Method and apparatus for providing an object-oriented application interface for a computer system

In a computer system with a processor and a display, a method for providing an object-oriented application interface between a cursor placement device having a user-operable button for controlling a pointer graphic and an object-oriented application program including a plurality of objects with logic and data for performing particular functions, comprising the steps of:

• (a) creating an interactable object from said a plurality of objects with logic and data for performing particular functions associated with said application program, said interactable object having means for displaying both an icon and a Thumbnail on said display and logic for manipulating said icon on said display;
• (b) generating a device event signal in response to a depression of said user-operable button;
• (c) generating device position signals in response to a physical position of said pointer graphic on said display;
• (d) creating an interactor object which performs the steps of:
• (d1) detecting when said user-operable button is depressed for a predetermined time interval;
• (d2) storing a peek threshold value;
• (d3) generating a peek message if said user-operable button has been depressed longer than said peek threshold value;
• and
• (d4) invoking logic in said interactor object to change from said icon to said Thumbnail on said display.

Apparatus for performing dynamic scripting in a computer system with a memory, the apparatus manipulating in the memory a document containing data objects, each data object including data and methods for changing the data, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of selection objects, each of the plurality of selection objects including data defining an address space independent specification of at least one data object forming a selection from the document;
• a plurality of command objects, each of the command objects including a data change command and a reference to a selection object on which the data change command applies;
• means for storing a script consisting of a sequence of command objects in the memory;
• and
• means for playing the script by sequentially calling a data change command in each of the sequence of command objects in the script, thereby executing selected data changing methods in the data objects specified by each referenced selection object.

A computer program product for performing dynamic scripting in a computer system with a memory, the computer program manipulating in the memory a document containing data objects, each data object including data and methods for changing the data, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the program code including:

• program code for instantiating a plurality of selection objects, each of the plurality of selection objects including data defining an address space independent specification of at least one data object forming a selection from the document;
• program code for instantiating a plurality of command objects, each of the command objects including a data change command and a reference to a selection object on which the data change command applies;
• program code for storing a script consisting of a sequence of command objects in the memory;
• and
• program code for playing the script by sequentially calling a data change command in each of the sequence of command objects in the script, thereby executing selected data changing methods in the data objects specified by each referenced selection object.

Apparatus for representing a modifiable document in a computer system with a memory, the document consisting of a plurality of data pieces, each of the data pieces having a data type, the apparatus comprising:

• a mechanism for constructing a plurality of data model objects, each of the data model objects including one of the plurality of data pieces and a standard interface including methods with predetermined names for manipulating the included data piece to produce predetermined modifications wherein the predetermined names and modifications are the same for each data type;
• a document container;
• means for inserting the data model objects into the document container;
• and
• means responsive to each of the data model objects for generating a presentation of data in the data model object, wherein the presentation generating means comprises means for generating a presentation of data in each data model object and means for generating a presentation of the relationship between data model objects, including the relationship between container and sibling objects.

A computer program product for representing a modifiable document in a computer system with a memory, the document consisting of a plurality of data pieces, each of the data pieces having a data type, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

• program code for constructing in the memory a plurality of data model objects, each of the data model objects including one of the plurality of data pieces and a standard interface including methods with predetermined names for manipulating the included data piece to produce predetermined modifications wherein the predetermined names and modifications are the same for each data type;
• program code for constructing a document container in the memory;
• program code for inserting the data model objects into the document container;
• and
• program code responsive to each of the data model objects for generating a presentation of data in the data model object and a presentation of the relationship between data model objects, including the relationship between container and sibling objects.

Apparatus for presenting data in a modifiable document in a computer system with a memory, the document consisting of a plurality of data pieces, the apparatus comprising:

• a mechanism for constructing a plurality of data model objects, each of the data model objects including one of the plurality of data pieces;
• means for generating a change notification to registered objects when the data piece changes;
• a view object for generating a presentation view of a data piece in one of the plurality of data model objects;
• means for registering the view object with the one data model object;
• and
• means in the view object, responsive to the change notification, for updating the presentation, view.

A computer program product for presenting data in a modifiable document in a computer system with a memory, the document consisting of a plurality of data pieces, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon including:

• data model class code including a method for instantiating a plurality of data model objects, each of the data model objects including one of the plurality of data pieces;
• program code for generating a change notification to registered objects when the data piece changes;
• program code for instantiating a view object from view class information containing a method for generating a presentation view of a data piece in one of the plurality of data model objects;
• program code for registering the view object with the one data model object;
• and
• program code in the view class information, which is responsive to the change notification, for updating the presentation view.