阅读说明：本技术 动态调整用户界面的面板 (Dynamically adjusting a user interface panel ) 是由 D.J.墨菲 W.H.C.库 D.西利 L.B.基利 A.L.加德纳三世 于 2018-08-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于提供通知的上下文信息的方法、系统和装置,包括编码在计算机存储介质上的计算机程序。识别用于一个或多个计算设备的用户界面的面板之间的逻辑关系。获得界面模式的集合,所述界面模式对应于面板之间的不同逻辑关系并且描述用于布置具有相应逻辑关系的面板的不同空间关系。确定用于用户界面的面板之间的逻辑关系中的至少一个逻辑关系与对应于特定界面模式的逻辑关系相匹配。从界面模式的集合当中选择特定界面模式,以指定用户界面的面板的布置。提供具有根据所选择的特定界面模式而布置在用户界面中的面板的用户界面。(Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing contextual information for notifications. Logical relationships between panels of a user interface for one or more computing devices are identified. A set of interface patterns is obtained that correspond to different logical relationships between the panels and that describe different spatial relationships for arranging the panels with the respective logical relationships. Determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode. A particular interface mode is selected from among a set of interface modes to specify an arrangement of panels of a user interface. A user interface is provided having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected.)

1. A method performed by one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a logical relationship between panels of a user interface for the one or more computing devices;

obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a set of interface patterns that correspond to different logical relationships between panels and that describe different spatial relationships for arranging panels having respective logical relationships;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode;

in response to determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode, selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify an arrangement of the panels for the user interface; and

providing, by one or more computing devices, a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode comprises a relationship indicating creation of the first panel from the second panel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the panel for the user interface comprises:

a context menu of applications;

a different window of the application; or

Different windows for different applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode comprises:

determining a first relationship similarity score for the particular interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface;

determining a second relationship similarity score for the second interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface; and

determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface that is higher than a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface indicated by the second relationship similarity score; and

wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode is based on determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a higher level of similarity than the second relationship similarity score indicates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface comprises one or more of:

identifying the first panel as a child panel of the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is a sibling panel of the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is subordinate to the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is embedded within the second panel;

identifying a first panel in series with a second panel; or

The first panel is identified to control the second panel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface comprises:

a node graph is generated in which each node represents a panel and edges between the nodes represent logical relationships between the panels.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each edge in the node graph represents a type of logical relationship that exists between panels represented by the edge-connected nodes.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a particular interface mode describes a second node graph, wherein each node represents a panel and edges between nodes represent logical relationships between panels, wherein a particular edge of the second node graph represents at least one logical relationship described by a particular interface mode,

wherein determining that a logical relationship between panels in the identified set of panels matches at least one logical relationship between panels described by the particular interface mode comprises:

it is determined that the node map includes edges representing logical relationship types that match the logical relationship types represented by the specific edges of the second node map.

9. The method of claim 6, comprising:

identifying an additional panel for the user interface; and

in response to identifying an additional panel for the user interface, an additional node corresponding to the additional panel is added to the node graph and at least one additional edge is added from the additional node to another node of the node graph, wherein the additional edge represents a logical relationship between the additional node and the another node of the node graph.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising:

generating a list of panels with focus, wherein when a panel gets focus, it is added to the head of the list, and the dismissal of the panel causes the panel to be removed from the list,

wherein selecting a particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify the arrangement of panels of the user interface is also based at least on the list of panels having focus.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface comprises:

determining which of the panels for the user interface currently has focus on the user interface,

wherein the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode describes that the particular panel has focus, an

Wherein determining that the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface matches the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode comprises: it is determined that the panel currently having focus on the user interface matches the panel described by the particular interface mode as having focus.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected comprises:

identifying a location and a size of a panel described by a particular interface mode; and

the panels in the set of panels are mapped to the positions and sizes of the panels described by the particular interface mode.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining characteristics of a device on which the interface is to be displayed,

wherein obtaining the set of interface modes comprises:

an initial set of interface modes are obtained each describing a device requirement,

determining whether a characteristic of the device satisfies a device requirement described by each interface mode in the initial set of interface modes, an

The set of interface modes is generated to include only interface modes in the initial set of interface modes that describe device requirements satisfied by the characteristics of the device.

14. A system, comprising:

a data processing device; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in data communication with a data processing apparatus and storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that, when so executed, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a logical relationship between panels of a user interface for the one or more computing devices;

obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a set of interface patterns that correspond to different logical relationships between panels and that describe different spatial relationships for arranging panels having respective logical relationships;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode;

in response to determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode, selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify an arrangement of the panels for the user interface; and

providing, by one or more computing devices, a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode comprises a relationship indicating creation of the first panel from the second panel.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the panel for the user interface comprises:

a context menu of applications;

a different window of the application; or

Different windows for different applications.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode comprises:

determining a first relationship similarity score for the particular interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface;

determining a second relationship similarity score for the second interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface; and

determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface that is higher than a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface indicated by the second relationship similarity score; and

wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode is based on determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a higher level of similarity than the second relationship similarity score indicates.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface comprises one or more of:

identifying the first panel as a child panel of the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is a sibling panel of the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is subordinate to the second panel;

identifying that the first panel is embedded within the second panel;

identifying a first panel in series with a second panel; or

The first panel is identified to control the second panel.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface comprises:

a node graph is generated in which each node represents a panel and edges between the nodes represent logical relationships between the panels.

20. A computer-readable storage device encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a logical relationship between panels of a user interface for the one or more computing devices;

obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a set of interface patterns that correspond to different logical relationships between panels and that describe different spatial relationships for arranging panels having respective logical relationships;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode;

in response to determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode, selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify an arrangement of the panels for the user interface; and

providing, by one or more computing devices, a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected.

Technical Field

This specification describes technologies relating to generation of user interfaces.

Background

A graphical user interface is displayed on the device to enable a user to interact with the device. For example, the graphical user interface may include a menu with options from which the user may select.

Disclosure of Invention

The graphical user interface may display information to the user in the form of one or more panels (panels). For example, the graphical user interface may include a single panel, two side-by-side panels, one panel on top of a second panel, or some other arrangement of panels. The panels may be a graphical arrangement of information grouped together for presentation to a user. For example, a panel may be a window of a browser's website, a window of an email application, a context menu, an image, or some other graphical arrangement of information.

The panels may be displayed in a predetermined manner as specified by the application. For example, it may be hard coded into an email application: the email application is shown in a first panel and when the user clicks on a particular context menu, that particular context menu should be displayed in a second panel that overlays a portion of the first panel. However, displaying the panel in a hard-coded, predetermined manner specified by the application may result in a graphical user interface that is unable to accommodate the system context in which the user interface is invoked, potentially rendering the user interface unsuitable for use. For example, the device may have displayed a third panel alongside the first panel, such that the second panel overlays the first panel when shown. Depending on the hard-coded instructions used to display the second panel, the second panel may, for example, be too small for a user to interact with, may incorrectly obscure a portion of the first or third panel, or may be obscured by a portion of the first or third panel.

To overcome these problems, the system may generate a graphical user interface that includes one or more panels arranged according to spatial relationships described by a particular interface schema. The interface mode may be selected from among a plurality of interface modes based on a respective logical relationship described by the interface mode and at least one logical relationship of one or more panels to be displayed. The logical relationship between panels may indicate one or more of a dependency, hierarchy, or similarity between panels. The spatial relationship between the panels may indicate one or more of the size, shape, or position of the panels relative to each other.

For example, the system may determine that three panels for display have a particular logical relationship with each other that matches the logical relationship described by the first schema, where the first schema also describes the spatial relationship in which the panels are to be displayed with the first panel occupying the left side of the screen and the second and third panels evenly sharing the right side of the screen. In another example, the system may determine that three panels have a particular logical relationship with each other that matches the logical relationship described by the second schema, where the second schema also describes the spatial relationship in which the panels are to be displayed in which all three panels are shown side-by-side. In yet another example, the system may determine that three panels have a particular logical relationship between each other that matches the logical relationship described by the third schema, where the third schema also describes the spatial relationship in which the panels are to be displayed showing the first panel and the banner for switching from the first panel to the second panel and the third panel.

Thus, the system may enable the operating system to dynamically rearrange panels for the same or different applications as the panels are opened and closed. The interface mode may be such that the rearrangement of panels is based on logical relationships between panels, rather than on hard-coded instructions that specify that a particular panel must always be shown in a particular manner. Thus, the system enables the operating system to dynamically respond to a particular operating context of the user interface as a whole by generating a new user interface when a different panel is invoked by an application.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification is embodied in methods that include the actions of: identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a logical relationship between panels of a user interface for the one or more computing devices; obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a set of interface patterns that correspond to different logical relationships between panels and that each describe different spatial relationships for arranging panels having respective logical relationships; determining, by the one or more computing devices, that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode; in response to determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode, selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify an arrangement of the panels of the user interface; and providing, by the one or more computing devices, a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected.

Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of these methods. A system of one or more computers may be configured to perform particular operations or actions by installing software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs may be configured to perform particular operations or actions by including instructions that, when executed by a data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions.

The foregoing and other embodiments may each optionally, individually or in combination include one or more of the following features. For example, in some aspects, the logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode may include a relationship indicating that a first panel was created from a second panel. In some aspects, a panel for a user interface may include a context menu for an application, different windows for an application, or different windows for different applications.

In some implementations, determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode can include: determining a first relationship similarity score for a particular interface mode based on a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and a logical relationship between panels for the user interface, determining a second relationship similarity score for a second interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and a logical relationship between panels for the user interface, and determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between panels for the user interface that is higher than a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between panels for the user interface indicated by the second relationship similarity score, and wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between panels for the user interface matches the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode is based on determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a similarity between the first interface mode and the second interface mode The score indicates a higher level of similarity than the level of similarity indicated by the second similarity score.

In some aspects, identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface may include one or more of: identifying that the first panel is a child of the second panel, identifying that the first panel is a sibling of the second panel, identifying that the first panel is subordinate to the second panel, identifying that the first panel is embedded within the second panel, identifying that the first panel is in series with the second panel, or identifying that the first panel controls the second panel. In some aspects, identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface may include: a graph of nodes is generated, where each node represents a panel and edges between nodes represent logical relationships between panels. In some embodiments, each edge in a node graph may represent a type of logical relationship that exists between panels represented by nodes connected by the edge. In some aspects, the particular interface mode may describe a second node graph, wherein each node represents a panel and edges between the nodes represent logical relationships between the panels, wherein a particular edge of the second node graph represents at least one logical relationship described by the particular interface mode, the determining that the logical relationship between the panels in the identified set of panels matches the at least one logical relationship between the panels described by the particular interface mode comprising: it is determined that the node map includes edges representing logical relationship types that match logical relationship types represented by specific edges of the second node map.

In some aspects, the actions may include identifying an additional panel for the user interface, and in response to identifying the additional panel for the user interface, adding an additional node corresponding to the additional panel to the node graph and adding at least one additional edge from the additional node to another node of the node graph, wherein the additional edge represents a logical relationship between the additional node and the another node of the node graph. In some implementations, the action can include generating a list of panels having focus, wherein when a panel obtains focus, it is added to a head of the list and cancellation of the panel causes the panel to be removed from the list, wherein selecting a particular interface mode from among the set of interface modes to specify the arrangement of the panel of the user interface is also based at least on the list of panels having focus.

In some aspects, identifying logical relationships between panels for a user interface may include: determining which of the panels for the user interface currently has focus on the user interface, wherein the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode describes that the particular panel has focus, and determining that the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface matches the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode comprises: it is determined that the panel currently having focus on the user interface matches the panel described by the particular interface mode as having focus.

In some implementations, providing a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected can include: the position and size of the panel described by the particular interface mode is identified and the panels in the set of panels are mapped to the position and size of the panel described by the particular interface mode.

In some aspects, the actions may include: determining characteristics of a device on which an interface is to be displayed, wherein obtaining the set of interface modes includes obtaining an initial set of interface modes that each describe a device requirement, determining whether the characteristics of the device meet the device requirements described by each of the initial set of interface modes, and generating the set of interface modes to include only the interface modes in the initial set of interface modes that describe the device requirements met by the characteristics of the device.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment for generating an interface.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example representation of data for generating an interface.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of providing data of an interface.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a computer system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 for generating an interface. The environment 100 includes a user device 102, and an interface 140 may be generated and displayed on the user device 102. The user device 102 is an electronic device that displays an interface 140, and a user may interact with the user device 102 through the interface 140. Example user devices 102 include personal computers (e.g., desktop or laptop computers), mobile communication devices (e.g., smart phones or tablets), and other devices.

The user device 102 may include relationship information 110 that describes logical relationships between panels for display, device characteristics 130 that describe characteristics of the user device 102, and an interface generator 120 that obtains the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130 to generate an interface 140. Relationship information 110 may describe logical relationships between panels for display on user device 102. The logical relationship may be one or more of a dependency, hierarchy, or similarity between panels. For example, a logical relationship between two panels may be a parent-child relationship, where a first panel is a parent panel and a second panel is a child panel shown in response to a user interacting with the first panel. In another example, the logical relationship between two panels may be co-planar (co-planar), where the first panel and the second panel are shown in response to an interaction that is not subordinate to the other panel. In yet another example, the logical relationship between two panels may be a dependency relationship, where the second panel is only displayed when the first panel is displayed. In yet another example, the logical relationship between two panels may be an arbitrary relationship, where the first panel and the second panel do not have any dependency on each other in how they are displayed. In another example, the logical relationship between two panels may be an embedded logical relationship, where a first panel is embedded within a second panel. In yet another example, the logical relationship between two panels may be a remote control relationship, where a first panel controls a second panel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relationship information describes that "Panel C" is a child of "Panel B", and that "Panel B" is a child of "Panel A". Panel a is shown as a calendar interface where a user can select one date, panel B is shown as a time interface where a user can select a time period for the selected date, and panel C is shown as an event interface where a user can enter details of the selected time period for the selected date. In some implementations, the relationship information 110 can describe how panels are related, rather than the content within the panels. For example, relationship information may simply describe the existence of a parent panel, a child panel, and a nested child panel, rather than describing that the parent panel is a calendar interface, the child panel is a time interface, and the nested child panel is an event interface.

The device characteristics 130 may describe one or more characteristics of the user device 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the device characteristics describe that the user device 102 has a display with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. The characteristics may include one or more of resolution, physical screen size, touch capability, and other characteristics.

The interface generator 120 obtains the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130 to generate an interface 140. For example, interface generator 120 may obtain relationship information 110 describing that "panel C" is a sub-panel of "panel B" and that "panel B" is a sub-panel of "panel a", and device characteristics describing that user device 130 has a resolution of 1920 × 1080. In response, interface generator 120 can generate an interface that includes "panel A" above "panel B", where both share the left half of the interface uniformly and "panel C" occupies the right half of the interface.

The interface generator 120 may obtain the relationship information 110 by monitoring the order in which the panels were generated and the source from which the panels were generated. For example, interface generator 120 may monitor that "Panel B" was created from a user's interaction with "Panel A" and, in response, determine that "Panel A" and "Panel B" have a parent-child relationship. In another example, the interface generator 120 may obtain the relationship information 110 by examining metadata of the panel. For example, when "panel B" is created from "panel A," panel B "may store metadata indicating that" panel B "was generated from" panel A ". In yet another example, the interface generator 120 may obtain the relationship information 110 by examining the behavior of the panel. For example, interface generator 120 may determine that the application's instructions indicate that if "panel a" is closed, then "panel B" should also be closed, and in response, determine that "panel B" is subordinate to the relationship of "panel a".

Interface generator 120 can include a data store 122 that stores a plurality of interface modes and generate an interface 140 using the plurality of stored interface modes. For example, the data store 122 can store a first mode "mode a", a second mode "mode B", and a third mode "mode C", and use the modes to generate the interface 140.

Each interface schema of the plurality of interface schemas may describe a corresponding logical relationship between the panels and a spatial relationship describing how the panels that match the logical relationship are displayed. For example, a first interface mode "mode A" may describe displaying two panels having a parent-child relationship on a screen having a landscape format, where the parent panel is in the left half and the child panel is in the right half. The second interface mode "mode B" may describe displaying two panels having a parent-child relationship on a screen having a portrait format, where a child panel occupying one half of the screen is above a parent panel occupying the other half of the screen. The third interface mode, "mode C," may describe displaying three panels with a parent-child-nested child relationship on a screen having a landscape format, where the parent panel is in the upper left quadrant, the child panel is in the lower left quadrant, and the nested child panel is in the right half.

In some embodiments, the interface mode may additionally or alternatively describe an aspect as a behavior. For example, the interface mode may describe that the scroll position between particular panels of the interface mode should be synchronized, or that a particular animation should be shown in response to a particular user interaction when the interface mode is used.

Interface generator 120 may determine that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode. For example, interface generator 120 may determine that "panel C" is a child panel of "panel B" and that the identified relationship information 110 for which "panel B" is a child panel of "panel A" matches the parent-child-nested child logical relationship described for "schema C". Thus, the interface generator 120 may determine different interface modes that better suit different relationships between different devices having different device characteristics and panels for display.

Interface generator 120 may select a particular interface mode in response to determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode. For example, in response to interface generator 120 determining that "panel C" describes a logical relationship that matches the logical relationship of the identified parent-child-nesting child relationship, interface generator 120 may select "panel C" from among all interface schemas in data store 122.

The interface generator 120 may provide a user interface having panels arranged according to the selected interface mode. For example, the selected interface mode may describe that three panels having a parent-child-nested child relationship are displayed on the screen having a landscape format, with the parent panel in the upper left quadrant, the child panel in the lower left quadrant, and the nested child panel in the right half. In response, interface generator 120 may arrange "panel A" corresponding to the parent panel in the upper left quadrant, "panel B" corresponding to the child panel in the lower left quadrant, and "panel C" corresponding to the nested child panel in the right half.

The interface generator 120 may arrange the set of panels according to an interface pattern that is selected by identifying the location and size of the panels in the spatial relationship described by the interface pattern and mapping the panels to the location and size of the panels described by the interface pattern. For example, interface generator 120 may recognize that "mode C" includes a first panel positioned and sized to occupy the upper left quadrant, a second panel positioned and sized to occupy the lower left quadrant, and a third panel positioned and sized to occupy the right half. In this example, interface generator 120 may then map respective panels of the set of panels for display to the position and size of the panel described by the interface schema.

In some implementations, the interface mode can additionally describe which panels have focus in the interface 140. For example, an interface mode may describe displaying a parent-child relationship on a small screen with a child panel overlaid on a parent panel and the child panel in focus. In another example, the interface mode may describe a display dependency relationship in which a dependent panel is shown side-by-side with another panel, both panels in focus. Focus may relate to whether user input will be directed into the panel. For example, clicking on a graphical control element of a panel that is in focus will activate the graphical control element, and clicking on a graphical element of a panel that is not in focus will cause the panel to be in focus without activating the graphical control element.

In some implementations, the interface mode can describe a requirement. For example, an interface mode may describe two sibling panels shown side by side, but each panel has a resolution of at most at least 600 × 600. Thus, if the interface generator 120 determines that the requirements are not met by the obtained device characteristics, the interface generator 120 may determine not to select the interface mode. In some implementations, when the interface builder 120 obtains the interface schema, the interface builder 120 may filter the interface schema to remove or only obtain interface schemas having requirements that are met by the obtained device requirements.

Although fig. 1 shows the interface generator 120 on the user device 102, in some implementations the interface generator 120 may instead be located on a server, where the server obtains relationship information 110 describing relationships between panels for display, obtains device characteristics 130 describing characteristics of the user device 102, generates an interface 140 using the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130, and provides the interface 140 to the user device 102. In some other implementations, the interface generator 120 may be implemented on both the user device 102 and the server. For example, the user device 102 may obtain the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130, provide the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130 to a server, the server may select an interface mode from among a plurality of interface modes based on the relationship information 110 and the device characteristics 130, the server may provide the selected interface mode to the user device 102, and the user device 102 may generate an interface by arranging a set of panels according to the selected interface mode.

In some implementations, the interface generator 120 can also select an interface mode based on the inherent properties of the panel. For example, interface mode 120 may determine that the panel indicates that if the panel is displayed, the panel must be displayed at least at a certain minimum resolution, and interface generator 120 may use this inherent property in selecting the interface mode. In another example, a panel may indicate that the panel cannot be shown when overlapped by another panel, and this property is used when selecting the interface mode.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example representation 200 of data for generating an interface. Representation 200 shows how interfaces 210A, 210B, and 210C, node maps 220A and 220B, and interface modes 230A and 230B are used to generate an interface when a first panel is first displayed, then the first panel is displayed as a parent panel and a child panel is displayed, and then the parent panel, the child panel, and nested child panels are displayed.

Representation 200 shows a first interface 210A having a first panel "panel a" in which a sub-panel "panel B" is to be additionally displayed. For example, "panel a" may be a calendar interface, the user may have selected only one date, and the system may additionally display a sub-panel "panel B" with a time interface to select a time period.

When the system determines to display a sub-panel, the node map 220A may be updated. For example, node map 220A shows a first node labeled "A" representing "Panel A", and a second node labeled "B" representing "Panel B" in dashed outline, and an edge labeled "child" from the first node to the second node. The node map 220A may represent relationship information describing logical relationships between panels for display. In some embodiments, the relationship information 110 of FIG. 1 may be represented by a node map.

Representation 200 shows node map 220A determined to match interface mode 230A, which is also shown in FIG. 2. Interface 210B is then generated using the spatial relationships described by interface schema 230A. For example, interface generator 120 may generate interface 210B using the spatial relationships described by interface schema 230A.

Representation 200 shows interface 210B in which parent panel "Panel A", child panel "Panel B", and nested panel "Panel C" are to be displayed. For example, "panel a" may be a calendar interface, "panel B" may be a time interface, and the user may only have selected a time period, and the system may show a nested sub-panel "panel C" of the event interface with details of the selected time period in which the user may enter a selected date.

When the system determines to display nested sub-panels, node map 220B can be updated. For example, node map 220B shows a first node labeled "A" representing "Panel A" with an edge labeled "child" to a second node labeled "B" representing "Panel B", and a third node labeled "C" representing "Panel C" in dashed outline, and an edge labeled "child" from the second node to the third node.

Representation 200 shows node map 220B determined to match interface mode 230B, which is also shown in FIG. 2. Then, the spatial relationship described by the interface schema 230B is used to generate the interface 210C. For example, interface generator 120 may generate interface 210C using the spatial relationships described by interface schema 230B.

As shown in FIG. 2, with the appearance of a new panel for the user interface, new nodes may be added to the node graph along with corresponding edges. Similarly, when a panel is cancelled or no longer needed for the user interface, existing nodes and corresponding edges can be removed from the node graph. For example, when a panel corresponding to a third node labeled "C" is killed, the dashed edges and nodes shown in node map 220B may be removed.

In some implementations, a list of panels with focus can be generated and stored separately from the node map. The list of panels may represent the panel with focus, where when the panel gets focus, it is added as the head of the list, and the dismissal of the panel causes the panel to be removed from the list. This list may be used as a signal for ordering the panels. For example, the list is used to select an interface mode, or to determine which panels to display once the interface mode is selected.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process 300 of providing data for an interface. The operations of process 300 may be performed by one or more computing systems, such as user device 102 of fig. 1.

Logical relationships between panels for a user interface may be identified (310). For example, interface generator 120 may obtain relationship information describing three panels to be displayed and in a coplanar relationship of equal importance. In some implementations, identifying the logical relationship between the panels includes identifying that one or more of the first panels are child panels of the second panel, the first panel is a sibling of the second panel, the first panel is subordinate to the second panel, the first panel is embedded within the second panel, the first panel is in series with the second panel, the first panel controls the second panel, or the first panel is created from the second panel.

In some implementations, identifying logical relationships between panels includes generating a node graph in which each node represents a panel and edges between nodes represent logical relationships between panels. For example, the interface generator 120 may generate node maps 220A and 220B. Each edge in the node graph may represent a type of logical relationship that exists between panels represented by the nodes connected by the edge. In some implementations, identifying the logical relationship between the panels includes determining which panel of the set of panels has the focus. For example, interface generator 120 may determine that the relationship information describes that a first panel of the co-planar panels has a focus, and determine that the first panel is initially shown in focus, the first panel having a banner for replacing the first panel with a corresponding other panel.

In some implementations, a node map can be generated when the interface generator 120 monitors the opening and closing of panels. For example, the interface generator 120 may monitor each time a new panel is displayed and, in response, update the node map. In another example, the interface generator 120 may monitor each time a panel is closed and, in response, update the node map.

A set of interface patterns is obtained that correspond to different logical relationships between the panels and that describe different spatial relationships for arranging the panels (320). For example, the interface generator 120 may access all interface modes stored in the data store 122.

At least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface is determined to match a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode (330). For example, the interface generator 120 may determine that the coplanar relationship between the three panels described by the relationship information matches the coplanar relationship between the three panels described by the first schema, and in response, select the first interface schema.

In some implementations, determining that at least one of the logical relationships between the panels for the user interface matches a logical relationship corresponding to a particular interface mode includes: determining a first relationship similarity score for a particular interface mode based on a logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and a logical relationship between panels for the user interface, determining a second relationship similarity score for a second interface mode based on the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and a logical relationship between panels for the user interface, and determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode and the logical relationship between panels for the user interface that is higher than a level of similarity between the logical relationship corresponding to the second interface mode and the logical relationship between panels for the user interface indicated by the second relationship similarity score, wherein determining that at least one of the logical relationships between panels for the user interface matches the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode is based on determining that the first relationship similarity score indicates a level of similarity between panels for the user interface The level of similarity is shown to be higher than the level of similarity indicated by the second similarity score. For example, the interface generator 120 may determine a similarity score of 95% for the first interface mode and a similarity score of 50% for the second interface mode, determine that the similarity score of 95% for the first interface mode indicates greater similarity than the similarity score of 50% for the second interface mode, and in response, determine that the first interface mode matches at least one of the logical relationships for the faceplate of the user interface.

In some embodiments, the particular interface mode describes a second node graph, wherein each node represents a panel and edges between the nodes represent logical relationships between the panels, wherein a particular edge of the second node graph represents at least one logical relationship described by the particular interface mode, the determining that the logical relationship between the panels in the identified set of panels matches the at least one logical relationship between the panels described by the particular interface mode comprises: it is determined that the node map includes edges representing logical relationship types that match the logical relationship types represented by the specific edges of the second node map.

An interface mode may be selected from among the set of interface modes based at least on relationships between panels in the set of panels (340). For example, based on the obtained relationship information that describes three panels for display as being in a coplanar relationship, the interface generator 120 may select a first mode that describes three panels in a coplanar relationship to be displayed, wherein the most recently opened panel in focus has a banner for replacing the most recently opened panel with a corresponding other panel.

In some implementations, identifying the logical relationship between panels for the user interface includes: determining which of the panels for the user interface currently has focus on the user interface, wherein the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode describes an arrangement of panels in which the particular panel has focus, and wherein determining that the logical relationship between the panels for the user interface matches the logical relationship corresponding to the particular interface mode comprises: it is determined that the panel currently having focus on the user interface matches the panel described by the particular interface mode as having focus.

A user interface (350) may be provided having panels arranged according to the particular interface mode selected. For example, interface generator 120 may generate an interface in which the most recently opened panel with a banner for replacing the most recently opened panel with a corresponding other panel is shown first. In some embodiments, providing a user interface having panels arranged in the user interface according to the particular interface mode selected includes: the position and size of the panel described by the interface mode is identified and the panels in the set of panels are mapped to the position and size of the panel described by the interface mode. For example, a first mode may describe that for three coplanar panels, the most recently opened panel occupies the entire interface and includes a banner for replacing the most recently opened panel with a corresponding other panel.

In some implementations, the process 300 includes determining characteristics of a device on which the interface is to be displayed, wherein obtaining the set of interface modes includes: the method includes obtaining an initial set of interface modes each describing a device requirement, determining whether a characteristic of the device satisfies the device requirement described by each of the initial set of interface modes, and generating a set of interface modes to include only the interface modes in the initial set of interface modes that describe the device requirement satisfied by the characteristic of the device. For example, the interface generator 120 may determine that the resolution of the screen is 1920 × 1080, obtain a set of interface modes describing various resolution requirements, determine whether the resolution of 1920 × 1080 meets the resolution requirements described by the set of interface modes, and generate a set of interface modes that includes only interface modes whose resolution requirements are met by the resolution of 1920 × 1080.

In some implementations, the process 300 can be performed in response to detecting a change in a relationship between panels in the set of panels. For example, the interface generator 120 may detect that a new panel is also to be displayed or that a node map has changed and, in response, perform the process 300 to generate a new interface. In another example, interface generator 120 may detect that a panel should no longer be displayed and, in response, perform process 300 to generate a new interface. In yet another example, interface generator 120 may detect that focus has changed to another panel in the set of panels and, in response, perform process 300 to generate a new interface.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or additionally, the program instructions may be encoded on an artificially generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by the data processing apparatus. The computer storage media may be or be embodied in a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Further, although the computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, the computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. The computer storage medium may also be or be included in one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

The operations described in this specification may be implemented as operations performed by data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.

The term "data processing apparatus" encompasses all types of apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or a plurality or combination of the foregoing. An apparatus may comprise, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates a runtime environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them. The apparatus and operating environment may implement a variety of different computing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with the instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer does not require such a device. Furthermore, a computer may be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game player, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable memory device (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive), to name a few. Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide for interaction with a user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Further, the computer may interact with the user by sending and receiving documents to and from the device used by the user; for example, by sending a web page to a web browser on the user device of the user in response to a request received from the web browser.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification), or any combination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN") and a wide area network ("WAN"), an internetwork (e.g., the internet), and a peer-to-peer network (e.g., an ad hoc peer-to-peer network).

The computing system may include a user and a server. A user and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of user and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a user-server relationship to each other. In some embodiments, the server sends data (e.g., an HTML web page) to the user device (e.g., for displaying data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the user device). Data generated at the user device (e.g., a result of the user interaction) may be received at the server from the user device.

An example of one such type of computer is shown in FIG. 4, which shows a schematic diagram of a general-purpose computer system 400. According to one embodiment, the system 400 may be used for the operations described in conjunction with any of the computer-implemented methods described above. System 400 includes processor 410, memory 420, storage 430, and input/output device 440. Each of the components 410, 420, 430, and 440 are interconnected using a system bus 450. The processor 410 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system 400. In one implementation, the processor 410 is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, the processor 410 is a multi-threaded processor. The processor 410 is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory 420 or the storage device 430 to display graphical information for a user interface on the input/output device 440.

Memory 420 stores information within system 400. In one implementation, the memory 420 is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory 420 is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 420 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.

The storage device 430 is capable of providing mass storage for the system 400. In one implementation, the storage device 430 is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device 430 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device.

The input/output device 440 provides input/output operations for the system 400. In one embodiment, input/output device 440 includes a keyboard and/or pointing device. In another embodiment, the input/output device 440 includes a display unit for displaying a graphical user interface.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Moreover, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.