Container Hierarchy Overlay for GUI Layout Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Developers face difficulties when working with nested or overlapped containers in graphical user interface (GUI) tools for application development environments (ADEs), as it becomes challenging to access and manipulate the virtual space between containers, leading to inconvenient manual adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The system visually distinguishes multiple containers by creating a graphical overlay that represents the container hierarchy, allowing developers to interact with and edit container proxies, which correspond to the actual containers, enabling precise manipulation and organization of overlapping and stacked containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple nested containers are used to create complex UI layouts, then the visual organization capability is improved, but the ease of accessing and manipulating virtual space between containers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension by displaying container boundaries and virtual space through visual overlays (highlighting, shading, or transparency changes) on top of the existing container structure. This allows developers to perceive and access virtual space between containers that would otherwise be invisible in the traditional nested container view, resolving the contradiction by adding visual information without altering the fundamental container nesting structure.
2Area of stationary object
If containers are positioned with shared edges to maximize space utilization, then the area efficiency is improved, but the ease of inserting new objects between containers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual indicators (such as highlighting, borders, or transparency changes) as an intermediary layer that mediates between the compact container arrangement and the developer's need to insert new objects. These visual indicators reveal the presence and location of virtual space between containers with shared edges, allowing developers to identify insertion points that would otherwise be invisible, thus maintaining area efficiency while improving ease of object insertion.
3Manufacturing precision
If nested containers are used to achieve precise layout control, then the layout precision is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring container boundaries and virtual space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes or visual property changes (such as highlighting, shading, or transparency adjustments) to container boundaries and virtual space to make them detectable. This allows developers to precisely locate container edges and virtual space between containers while maintaining the precise layout control achieved through nested containers, effectively resolving the contradiction between layout precision and detectability.
Data Source
AI summary
A feature for visibly distinguishing multiple containers within an application being edited in an ADE is described. When the user selects to activate the container expansion, the ADE identifies an active target container in the application and then analyzes a container hierarchy based on the target container. The ADE visually represents the container hierarchy in a graphical overlay superimposed on top of the application. The visual representation includes a container proxy for each of the containers within the hierarchy. The container proxies are drawn in a manner to visibly distinguish each of the proxies to the developer even though the actual containers are not distinguishable in the application. The overlay of container proxies are superimposed onto the application in a design view of the ADE and the developer may make changes to the underlying application by interacting with the overlay.