EP0438877A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method of reducing data storage requirements associated with computer windowing environments
Assignee: Micro Focus Software Inc
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Filing: 1990-12-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-12-05
Abstract
Abstract A method used in a computer system for managing attribute data for subobjects of a class of data objects. When a data object is created, a set of default attributes are stored in internal memory in association with the data object for all instances of subobjects of the data object. A set of attributes for overriding the default attributes are stored in internal memory for each instance of a subobject. When a query or system response is required which requires knowledge of the attributes for an instance of a subobject, these final attributes are formed by fetching the default attributes associated with the data object and by overwriting the default attributes with the overriding attributes, if any, associated with the instance of the subobject. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is used in a computer windowing system in which windows are associated with data objects called widgets or gadgets and subobjects of the data objects are associated with items which are displayed within an associated window.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald Vincent Alecci
- 👤 Ross Jay Hilbert
- 👤 Richard Joseph Smolucha
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 00:11
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0481; G06F3/0484; G06F3/0485; G06F3/04855; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/451
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
In a computer system, a method of managing attribute data for subobjects of a class of data objects, comprising the steps of storing in a first internal memory a first set of default attributes for all instances of subobjects of a data object of a prescribed class, storing in a separate second internal memory for each instance of a said subobject a second set of attributes for overriding corresponding ones of the default attributes from the first memory, and building a final set of attributes for a said subobject from the default attributes in the first memory and the overriding attributes in the corresponding second memory in response to a query of the subobject.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of building further comprises the steps of fetching the default attributes from the first internal memory, and substituting for the default attributes the overriding attributes from the second memory associated with the subobject.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising creating an instance of a data object, defining one or more instances of subobjects of the data object, linking the one or more subobjects to the data object, defining a window on a user input screen, and linking the instance of the data object to the window.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the computer system includes a window server for updating screen windows and the method further comprising generating a window draw message for updating the window based on the final set of attribute values in response to a window update query message associated with the data object or one of the subjects, and transmitting the draw message to the window server.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
130 words
In a computer system, a method of managing attribute data for a class of data objects and subobjects, comprising the steps of storing in a first internal memory a first set of default attributes for an instance of a data object, storing in a second internal memory a second set of default attributes for each instance of a subobject of the data object, storing in a separate third internal memory for each instance of a said subobject a third set of attributes for overriding corresponding ones of the default attributes from the second memory, and building a final set of attributes for a said subobject from the default attributes in the second memory and the overriding attributes in the corresponding third memory in response to a query of the subobject.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the step of building further comprises the steps of fetching the default attributes from the second internal memory, and substituting for the default attributes the overriding attributes from the third memory associated with the subobject.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a computer system with a window user interface including a window server for controlling the contents of screen windows associated with data objects and subobjects, a method of managing attribute data associated with the subobjects displayed within the windows, wherein the creation of a data subobject results in a tree of widgets including a toplevel widget of a prescribed class having a set of default window attributes and a child widget of a prescribed subclass of the toplevel widget class, the child widget inheriting the default attributes of the toplevel widget, comprising the steps of storing the default attribute data for the child widget from the toplevel widget in internal memory in association with the child widget, storing overriding attribute data, if any, for each instance of a data subobject associated with the data object for overriding the default attributes of the child widget, fetching the default attribute data from the internal memory associated with the child widget in response to a request to update the portion of a window associated with a subobject, and generating a final set of attributes for the window by substituting for the default attribute data the overriding data, if any, from memory.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
135 words
In a computer system with a window user interface including a window server for updating the contents of screen windows, a method of managing attribute data for data objects and associated subobjects displayed within a window, comprising the steps of storing default attribute values in internal memory once in association with the data object, storing overriding attribute values, if any, in internal memory for each instance of a subobject for overriding the default attributes, fetching the default attribute values from internal memory in response to a request to update the contents of a window associated with a said data subobject, and generating a final set of attributes for the subobject for display in the window by substituting for the default attributes the overriding values, if any, from memory for the specific instance of the subobject.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of generating a draw message for updating the window based on the final set of attribute values, and transmitting the draw message to the window server.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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