Designing task execution order based on location of the task icons within a graphical user interface

An ordering system for using task icons to designate—the order in which a plurality of tasks are to be executed on a computer system, the ordering system comprising one or more processor units configured for:

• identifying an order in which to execute a plurality of tasks on the computer system;
• showing a plurality of task icons in geometric positions in a view on a display screen of the computer system to designate the order in which the tasks are to be executed on the computer system, wherein each of the task icons represents a respective one of the tasks;
• and the task icons are located in a defined icon order in said view, and each of the task icons is in a specified position in said icon order;
• maintaining a table icon position data identifying said defined positions of the task icons on the display screen, including, for each of the task icons, including in the table icon position data identifying the position of said each task icon in the view on the display screen;
• sorting the icon position data according to defined rules to obtain a sorted list of the plurality of tasks, said sorted list listing the plurality of tasks in the designated order, and wherein each of the tasks is in a specified position in said designated order, and the position of each task in said designated order is the same as the position of the task icon, that represents said each task, in the icon order;
• and
• executing the plurality of tasks on the computer system, including using the sorted list to determine the order in which the plurality of tasks are executed, whereby the plurality of tasks are executed in the designated order;
• and wherein:
• the showing a plurality of task icons includes showing a folder in said view on the display screen, and showing the task icons inside said folder;
• the folder is limited to display only in icon format;
• the maintaining in a table data identifying positions of the task icons on the display screen includes identifying a specified position on the folder shown on the display screen;
• and for each of the task icons, identifying in said table a distance from said specified position on the folder shown on the display screen to the position of said each task icon in said view;
• and
• the using the data in the table to list the tasks in a defined order includes listing the tasks in an order based on said distances from the specified position on the folder shown on the display screen to the positions in said view of the task icons representing the tasks.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• at least one tangible computer readable non-transitory device having computer readable program code logic tangibly embodied therein to use tasks icons to designate the order in which a plurality of tasks are to be executed on a computer system, said computer readable program code logic, when executing, performing the following:
• identifying an order in which to execute a plurality of tasks on the computer system;
• showing a multitude of the task icons in defined positions in a view on a display screen of the computer system to designate the order in which the tasks are to be executed on the computer system, wherein each of the task icons represents a respective one of the tasks;
• and the task icons are located in a defined icon order in said view, and each of the task icons is in a specified position in said icon order;
• maintaining a table identifying said defined positions of the task icons on the display screen, including, for each of the task icons, including in the table icon position data identifying the position of said each task icon in the view on the display screen;
• sorting the icon position data according to defined rules to obtain a sorted list of the plurality of tasks, said sorted list listing the plurality of tasks in the designated order, and wherein each of the tasks is in a specified position in said designated order, and the position of each task in said designated order is the same as the position of the task icon, that represents said each task, in the icon order;
• and
• executing the plurality of tasks on the computer system, including using the sorted list to determine the order in which the plurality of tasks are executed, whereby the plurality of tasks are executed in the designated order;
• and wherein:
• the showing a plurality of task icons includes showing a folder in said view on the display screen, and showing the task icons inside said folder;
• the folder is limited to display only in icon format;
• the maintaining in a table data identifying positions of the task icons on the display screen includes identifying a specified position on the folder shown on the display screen;
• and for each of the task icons, identifying in said table a distance from said specified position on the folder shown on the display screen to the position of said each task icon in said view;
• and
• the using the data in the table to list the tasks in a defined order includes listing the tasks in an order based on said distances from the specified position on the folder shown on the display screen to the positions in said view of the task icons representing the tasks.