Application program interface that can maintain similar look and feel of a displayed image regardless of whether the interface is platform dependent or platform independent

a technology of application program and interface, applied in the field of computer software, can solve the problems of being able to completely or directly replace awt, and achieve the effects of enhancing swing functionality, improving functionality, and consistent look and feel of java application program

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-11-03
IBM CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0032] The API having both Swing-type features and AWT-type features is alternatively called “AWTSwing,” and can be used to provide improved functionality and a more consistent look and feel for Java application programs. AWTSwing replaces the heavyweight Peer classes in the AWT with lightweight Peer classes while preserving the same interface. This allows legacy applications, which previously relied upon the graphics resources of the AWT, to run without modification. AWTSwing also augments the functionality of Swing, so that new applications can deploy a modern full-featured graphical interface. Because AWTSwing uses no native code for the windowing controls, it is truly portable. Therefore, the GUI for a Java application based on AWTSwing will have a consistent look and feel regardless of which operating system it is ported.

Problems solved by technology

However, several complications prevent Swing from being able to completely or directly replace the AWT.

Method used

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  • Application program interface that can maintain similar look and feel of a displayed image regardless of whether the interface is platform dependent or platform independent
  • Application program interface that can maintain similar look and feel of a displayed image regardless of whether the interface is platform dependent or platform independent
  • Application program interface that can maintain similar look and feel of a displayed image regardless of whether the interface is platform dependent or platform independent

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Embodiment Construction

[0057] The need for rapid development of software programs has led to the introduction of modern object-oriented programming languages, such as C++. Among current OOP languages, Java is regarded as a “write once—run anywhere” language. This is because, unlike programs written in traditional languages, Java programs can be run without modification on various different computers or under different operating systems. However, a Java application may not be completely portable in terms of the look and feel of its graphical interface. This can occur if the application makes use of the windowing resources of the platform-specific AWT. The numerous operating system-specific versions of the AWT are mutually inconsistent in regard to the graphic features supported and the manner in which those features are implemented.

[0058]FIG. 1 illustrates a computer 10. Computer 10 includes a microprocessor 12 which operates from any given instruction set, such as a reduced instruction set or X86 instruc...

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Abstract

A system and method are disclosed whereby the look and feel of the OS / 2 operating system is added to the Swing application program interface (API), in an enhanced version of the API, referred to herein as AWTSwing. A further disclosure is the creation of a thread-relative setLookAndFeel method, which only accepts calls from a particular thread to adopt a prescribed look and feel. This makes it possible for an application to have a look and feel distinct from that of the platform, or of other concurrently executing applications. This capability is not present in the conventional version of the Swing API, which treats look and feel settings as global.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is related to the following copending U.S. patent applications, filed on even date herewith: “System and Method for Encapsulating Software Components in an Application Program Interface Using a Proxy Object,”“System and Method for Reducing Memory Use Associated with the Graphical Representation of a List Control,”“System and Method for Fast Drawing of Text Fields and Labels in a Java Swing Application Program Interface,”“Combining the Functionality of Multiple Text Controls in a Graphical User Interface,”“Inheritance of Background Color in a Containment Hierarchy of Objects in a Graphical User Interface,”“Dynamic Buffering of Graphic Images by a Platform Independent Application Program Interface,”“System and Method for Implementing a Graphical User Interface Across Dissimilar Platforms Yet Retaining Similar Look and Feel,” and “System and Method for Introducing Enhanced Features into a Java Swing Application Program Interface,” all by Sco...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06F9/44
CPCG06F8/38
Inventor BROUSSARD, SCOTT J.
Owner IBM CORP
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