System for permitting a view of an object or a user interface to be exchanged between operating system environments

A digital computer for presenting a view of an object, said digital computer operating in a first operating system environment, said object represented by object data and said view represented by view data associated with said object data, said object being one of several types of objects and including a control defined by control data forming a part of said view data, said view data created in a second operating system environment different from said first operating system environment, said control being of the type which may or may not be recognizable by the digital computer, and said control data defining an operation, graphically represented in said view by said control, which may be performed on said object data to transform said object data from a first state to a second state different than said first state when said control is selected by a user, said digital computer comprising:

• a display device;
• an input device for providing input signals from said user;
• a data storage memory device storing said object data and said view data, said stored view data including a tag identifying said control, and further including data for associating said object data and said view data;
• a processor device, connected to said display device, said input device, and said data storage memory device, for receiving said input signals from said user enabling accessing of said view data, for determining based on said tag identifying said control whether said control is recognizable by said processor device or not, and for providing output signals to said display device in accordance with said input signals such that a view of said object according to said view data is displayed thereon and further such that if said control is determined to be recognizable said view is displayed so as to include said control thereon, and if said control is determined to be not recognizable said view is displayed without said control thereon.

A digital computer for presenting a view of an object, said digital computer operating in a first operating system environment, said object represented by object data and said view represented by view data associated with said object data, said object being one of several types of objects and including a control defined by control data forming a part of said view data, said view data created in a second operating system environment different from said first operating system environment, and said control being of the type which may or may not be recognizable by the digital computer, said digital computer comprising:

• a display device;
• an input device for providing input signals from a user;
• a data storage memory device storing said object data and said view data, said stored view data including a tag identifying said control, and further including data for associating said object data and said view data;
• a processor device, connected to said display device, said input device, and said data storage memory device, for receiving said input signals from the user enabling accessing of said view data, for determining based on said tag identifying said control whether said control is recognizable by said processor device or not, and for providing output signals to said display device in accordance with said input signals such that a view of said object according to said view data is displayed thereon and further such that if said control is determined to be recognizable said view is displayed so as to include said control thereon, and if said control is determined to be not recognizable said view is displayed without said control thereon;
• and
• wherein said control is of the type which has a control name, and further of the type which may be displayed in a control window in said view, said control data stored in said data storage memory device including control name data of the type which may be recognized by said processor device and used by said processor device to cause said name of said control to be displayed in said view, and further including control window parameter data recognizable by said processor device defining at least the size of said control window, said processor device further for providing output signals to said display device such that if said control is determined not to be recognizable, said control window is displayed in said view having at least said control name displayed therein in accordance with said control name data and said control window data.

A digital computer for presenting a view of an object, said digital computer operating in a first operating system environment and communicationally connected to a second digital computer operating in a second operating system environment different from said first operating system environment, said object represented by object data and said view represented by view data associated with said object data, said object being one of several types of objects and including a control defined by control data forming a part of said view data, said view data created in said second operating system environment and communicated to said digital computer from said second digital computer, and said control being of the type which may or may not be recognizable by the digital computer, said digital computer comprising:

• a display device;
• an input device for providing input signals from a user;
• a data storage memory device storing said object data and said view data, said stored view data including a tag identifying said control, and further including data for associating said object data and said view data;
• a processor device, connected to said display device, said input device, and said data storage memory device, for receiving said input signals from the user enabling accessing of said view data, for determining based on said tag identifying said control whether said control is recognizable by said processor device or not, and for providing output signals to said display device in accordance with said input signals such that a view of said object according to said view data is displayed thereon and further such that if said control is determined to be recognizable said view is displayed so as to include said control thereon, and if said control is determined to be not recognizable said view is displayed without said control thereon.

In a networked computer system having at least two different graphical user interface operating system environments communicationally connected so as to be able to exchange files therebetween, a data storage memory device containing a file structure representing a view of one of a plurality of types of objects created in a first of said two different graphical user interface operating system environments and viewable in a second of said two different graphical user interface operating system environments, said view being displayable in a window in said second operating system environment, said file structure comprising:

• a file header structure including data recognizable in said second operating system environment identifying said first operating system environment in which said file structure was created and object tag data also recognizable in said second operating system environment identifying the type of said object;
• a file control structure including control tag data recognizable in said second operating system environment, said control tag data including the identity of a control, and control data defining at least an image of said control for display in said view which may or may not be recognizable in said second operating system environment, said control data further defining an operation, graphically represented in said view by said image of said control, which may be performed on said object to transform said object from a first state to a second state different than said first state when said control is selected by a user;
• and
• wherein said view window is displayed so as to include said control thereon if, based on the identity of said control determined from said control tag data, said control is recognizable in said second operating system environment, and otherwise wherein said view window is displayed without said control thereon.