Dynamic UI Manipulation Splitting Across Process Boundaries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current user interface manipulation techniques are limited to single-process content and result in poor user experience when interacting with multiple pieces of content generated by different applications, as they fail to seamlessly handle interactions across process boundaries.
Innovation Solution
The system dynamically splits user interface manipulations across multiple pieces of content, using an interactive content module and gesture targeting module to manage interactions without regard to process boundaries, allowing for seamless and responsive manipulation of content generated by multiple applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If user interface manipulations are handled in a dedicated thread for single-process content, then processing responsiveness is improved, but the system cannot handle interactions across multiple applications, resulting in poor user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the manipulation handling by creating a dedicated thread for processing user interface manipulations, while separating the identification of target content across process boundaries. The dedicated thread handles the time-critical manipulation processing, while a different mechanism (interactive content module and gesture targeting module) identifies which content to manipulate, even across multiple applications. This segmentation allows responsive processing without being limited to single-process content.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism that bridges the dedicated manipulation processing thread and multiple application processes. The interactive content module and gesture targeting module act as intermediaries that identify target content across process boundaries and communicate with the dedicated thread, enabling the thread to process manipulations for content from multiple applications without directly accessing each application's processes.
2Ease of operation
If the system handles manipulations for multiple pieces of content from different applications, then user experience is improved, but processing complexity increases due to process boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the complexity of identifying target content across process boundaries from the dedicated manipulation processing thread. The interactive content module and gesture targeting module are separated out to handle the complex task of identifying which content from multiple applications should be manipulated, while the dedicated thread focuses purely on the time-critical manipulation processing. This extraction reduces processing complexity in the critical path while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If process boundaries are respected in manipulation handling, then application security and isolation are maintained, but seamless manipulation across multiple applications cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the interactive content module and gesture targeting module as intermediaries that operate between the user, multiple applications, and the dedicated manipulation thread. These intermediaries identify target content across process boundaries and communicate with the dedicated thread without requiring direct access to application processes, thus maintaining application isolation while enabling seamless manipulation experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the manipulation handling into identification (by interactive content module and gesture targeting module) and execution (by dedicated thread). This segmentation allows the identification phase to cross process boundaries to find target content, while the execution phase remains isolated and secure within the dedicated thread, maintaining application isolation while enabling seamless manipulation.
Data Source
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AI summary
User interface (UI) manipulations may be performed by eliminating noticeable process boundaries associated with or generated by different applications. The techniques herein describe dynamically splitting manipulations across multiple pieces of content without regard to various types and/or states of the user interface manipulations and/or without regard to whether the multiple pieces of content are associated with different individual processes. In at least one example, the techniques described herein enable quick, responsive, and seamless UI manipulations with complex configurations of content on a UI and/or with multiple pieces of content associated with more than one application. Additionally, the techniques described herein further enable content on a UI to "stick" to the user input manipulation or move with the user input manipulation such that the content appears to stay directly in contact with the user input manipulation.