A method and apparatus for switching between multiple display devices, a computing device, and a storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a kind of switching method, device, computing device and storage medium of multiple display equipment, it is related to computer technical field, to solve the technical problem of low switching efficiency when existing multiple display switches, method includes: response in the interface of current display equipment and moves cursor to the operation of hot area, pop-up device display area, display area in device display has the thumbnail corresponding to each display equipment, display device's identification is shown in thumbnail;Response triggers the operation of target thumbnail, and according to the identification in target thumbnail matches target display device;Cursor is moved to target display device.The visible, in the way of graphical interface, the arrangement of external display device is shown, by the operation of any display device thumbnail triggered by user, quickly switch to specified display device, user can conveniently switch between each display device, improve switching efficiency and user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, computing device, and readable storage medium for switching between multiple display devices. Background Technology

[0002] In existing operating systems, with the increasing power of computers, multitasking has become particularly important. The need for multiple monitors is growing stronger to handle and display a large number of client programs simultaneously. Multi-monitor display can be understood as using at least two physical display devices simultaneously as a display interface for a larger virtual display device. In other words, it integrates multiple physical display devices into a single large virtual display device, allowing for display and operation across these devices.

[0003] In scenarios with multiple display devices, the arrangement of a "super-large screen" composed of multiple display devices cannot be consistent with the actual physical arrangement. For example, when seven display devices work together, the envisioned arrangement of the display devices is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, however, in reality, the placement of display devices may be as follows: Figure 2 As shown. Because in actual operation, users may not be able to follow... Figure 1 The monitor is positioned as shown, displaying the actual placement of the display devices (e.g.) Figure 2 The display (as shown) may not be as expected. In this case, if you want to switch to operate other display devices, you can only use the mouse to locate each display device one by one. When there are many display devices, it is difficult to switch to the target display device at once, resulting in low switching efficiency. Switching display devices can be understood as moving the mouse cursor to the target display device.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for switching between multiple display devices to solve the technical problem of low switching efficiency in existing multi-monitor switching. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, embodiments of the present invention provide a method, apparatus, computing device, and readable storage medium for switching between multiple display devices, in an attempt to solve or at least alleviate the problems mentioned above.

[0006] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a method for switching multiple display devices, which is suitable for being executed in a computing device, the computing device being communicatively connected with multiple display devices, an interface of any display device comprising a hot area, the method comprising: in response to an operation of moving a cursor to the hot area in the interface of a current display device, popping up a device display area, the device display area displaying thumbnails corresponding to the display devices, the thumbnails displaying an identifier of the display device; in response to an operation of triggering a target thumbnail in the device display area, matching a target display device according to the identifier in the target thumbnail; and moving the cursor to the target display device.

[0007] Optionally, in response to an operation of moving a mouse cursor to the hot area in the interface of the current display device, the step of popping up the device display area comprises: in response to the operation of moving the mouse cursor to the hot area in the interface of the current display device, obtaining information of the display devices; capturing images of the interfaces of the display devices, wherein the size of the captured images is the same as the resolution of the corresponding display device; performing a reduction process on the captured images to obtain the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices; determining relative positions of the thumbnails according to the information of the display devices; and displaying the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices in the device display area according to the relative positions of the thumbnails.

[0008] Optionally, the information comprises position information, an identifier and a resolution of the display device, the position information comprising relative position coordinates, width and height, and the method further comprises: associating the identifier of each display device with the position information.

[0009] Optionally, the step of moving the cursor to the target display device comprises: obtaining position information associated with the identifier of the target thumbnail; determining a display position of the cursor in the target display device as a target position according to the obtained position information; and moving the mouse cursor to the target position of the target display device.

[0010] Optionally, the thumbnail corresponding to the display device where the cursor is currently located in the device display area comprises a selected state, and the method further comprises: adding a selected state to the thumbnail corresponding to the target display device in the device display area; and deleting the selected state of the thumbnail corresponding to the display device where the cursor is currently located in the device display area.

[0011] The method further comprises: hiding a display device area in the current interface.

[0012] The method further comprises: adding a preset state to the interface of the target display device to prompt the user that the target display device has been switched to.

[0013] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a switching device for multiple display devices, adapted to be executed in a computing device, the computing device being communicatively connected with the multiple display devices, an interface of any of the display devices comprising a hot zone, the device comprising: a display area pop-up module adapted to pop up a device display area in response to an operation of moving a cursor to the hot zone in a current interface of the display device, the device display area displaying thumbnails corresponding to the display devices, the thumbnails displaying an identifier of the display device; a matching module adapted to match a target display device according to the identifier in a target thumbnail in response to an operation of triggering the target thumbnail in the device display area; and a switching module adapted to move the cursor to the target display device.

[0014] According to yet another aspect of the present application, there is provided a computing device comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing program instructions configured to be executed by the at least one processor, the program instructions comprising instructions for performing the method as described above.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a readable storage medium storing program instructions, which, when read and executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method as described above.

[0016] According to the switching method for multiple display devices of the embodiments of the present application, the device display area is popped up in response to an operation of moving a cursor to a hot zone in a current interface, a target display device is matched according to an identifier in a target thumbnail in response to an operation of triggering the target thumbnail, and the cursor is moved to the target display device. It can be seen that the embodiments of the present application display the arrangement of the external display devices in the form of a graphical interface, and the user can quickly switch to a specified display device by triggering an operation of any thumbnail of the display device, so that the user can conveniently switch between the display devices to operate a specified window, thereby reducing the operation complexity and improving the switching efficiency and user experience.

[0017] The above description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in order to more clearly understand the technical means of the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented according to the content of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following specific embodiments of the present application are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be practiced and all aspects and equivalents thereof are intended to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. The above- and other advantages of the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended drawings, deemed

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the placement of the display device as envisaged;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the placement of the display device in actuality;

[0021] Figure 3 A block diagram showing a computing device 300 according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 A flow diagram showing a switching method 400 of a multi-display device according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing an interface of a display device including a hot zone according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing an interface of a display device including a device display area and a hot zone according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing an interface of a display device including a device display area and a hot zone according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing a switching apparatus 800 of a multi-display device according to one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. While example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms without being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0028] In the present application, in order to solve the technical problem of low switching efficiency in the prior art when multiple displays are switched, a switching method for multiple display devices is provided, which is integrated in a window manager running on a computing device 300, and the present application does not limit the window manager, and all existing window managers in the prior art are within the protection scope of the present application. For example, the window manager can be a KWin window manager.

[0029] It is worth noting that when the operating system of the computing device 300 is started, that is, the computing device 300 is powered on and successfully logs in the user, and enters the user interface, the switching method for multiple display devices provided by the present application is started at the same time.

[0030] The computing device 300 described above can be implemented as a server, such as an application server, a web server, etc.; or as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a processor chip, a tablet computer, etc., but is not limited thereto. Figure 3 A block diagram of the physical components (i.e., hardware) of the computing device 300 is shown. In a basic configuration, the computing device 300 includes at least one processing unit 302 and a system memory 304. According to an aspect, depending on the configuration and type of computing device, the system memory 304 comprises, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory, RAM), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory, ROM), flash memory, or any combination thereof.

[0031] According to an aspect, the system memory 304 includes an operating system 305. The system memory 304 also includes an application 350. According to an aspect, the operating system 305, for example, is suitable for controlling the operation of the computing device 300. Moreover, the example is practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program, and is not limited to any particular application or system. In Figure 3 This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 3 by those components within the dashed line 308. According to an aspect, the computing device 300 has additional features or functionality. For example, according to an aspect, the computing device 300 includes additional data storage devices (removable and / or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 3 by the removable storage 309 and the non-removable storage 310. Figure 3 According to an aspect, the computing device 300 includes a user input device 313 suitable for

[0032] As stated above, according to an aspect, a number of program modules and data files are stored in the system memory 304. When the switching method for multiple display devices provided by the present application is implemented as the application 350 and executed on the processing unit 302, the application 350 performs processes, which include but are not limited to those described below in connection with FIG. 4. Figure 4One or more of the stages of the method 400 shown in FIG. 4 can be performed by the computing device 300. According to one aspect, the type of application is not limited, for example, the application further includes: an email and contact application, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a database application, a slide presentation application, a drawing or computer-aided application, a web browser application, etc.

[0033] According to one aspect, the examples can be practiced with circuitry that comprises discrete electronic elements, a package of integrated circuits, an application- specific integrated circuit, a microprocessor, or other platform that includes electronic elements or a combination of those examples, encoded using g code, and / or field programmable gate array. For instance, as previously described, examples can be implemented using a system-on-a-chip (SOC) that integrates one or more of a processor, graphics, communication, system virtualization, and various application functions on a single chip. Figure 3 Each or many of the components shown in FIG. 4 can be integrated on a system-on-a-chip (SOC) on a single integrated circuit. According to one aspect, such a SOC device can include one or more processing units, graphics units, communications units, system virtualization units, and various application functionality all of which are integrated (or "burned") onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit (or "chip"). When operating via the SOC, the functionality described herein can be operated via application-specific logic integrated with other components of the computing device 300 on the single integrated circuit (chip). Embodiments of the application can also be practiced using other technologies that now exist or are later developed. In addition, embodiments of the application can be practiced within a general computer or in any other circuits or systems.

[0034] According to one aspect, the computing device 300 can also have one or more input device(s) 312 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a microphone, a touch input device, etc. One or more output device(s) 314 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. can also be included. The aforementioned devices are examples and others can be used. The computing device 300 can include one or more communication connections 316 allowing communications with other computing devices 318, examples of which include other computing devices 318-1, mobile computing devices 318-2, and / or network access devices 318-3, such as other computers, network devices, locations, etc. with which

[0035] The term computer readable media as used herein includes computer storage media. Computer storage media can include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory 304, the removable storage device 309, and the non-removable storage device 310 are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage media can include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by the computing device 300. According to an aspect, any such computer storage media can be part of the computing device 300. Computer storage media does not include a carrier wave or other propagated data signal.

[0036] According to an aspect, communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. According to an aspect, the term "modulated data signal" describes a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media.

[0037] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method 400 of switching among multiple displays according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method 400 is suitable for execution in a window manager in the computing device 300, and the method 400 can include steps 401-408. With the method 400, by triggering an operation on any thumbnail in the device display area, the target display device is quickly switched to, and the switching efficiency among multiple displays is improved.

[0038] A hot zone is included in the interface of the current display device, which can be understood as the display device where the cursor is currently located. The cursor can be a cursor displayed on the interface by a mouse or a touch body. The hot zone can be understood as an interactive part of the interface (i.e., a clickable place in the interface), and after the interaction, an event is triggered, which can be a link jump, or a submission or pop-up dialog box, etc.

[0039] The present application does not limit the position of the hot area. For example, the hot area can be arranged at any side position of the interface of the display device, or the hot area can be arranged at four side positions. In order to facilitate the user to quickly locate the hot area, a state can be added to the hot area, and the present application does not limit the state, as long as the state has a prominent effect to prompt the user to the position of the hot area, for example, a color with different transparency can be arranged at the hot area, and the color can be randomly selected. Figure 5 It is shown that the hot area 5-1 is arranged at four side positions of the interface of the display device, and a full-transparent blue state (color not shown in the figure) is added to the hot area. Figure 5

[0040] It should be noted that the interface of each display device connected in communication with the computing device 300 includes a hot area.

[0041] When the user moves the cursor to the region to which the hot area of the current interface belongs, in response to the operation, step 401 is performed, the device display region is popped up, and the information of each display device is obtained, that is, the information of all display devices connected in communication with the computing device is obtained. It should be noted that the device display region at this time is blank.

[0042] The information of the display device includes the position information, the identifier and the resolution of the display device, the position information includes the relative position coordinates, the width and the height. The position information can be the relative position coordinates between the display devices in the extended setting interface, and the position coordinates are determined based on the resolution of each display device. For example, seven display devices are included, and the resolution of each display device is 1920x1080, so the coordinates of each display device are (0, 0), (1920, 0), (3840, 0), (5760, 0), (0, 1080), (1920, 1080), (3840, 1080). The identifier can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the present application does not limit it. For example, the identifier can be any character or a string obtained by randomly combining characters.

[0043] The manner of obtaining each display device can be selected according to the actual scene, and the present application does not limit it. For example, the identifier and the resolution of all display devices are obtained by calling the QGuiApplication::screens() function, and the display device can be uniquely determined based on the identifier. Then the starting point and the size of each display device are traversed by calling the QScreen::geometry() function, so that the coordinates, the width and the height of any endpoint of the display device are determined based on the determined starting point and the size of each display device.

[0044] ​After obtaining the information of each display device, step 402 is performed to associate the identifier of each display device with the position information. In some embodiments, each identifier corresponds to a pointer of a QScreen, and each pointer is stored in a QList container: QList <QScreen*> screenList = QGuiApplication::screens(), and the identifier corresponding QScreen pointer is associated with the position information.

[0045] Then, step 403 is performed to capture the image of the interface of each display device. In some embodiments, the image of the interface of each display device is captured by calling the QScreen::grabWindow() function. It is worth noting here that the size of the captured image is the same as the resolution of the corresponding display device.

[0046] After capturing the image of the interface of each display device, step 404 is performed to reduce the captured image to obtain the thumbnail corresponding to each display device. In some embodiments, the captured image is reduced according to a preset reduction ratio, wherein the preset reduction ratio can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset reduction ratio can be 12.5%, that is, the captured image is reduced to 12.5% of the original resolution. Since the resolutions of the display devices can be different, but the reduction ratio is the same, in the case where the resolutions of the display devices are different, the sizes of the thumbnails of the display devices obtained are also different.

[0047] After obtaining the thumbnails of the display devices, step 405 is performed to determine the relative positions of the thumbnails according to the information of the display devices, that is, according to the endpoint coordinates, width and height of each display device, the relative positions of the thumbnails are determined, and the relative positions of the thumbnails are the same as the relative positions of the display devices in the extended settings interface.

[0048] Then, step 406 is performed to display the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices in the device display area according to the relative positions of the thumbnails, that is, the thumbnails displayed in the device display area in the interface at this time are displayed according to the relative positions. Taking the identifiers as numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) as an example, the device display area is as shown in FIG. 6, and the identifier corresponding to the display device is displayed in any thumbnail. Figure 6 Figure 6-1

[0049] ​​In order to prompt the user that the current display device is located, the selected state is added on the thumbnail of the display device where the cursor is currently located. The specific implementation form of the selected state can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the present application does not limit this. For example, a color is added on the thumbnail of the current display device. Assuming that the identifier of the current display device is 1, the thumbnail of the display device with the identifier 1 is added with the selected state in the form of added color. The device display area at this time is shown in FIG. 12 (the color is not shown in FIG. 12). Figure 6 Figure 6

[0050] At this time, if the user triggers any thumbnail, for example, the user clicks the identifier in any thumbnail, then in response to the operation, step 407 is executed, and the target display device is matched according to the identifier in the target thumbnail. In some embodiments, when the user clicks the identifier in any thumbnail, the corresponding target display device is matched through the identifier.

[0051] After the target display device is matched, step 408 is executed, and the cursor is moved to the target display device.

[0052] In some embodiments, step 408 includes: first, the position information associated with the identifier of the target thumbnail is acquired, for example, through the QList container, the pointer of the QScreen corresponding to the target display device is matched, and the position information associated with the currently triggered identifier can be acquired through the pointer of the QScreen. After the position information associated with the currently triggered identifier is acquired, the display position of the cursor in the target display device is determined as the target position according to the acquired position information. The position of the cursor in the target display device can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the position of the cursor is set as the middle position of the target display device. Finally, the cursor is moved to the target position of the target display device, for example, the switching from the current display device to the target display device is realized by calling the QCursor::setPos() function. The current display device is the display device where the cursor is located before being moved to the target display device.

[0053] ​​In some embodiments, after the cursor is switched to the target display device, in order to prompt the display device where the user is currently located, a selected state is added to the thumbnail corresponding to the target display device in the device display area, and the selected state of the thumbnail corresponding to the display device where the cursor was previously located in the device display area is deleted. In other words, the selected state is updated to the target display device to prompt the display device where the user is currently located. At this time, taking the movement from the display device identified as 1 to the display device identified as 2 as an example, the cursor is moved to the hot area in any display device, and the device display area including the thumbnails of the display devices is popped up, and the selected state is added to the thumbnail corresponding to the display device identified as 2, as shown in FIG. 6. Figure 7

[0054] In some embodiments, in order to prevent the popped-up device display area from blocking the interface, after the cursor is moved to the target display device, the device display area in the interface of the display device where the user is currently located is hidden, and at this time, the hot area is displayed in the interface of the display device where the user is currently located, as shown in FIG. 7. Figure 5

[0055] In some embodiments, in order to prompt the display device where the cursor is located, after being switched to the target display device, a preset state is added to the interface of the target display device to prompt the user that the target display device has been switched to. The preset state can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset state can be a highlighted display state, and then the highlighted display state is added to the target display device.

[0056] At this time, the switching to the target display device is realized by triggering the identification on the thumbnails of the display devices in the device display area. Whenever switching between the multiple display devices is needed, steps 401 to 408 are executed.

[0057] Figure 8 A structural block diagram of a switching device 800 of multiple display devices according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device 800 includes a display area popping module 810, a matching module 820 and a switching module 830 which are coupled in sequence.

[0058] The display area popping module 810 is adapted to pop up a device display area in response to the operation of moving the cursor to the hot area in the current interface, and the device display area displays the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices, and the identification of the display device is displayed in the thumbnail.

[0059] The matching module 820 is adapted to match the target display device according to the identification in the target thumbnail in response to the operation of triggering the target thumbnail in the device display area.

[0060] The switching module 830 is adapted to move the cursor to the target display device.​​

[0061] It should be noted that the working principle of the switching device 800 of the multiple display devices is similar to the above-mentioned switching method 400 of the multiple display devices, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the above-mentioned switching method 400 of the multiple display devices, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] From the above, it can be seen that the switching method of the multiple display devices provided by the present application responds to the operation of moving the cursor to the hot area in the current interface to pop up the device display area, and responds to the operation of triggering the target thumbnail to match the target display device according to the identifier in the target thumbnail and move the cursor to the target display device. It can be seen that the present application displays the arrangement of the external display devices in the form of a graphical interface, and quickly switches to the specified display device through the operation of triggering the thumbnail of any display device by the user, so that the user can conveniently switch between the display devices to operate the specified window, reduces the operation complexity, and improves the switching efficiency and user experience.

[0063] The various techniques described herein can be implemented in connection with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the present application, or certain aspects or portions thereof, can take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as removable hard disks, USB flash drives, floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, ROMs, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the subject application.

[0064] Where the program code is executed in a programmable computer, the computing device generally includes a processor, a memory that is readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and / or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. The memory is configured to store program code; the processor is configured to execute instructions in the program code stored in the memory to perform the switching method of the multiple display devices of the present application.

[0065] In an example, but not a limitation, a computer-readable medium includes a readable storage medium and a communication medium. The readable storage medium stores information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. The communication medium generally embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms, and includes any information transmission medium. The combination of any of the above is also included in the scope of the readable medium.

[0066] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been described in detail in order to not obscure the understanding of this description.

[0067] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been described in detail in order to not obscure the understanding of this description.

[0068] Similarly, it is to be understood that the mechanical features of the application can be sub-divided into additional features not specifically described herein. In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been described in detail in order to not obscure the understanding of this description.

[0069] Those skilled in the art will understand that the modules, or units, or components of the devices in the examples disclosed herein can be arranged in a device as described in the examples, or alternatively can be located in one or more devices different from the devices in the examples. The modules in the foregoing examples can be combined into one module or further divided into multiple sub-modules.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will understand that the modules in the devices in the examples can be adaptively changed and disposed in one or more devices different from the examples. The modules or units or components in the examples can be combined into one module or unit or component, and further can be divided into multiple sub-modules or sub-units or sub-components. Except that at least some of such features and / or processes or units are mutually exclusive, all combinations of all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) and all processes or units of any methods or apparatuses so disclosed can be

[0071] Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including" and "has" or any variation thereof are used in the following description and claims, these terms are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For any particular feature, structure or characteristic, an embodiment can include that feature, structure or characteristic alone or in a combination with other features, structures or characteristics.

[0072] Furthermore, some of the embodiments described herein are of a "method" or a "process" that can be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodied in software, can be implemented with computer- executable instructions (computer- readable code). When implemented in software, the instructions (computer-readable code) can be executable by a processor as part of a computer program product. Computer-readable media (program storage devices) include at least one of transient media, semi-permanent media, and non-transient media. Transient media include, but are not limited to, significant media, signal media, or storage media that exist for some little duration, but that do not offer persistent storage of information. Semi-permanent media include, but are not limited to, storage media that consumes some physical storage resource for the storage of information on a temporary basis. Non-transient media include, but are not limited to, media that affords storage of information for long durations beyond the life of a signal or significant media. Non-transient media include, but are not limited to, memory, optical discs, and physical media. Non-transient media can be volatile or non-volatile. Common forms of physical media include, but are not limited to, optical, magnetic, and solid state memories. Examples of common physical media include, but are not limited to, hard disks, flash memory, and magnetic tape. Common forms of transient media include, but are not limited to, signals, waves, and electrical charges. Examples of common transient media include, but are not limited to, wires, cables, and radio waves. Computer-readable media (program storage devices) include at least one of transient media, semi-permanent media, and non-transient media.

[0073] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., merely to distinguish different instances of an object to which the adjective refers, and are not intended to denote a given sequence or order of such objects. Thus, a "first" object stirred under certain circumstances can be termed a "second" object when referred to in a different context, without any requirement that such an object be preceded by a "second" object.

[0074] While the application has been described in terms of several embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the application can be practiced with modifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims. The description herein is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the application. What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for switching multiple display devices, adapted to be executed in a computing device, the computing device being communicatively connected with multiple display devices, an interface of any display device comprising a hot zone, the method comprising: in response to an operation of moving a cursor to the hot zone in the interface of a current display device, popping up a device display area, the device display area displaying thumbnails corresponding to the display devices, the thumbnails displaying an identifier of the display device; in response to an operation of triggering a target thumbnail in the device display area, matching a target display device according to the identifier in the target thumbnail; moving the cursor to the target display device; wherein in response to the operation of moving the cursor to the hot zone in the interface of the current display device, popping up the device display area comprises: in response to the operation of moving the cursor to the hot zone in the interface of the current display device, obtaining information of the display devices; capturing images of the interfaces of the display devices, wherein the size of the captured images is the same as the resolution of the corresponding display device; reducing the captured images to obtain the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices; determining relative positions of the thumbnails according to the information of the display devices; and displaying the thumbnails corresponding to the display devices in the device display area according to the relative positions of the thumbnails. The information comprises position information, an identifier and a resolution of the display device, the position information comprising relative position coordinates, width and height, and the method further comprises: associating the identifier with the position information. The step of moving the cursor to the target display device comprises: obtaining position information associated with the identifier of the target thumbnail; determining a display position of the cursor in the target display device as a target position according to the obtained position information; and moving the cursor to the target position of the target display device. The thumbnail corresponding to the display device where the cursor is currently located in the device display area comprises a selected state, and the method further comprises: adding a selected state to the thumbnail corresponding to the target display device in the device display area; and deleting the selected state of the thumbnail corresponding to the display device where the cursor was previously located in the device display area. 5.The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: hiding the display device area in the current interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, 6.The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: adding a preset state to the interface of the target display device to prompt the user that the target display device has been switched to. 7.An apparatus for switching multiple display devices, adapted to be executed in a computing device, the computing device being communicatively connected with multiple display devices, an interface of any display device comprising a hot zone, the apparatus comprising: a display area popping module, adapted to pop up a device display area in response to an operation of moving a cursor to the hot zone in a current interface, the device display area displaying thumbnails corresponding to the display devices, the thumbnails displaying an identifier of the display device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ 4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The matching module is adapted to match a target display device according to an identifier in the target thumbnail in response to an operation of triggering the target thumbnail in the device display area; The switching module is adapted to move the cursor to the target display device; In response to an operation of moving the cursor to the hot area in the interface of the current display device, the pop-up device display area includes: in response to an operation of moving the cursor to the hot area in the interface of the current display device, obtaining information of each display device; capturing images of interfaces of each display device, wherein the size of the captured image is the same as the resolution of the corresponding display device; performing a reduction process on the captured image to obtain a thumbnail corresponding to each display device; determining the relative positions of the thumbnails according to the information of each display device; and displaying the thumbnails corresponding to each display device in the device display area according to the relative positions of the thumbnails.

8. A computing device comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing program instructions configured to be executed by the at least one processor, the program instructions comprising instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A readable storage medium storing program instructions, which, when read and executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

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