Display container cell modification in a cell based eui

Abstract

In a cell based EUI, existing display container cells nested within a “host” display container cell are automatically shifted and/or downsized, if necessary, to increase available space to facilitate the creation of another display container cell nested within the “host” display container cell, in response to a request to perform the creation. Similar shifting and/or downsizing are performed to facilitate expansion of one of the nested display container cells; and shifting and upsizing are performed to facilitate contraction of one of the nested display container cells. In one embodiment, shifting and/or downsizing/upsizing are performed in view re-sizing priorities of the display container cells and attributes of a host display container cell governing placement and/or alignment of immediately nested display container cells. In one embodiment, an efficient extended boundary method is employed.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
   
   
       15 . In a computing environment having a processor, a memory, and a display device, a method of operation comprising:
 rendering on the display device, by an application or a display driver operated by the processor, a plurality of display windows in a non-overlapping manner, unaligned horizontally and vertically, using computationally an hierarchy of display container cells created and stored in the memory, wherein the hierarchy of display container cells comprises at least two levels of display container cells; and   receiving by the application or display driver, a request to expand, contract or remove a selected one of the display windows;   expanding, contracting or removing the selected one of the display window, by modifying one or more of the display container cells, including modifying the one or more display container cells to achieve at least one of
 shifting or repositioning one or more of the other display windows to coalesce available space between the display windows, or 
 downsizing or upsizing one or more of the other display windows to increase or decrease available space between the display windows. 
   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein modifying one or more of the display container cells comprises modifying the one or more of the display container cells to the display windows to a corner of an area of the display device. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein modifying one or more of the display container cells comprises successively modifying the one or more of the display container cells to successively downsize the display windows. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein successively modifying the one or more of the display container cells to successively downsize the display windows comprises successively modifying the display container cells in order of their relative priorities. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein successively modifying the one or more of the display container cells to successively downsize the display windows comprises modifying one or more display containers to transform one or more of the display windows to their kernel forms. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein successively modifying the one or more of the display container cells to successively downsize the display windows comprises modifying one or more display containers to transform the one or more display windows to one or more image icons. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises upon modifying the display container cells to accommodate a request to accommodate a request to expand a selected one of the display windows, re-modifying one or more of the display container cells to achieve at least one of
 upsizing one or more downsized display windows, and   back-shifting one or more shifted display windows.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein re-modifying one or more of the display container cells to achieve upsizing of one or more downsized display windows comprises successively re-modifying the one or more of the display container cells to upsize the downsized display windows. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , where re-modifying one or more of the display container cells to back-shift one or more shifted display windows comprises re-modifying one or more of the display container cells to successively back-shift the shifted display windows. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising upon modifying one or more display container cells to downsize one or more display windows, down scaling one or more content of one or more downsized display windows to enable the one more contents to remain fully visible within the downsized windows. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising upon modifying one or more display container cells to upsize one or more display windows, upscaling one or more content of one or more upsized display windows to enable the one more contents to fully utilize all space within the upsized windows. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein rendering comprises the application or display driver using an hierarchy of display container cells including a host display container cell created and stored in the memory, and wherein the method further comprises the application or display driver coupling at last some of the plurality of display container cells to the host display container cell as children display container cells of the host display container cells, with each of the display container cell logically inheriting at least an attribute or a method of the host display container cell. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein rendering comprises the application or display driver using an hierarchy of display container cells including a number of display container cells greater than a number of the plurality display windows, and wherein the method further comprises the application or display driver coupling at least a first of the display container cell as a child display container cell of a second display container cell, with the first display container cell logically inheriting at least an attribute or a method of the second display container cell. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein coupling at least a first of the display container cell as a child display container cell of a second display container cell, comprises the application or display driver coupling at least a first of the display container cell with associated content as a child display container cell of a second display container cell without associated content. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein rendering comprises the application or display driver using an hierarchy of display container cells including a number of display container cells that are typed, with each of at lease some display container cells having one or more attributes, including a priority attribute, and wherein the application or display driver modifying the one or more display containers based at least in part on the priority attribute(s) of the one or more display containers. 
   
   
       30 . A method for operating a computing device, the method comprising:
 rendering on a display device of the computing device, by an application or a display driver operated by a processor of the computing device, an end user interface having a plurality of windows with corresponding contents, using computationally a plurality of display container cells created and stored in a memory of the computing device, wherein each display container cell has one or more associated attributes, including a priority attribute;   receiving by the application or display driver a request to expand, contract or remove one of the display windows;   expanding, contracting or removing the one display window, by the application or display driver, including at least one of expanding, contracting, shifting or repositioning one or more of other ones of the plurality of display windows, by modifying one or more of the display container cells, including modifying one or more of the display container cells based at least in part on the priority attributes of the one or more display container cells.   
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein rendering comprises rendering by the application or device driver the plurality of windows in a non-overlapping configuration, unaligned horizontally and unaligned vertically. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 30  further comprising:
 receiving by the application or display driver a request to add to the end user interface another display window having another corresponding content, wherein the second display window is implemented computationally using another display container cell; and   adding to the end user interface the another display window, by the application or display driver, including at least one of expanding, contracting, shifting or repositioning one or more of the plurality of display windows, by modifying one or more of the corresponding display container cells of the one or more of the plurality of display windows, based at least in part on the priority attributes of the one or more corresponding display container cells.   
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising upon modifying one or more display container cells to downsize one or more display windows, down scaling one or more content of one or more downsized display windows to enable the one more contents to remain fully visible within the downsized windows. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising upon modifying one or more display container cells to upsize one or more display windows, upscaling one or more content of one or more upsized display windows to enable the one more contents to fully utilize all space within the upsized windows.