Customization of an immersive environment

Abstract

A computing device includes an immersive environment module for facilitating simultaneous display of a plurality of applications on a display device without relying on system chrome. At least a first of the applications is displayed in a primary region of the display. The computing device also includes a UI management component for enabling a user selection of an application for simultaneous display on the display device with at least one other application. Processing logic is configured to determine a size in at least one direction of content of a user-selected application as it is displayed on a non-primary region of the display device simultaneous with display of content of the first application on the primary region of the display device. The determination is based at least in part on one or more pre-defined size requirements specified by the selected application.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 enabling selection of an application for parallel presentation in an immersive environment on one or more displays associated with a computing device;   responsive to selection, causing content of the selected application to be displayed in a non-primary region of the immersive environment and in parallel with a display of content of a different application presented in a primary region of the immersive environment; and   determining a size in at least one direction of the content of the selected application as it is displayed in the non-primary region based at least in part on one or more pre-defined size requirements specified by the selected application.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein determining the size of the content of the selected application in the at least one direction is further based at least in part on predefined size requirements in the at least one direction which are specified by content of any additional applications that are displayed or are to be displayed in the non-primary region. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the predefined size requirements include a minimum size in the at least one direction. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3  wherein the predefined size requirements include a maximum size in the at least one direction. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4  wherein the maximum size is infinite. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the predefined size requirements specify whether the content of the selected application is to be presented at its minimum size or a size that fills any unoccupied space in the non-primary region down to the minimum size or up to its maximum size. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the predefined size requirement is a fixed size in the at least one direction. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2  further comprising resizing content of at least one of the additional applications displayed in the non-primary region so that the predefined size requirements of the additional applications and the selected application are satisfied. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein determining the size of the content of the selected application in the at least one direction includes maximizing the size of the content of the selected application in the at least one direction while satisfying other predefined size requirements in the at least one direction which are specified by any additional applications having content that is displayed or is to be displayed in the non-primary region, wherein the maximized size of the content of the selected application does not exceed a maximum size specified in the predefined size requirements for the selected application. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3  further comprising, in response to a second selection to minimize content of the selected application, reducing the content of the selected application in size in the at least one direction to the minimum size specified by the one or more pre-defined size requirements. 
     
     
         11 . A computing device, comprising:
 immersive environment module for facilitating simultaneous display of a plurality of applications on a display device without system chrome, at least a first of the applications being displayed in a primary region of the display;   a UI management component arranged for enabling a user selection of an application for simultaneous display on the display device with at least one other application; and   processing logic configured to determine a size in at least one direction of content of a user-selected application as it is displayed on a non-primary region of the display device simultaneous with display of content of the first application on the primary region of the display device, said determination being based at least in part on one or more pre-defined size requirements specified by the selected application.   
     
     
         12 . The computing device of  claim 11  wherein the processing logic is further configured to determine the size of the selected application in the at least one direction based at least in part on predefined size requirements in the at least one direction which are specified by any additional applications that are displayed or are to be displayed in the non-primary region. 
     
     
         13 . The computing device of  claims 12  wherein the predefined size requirements include a minimum and maximum size in the at least one direction. 
     
     
         14 . The computing device of  claim 13  wherein the predefined size requirements specify whether the content of the selected application is to be presented at its minimum size or a size that fills any unoccupied space in the non-primary region down to the minimum size or up to its maximum size. 
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 12  wherein the predefined size requirement is a fixed size in the at least one direction. 
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 15  wherein the processing logic is further configured to resize content of at least one of the additional applications displayed in the non-primary region so that the predefined size requirements of the additional applications and the selected application are satisfied. 
     
     
         17 . A method for simultaneously displaying content of a plurality of applications on a display device, comprising:
 receiving user input specifying that content of a first of the applications is to be displayed in a primary region of a display;   receiving user input specifying that content of a second of the applications is to replace the content of the first application in the primary region of a display;   causing the content of the first application to be moved to a non-primary region of the display;   causing a size of content of the first application in the non-primary region of the display to be adjusted in accordance with instructions specified by the first application; and   causing the content of the second application to be displayed in the primary region of the display.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the instructions are specified through a set of APIs exposed by the first application. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the instructions include pre-defined size requirements specified by the selected application. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  wherein causing the content of the first application to be moved to the non-primary region of the display comprises causing the content of the first application to be moved to the non-primary region of the display by ensuring that the non-primary region has a sufficiently large size available to display the selected application with at least a minimum size specified in the instructions.