Dynamic User Interface Element View State Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing user interface systems for data storage management lack efficient mechanisms to dynamically enable, disable, or hide user interface content based on context-specific criteria such as user roles, system modes, and feature support, leading to suboptimal user experiences and administrative complexities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for determining the view state of user interface elements by evaluating feature-level and user interface element-level criteria within a current context, using rules to assess properties like operating modes, user roles, and feature support, to render UI elements as enabled, disabled, or hidden, thereby optimizing the user interface based on the data storage system's state and user permissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If all user interface elements are always visible and enabled, then users have access to all features, but the interface becomes cluttered and difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic UI element visibility and enablement based on runtime criteria evaluation. The system continuously assesses feature-level and element-level criteria against the current context to dynamically determine whether UI elements should be visible, invisible, enabled, or disabled. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the interface flexible rather than static, allowing it to present only relevant features based on user roles, system state, and other contextual factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the UI management into two independent criteria levels: feature-level criteria (affecting multiple UI elements) and element-level criteria (affecting individual UI elements). This segmentation allows granular control over UI visibility and enablement, resolving the contradiction by enabling precise customization of which features are visible to which users based on their specific context, rather than applying blanket visibility rules to all elements.
2Ease of operation
If user interface elements are dynamically enabled or disabled based on multiple criteria, then usability is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to UI control by introducing a multi-layered criteria evaluation system with feature-level and element-level criteria operating at different abstraction levels. This dimensional approach resolves the contradiction by organizing complexity systematically - feature-level criteria handle broad visibility decisions while element-level criteria handle specific UI element states, allowing the system to manage complexity through structured layers rather than monolithic control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces criteria evaluation mechanisms as intermediaries between the system state and UI rendering. These intermediaries (feature-level criteria, element-level criteria, and their evaluation logic) mediate the relationship between underlying system complexity and user-facing simplicity, resolving the contradiction by absorbing complexity in the intermediate evaluation layer while presenting simplified, context-appropriate interfaces to users.
3Reliability
If feature-level criteria are evaluated for all user interface elements, then consistent feature management is achieved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by evaluating feature-level criteria at the feature level before rendering individual UI elements. This pre-evaluation establishes the visibility and enablement state for entire feature groups based on user roles and system context, eliminating the need to re-evaluate the same criteria for each individual UI element. This resolves the contradiction by performing the heavy lifting of criteria evaluation upfront, ensuring consistency while reducing redundant processing time during UI rendering.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining a view state for a user interface element are described. A first value for a feature key associated with the user interface element is determined in accordance with feature level criteria and a current context. The first value denotes a first view state for the user interface element. A second value for a second view state for the user interface element is determined in accordance with user interface element level criteria and the current context. A final view state for the user interface element is determined in accordance with the first view state and the second view state. The user interface element is rendered in a user interface in accordance with the final view state.