said data is displayed, said hypermedia system providing a uniform and consistent graphical user interface for applications which utilize hypermedia services available from said open hypermedia system, said hypermedia system presenting, independent of said applications, a menu of selectable hypermedia services to a user and comprising:
- means for establishing an awareness between said hypermedia system and an application upon application initialization;
- means for monitoring a current position of a user controlled pointer on said display device;
- and
- means responsive to a first input by a user and said current position of said pointer for displaying a menu of selectable services appropriate to a current position of said user controlled pointer within an application window.
An open hypermedia system in which data for individual applications may be displayed on a screen of a display device in separate application windows, each of said windows including a main application workspace in which said data is displayed, said hypermedia system providing a uniform and consistent graphical user interface for applications which utilize hypermedia services available from said open hypermedia system, said hypermedia system comprising:
- means for displaying on said screen a first link marker within an application window, said link marker being linked to one or more link markers and/or objects;
- means for maintaining a database of said link markers;
- and
- means responsive to activation of said first link marker by a user for searching said database and displaying on said screen a link marker or object linked to said first link marker.
A windowing computer display system in which data from one or more applications may be displayed in separate windows, said windows being individually movable on a screen of said computer display system in such a manner windows may overlay one another and normally obscure portions of underlying windows, said windowing computer display system supporting transparent windows on said display screen and comprising:
- means for allocating an area on said screen for a window;
- means for checking said window for a transparent attribute;
- and
- means for painting said window on said screen if said transparent attribute is not detected;
- but
- if said transparent attribute is detected, said means for checking hiding said window and then, if said window overlies a second window, said means for painting repainting said second window.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.