IM Tab Configuration via Extended Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing instant messaging (IM) applications face challenges in tab management, including cumbersome code modifications, poor extendibility, and resource inefficiency due to strong coupling between tab and main interface elements, which complicates development and increases error-prone system resource usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a tab configuration file to store attribute information for tabs, allowing dynamic creation of an extended window for selected tabs, independent of the main interface, with separate resource management and communication handles to reduce resource usage and enhance extendibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tab display code is embedded in the main interface display control code, then tab contents can be displayed within the main interface, but the code becomes cumbersome and error-prone due to strong coupling between tab and main interface elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the interface into separate components: the main interface and independent extended windows for each tab. Each tab operates in its own separate window rather than being embedded within the main interface code structure. This segmentation allows tabs to be added, removed, or modified without affecting the main interface code, directly resolving the coupling issue and improving extendibility while reducing code complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts tab content display from the main interface display control code and places it in separate extended windows. Each tab's presentation area is created as an independent window object rather than being embedded within the main interface's display control structure. This extraction eliminates the strong coupling that made the code cumbersome and error-prone.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tabs are added or removed in the tab area, then the interface can be customized, but the main interface code must be modified to account for layout changes
Solution Approach 1:
By creating separate extended windows for each tab rather than embedding them in the main interface, the patent allows tabs to be added or removed without modifying the main interface code. Each tab window is an independent object that manages its own layout and positioning, eliminating the need to recompile or reconfigure the main interface when tabs are customized.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic window management where extended windows for tabs can be created, moved, resized, and destroyed at runtime without affecting the main interface structure. The system dynamically adjusts the layout by positioning extended windows around the main interface based on available screen space, allowing flexible customization without programming effort for layout recalculation.
3Ease of operation
If presentation areas for tab contents are created as sub-components of the main interface, then tabs can be displayed, but additional system resources such as memory and handles are occupied even when tabs are hidden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts tab content presentation from the main interface's resource management structure and places it in separate extended windows. Each extended window manages its own resources independently, and windows can be destroyed when no longer needed, freeing up memory and handles. This eliminates the problem of resources being permanently occupied by hidden tab presentation areas that are created as sub-components of the main interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a mechanism where extended windows for tabs can be destroyed and their resources recovered when tabs are no longer needed or when the application needs to free up memory. Unlike embedded sub-components that permanently occupy resources, the independent extended window structure allows for dynamic allocation and deallocation of system resources based on actual usage needs.
Data Source
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AI summary
Presenting information in an instant messaging (IM) application includes loading a tab configuration file comprising attribute information pertaining to a plurality of tabs in a main interface in the IM application, the attribute information comprising presented content information associated with the plurality of tabs; receiving a selection of one of a plurality of tabs in the main interface; retrieving attribute information that corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of tabs based at least on the tab configuration file information; and dynamically creating an extended window for the tab; and displaying the presented content information of the selected tab in the extended window.