Maintaining consistency of device driver settings

Abstract

User input to a device driver to affect device driver settings is handled by a method according to various aspects of the present invention. The device driver has settings which include a plurality of values. The method includes the steps of (a) in response to user input, replacing the value of a setting with a new value; and then (b) reviewing all settings for consistency. During the review, additional replacements may be dictated according to rules (i.e., conditional procedures) which may have been received from a file into the device driver. Each rule accounts for one type of interaction. For example, when a user changes the media from letter paper to envelope using a printer driver user interface, the user interface is updated to show that two-sided printing and stapling settings are now off and not available. By allowing inconsistent settings to exist and then be corrected, user interface programming source code is made more manageable.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A memory device having indicia of a method for responding to user input provided to a device driver, the device driver having settings, each setting having a respective value, the method comprising: 
 in response to user input, establishing, for a first setting having a first value, a second value for the first setting, the second value replacing the first value, the second value being a member of the plurality of values; and    after the step of establishing, reviewing for consistency the plurality of values.    
     
     
         2 . The memory device of  claim 1  wherein the step of reviewing further comprises: 
 selecting a first procedure from a plurality of procedures, selection being in accordance with an indicia of the first setting; and  
 performing the first procedure.  
 
     
     
         3 . The memory device of  claim 2  wherein: 
 the method further comprises storing, on a first list, the first value associated with any indicia of the first setting; and  
 the first procedure comprises: 
 identifying a second setting having a third value that is inconsistent with the second value;  
 providing a message to the user, the message identifying the second setting; and  
 in response to user input, and in accordance with contents of the first list, reinstating the first value for the first setting.  
 
 
     
     
         4 . The memory device of  claim 2  wherein: 
 the method further comprises storing in a first list an indicia of the first setting; and  
 the step of selecting is performed in accordance with contents of the first list.  
 
     
     
         5 . The memory device of  claim 2  wherein: 
 the first procedure comprises establishing, for a second setting having a third value, a fourth value for the second setting, the fourth value replacing the third value, the fourth value being a member of the plurality of values; and  
 the step of reviewing further comprises: 
 selecting a second procedure of the plurality of procedures, selection being in accordance with an indicia of the second setting; and  
 performing the second procedure.  
 
 
     
     
         6 . The memory device of  claim 5  wherein: 
 the method further comprises storing in a first list the indicia of the first setting and the indicia of the second setting; and  
 each step of selecting is performed in accordance with contents of the first list.  
 
     
     
         7 . The memory device of  claim 5  wherein the first procedure further comprises providing a message to the user, the message identifying the second setting.  
     
     
         8 . The memory device of  claim 5  wherein the method further comprises: 
 storing, on a first list, the first value associated with any indicia of the first setting;  
 storing, on the first list, the second value associated with any indicia of the second setting; and  
 in response to user input, and in accordance with contents of the first list, reinstating each respective value contained in the first list for each respective setting identified by associated indicia of a respective setting.  
 
     
     
         9 . The memory device of  claim 2  wherein the method further comprises reading indicia of the plurality of procedures from a second memory device.  
     
     
         10 . The memory device of  claim 1  wherein the device driver provides data to a printer in accordance with the plurality of settings.  
     
     
         11 . The memory device of  claim 1  wherein the device driver provides data to an application program from a scanner in accordance with the plurality of settings.  
     
     
         12 . A memory device having indicia of a method for responding to user input provided to a device driver, the device driver having settings comprising a plurality of values, the method comprising: 
 in response to user input, establishing, for a first setting having a first value, a second value for the first setting, the second value replacing the first value, the second value being a member of the plurality of values; and after the step of establishing: 
 storing in a first list an indicia of the first setting;  
 performing in turn each procedure of a plurality of procedures, each procedure comprising indicia of a setting to be tested, each procedure comprising: 
 proceeding with performance of the respective procedure upon successful comparison of contents of the first list and the respective indicia of a setting to be tested;  
 establishing, for a respective second setting having a third value, a fourth value for the second setting, the fourth value replacing the third value, the fourth value being a member of the plurality of values; and  
 storing in a second list an indicia of the respective second setting; and  
 
   in response to determining that the second list is not empty: 
 replacing the contents of the first list with the contents of the second list;  
 clearing the second list; and  
 repeating the step of performing in turn each procedure.  
   
     
     
         13 . A memory device comprising indicia of a method for maintaining consistency of a plurality of settings for a peripheral device, the method comprising: 
 modifying at least one setting of the plurality of settings in response to user input;    after the step of modifying, validating the plurality of settings by performing a plurality of checks, each check comprising modifying a respective setting of the plurality of settings in response to determining that inconsistency is present among the plurality of settings; and    repeating the step of validating, in response to determining that any check determined inconsistency was present.    
     
     
         14 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein: 
 each check further sets a flag in response to determining that inconsistency is present;  
 the method further comprises resetting the flag prior to each performance of the step of validating; and  
 the step of repeating comprises repeating in response to the flag being set.  
 
     
     
         15 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein the method further comprises reading indicia of the plurality of checks from a second memory device.  
     
     
         16 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein a check of the plurality further comprises providing a message to the user in response to determining that inconsistency is present among the plurality of settings.  
     
     
         17 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein the method further comprises: 
 recording a copy of the plurality of settings; and  
 after the step of recording, reinstating, in response to user input, the plurality of settings in accordance with the copy.  
 
     
     
         18 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein the method further comprises: 
 making a copy of the plurality of settings;  
 making each respective modification to the copy; and  
 in response to user input, discarding the copy.  
 
     
     
         19 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein the peripheral device comprises a printer that receives data in accordance with the plurality of settings.  
     
     
         20 . The memory device of  claim 13  wherein the peripheral device comprises a scanner that provides data in accordance with the plurality of settings.