Claims
- 1. A method for providing contextual information to a user of a windows-based computer environment, said method comprising:
opening a window having a user interface; and manipulating a context control feature of the user interface to determine a first context of the window corresponding to at least a first perspective of one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating one or more objects, with each object of the one or more objects having one or more object capabilities within the window, wherein the first perspective presents a filtered view of at least one of the one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to the first perspective.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of manipulating the context control feature is not performed and the first context of the window is set as a default by an application of the window.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises changing a context tab of the user interface.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises selecting a context identifier from a context list.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a set of objects.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first context of the window is a set of tasks.
- 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising manipulating the context control feature to determine a second context of the window corresponding to a second perspective for viewing the one or more objects within the window.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein information shared by the first context and the second context is maintained by the second context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the second context.
- 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first context of the window corresponding to the first perspective is a first view of a set of objects and the second context of the window corresponding to the second perspective is a second view of the set of objects.
- 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the second context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.
- 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the first perspective making available for viewing one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to a second perspective.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the first perspective of the filtered view are more visible to a viewer of the user interface than are the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
- 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective are hidden from view in the user interface of the first perspective unless a manipulation of the user interface of the first perspective is performed to display the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
- 14. A computer-readable medium having a computer program for filtering information to provide contextual information about a perspective of objects to a user of a windows-based computer environment, said computer program comprising:
instructions for opening a window having a user interface; and instructions for manipulating a context control feature of the user interface to determine a first context of the window corresponding to at least a first perspective of one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating one or more objects, with each object of the one or more objects having one or more object capabilities within the window, wherein the first perspective presents a filtered view of at least one of the one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to the first perspective.
- 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instructions for manipulating the context control feature are performed by default by the computer program.
- 16. The medium of claim 14, wherein instructions for manipulating the context control feature comprises instructions for changing a context tab of the user interface.
- 17. The medium of claim 14, wherein manipulating the context control feature comprises instructions for selecting a context identifier from a context list.
- 18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a set of objects.
- 19. The medium of claim 14, wherein the first context of the window is a set of tasks.
- 20. The medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for manipulating the context control feature to determine a second context of the window corresponding to a second perspective for viewing the one or more objects within the window.
- 21. The medium of claim 20, wherein information shared by the first context and the second context is maintained by the second context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the second context.
- 22. The medium of claim 20, wherein the first context of the window corresponding to the first perspective is a first view of a set of objects and the second context of the window corresponding to the second perspective is a second view of the set of objects.
- 23. The medium of claim 20, wherein the first context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the second context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.
- 24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
the first perspective making available for viewing one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to a second perspective.
- 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one of the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the first perspective of the filtered view are more visible to a viewer of the user interface than are the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
- 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective are hidden from view in the user interface of the first perspective unless a manipulation of the user interface of the first perspective is performed to display the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
- 27. A user interface of a window that provides contextual information to a user of a windows-based computer environment, comprising:
a context control feature of the user interface that has one or more available contexts operable to present one or more corresponding perspectives within the window; and a content pane; wherein manipulating the context control feature of the user interface determines a context of the window from the one or more available contexts corresponding to at least a first perspective of the one or more perspectives for viewing and manipulating a plurality of objects, with each object of the plurality of objects having one or more object capabilities, that is illustrated in the content pane of the user interface of the window and wherein the first perspective presents a filtered view of at least one of the one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to the first perspective.
- 28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context is not determined by manipulating the context control feature of the user interface and the context is set as a default by an application of the window.
- 29. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context control feature is a context list box that has the one or more available contexts in a context list.
- 30. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context control feature is a context tab.
- 31. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the user interface further comprises a scoping pane that provides a plurality of views of the context.
- 32. The user interface of claim 31, wherein the user interface further comprises:
a menu bar; and one or more static toolbars, wherein one or more menus of the menu bar, one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars, and the plurality of views of the scoping pane are defined by the context of the window.
- 33. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the user interface further comprises:
a menu bar; and one or more static toolbars, wherein one or more menus of the menu bar and one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars are defined by the context of the window.
- 34. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context of the window is a view of a set of objects.
- 35. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context of the window is a set of tasks.
- 36. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the context control feature is manipulated to determine a subsequent context that is different from the context, wherein the subsequent context corresponds to a subsequent perspective of the plurality of perspectives that is different from the perspective to which the context corresponds.
- 37. The user interface of claim 36, wherein information shared by the context and the subsequent context is maintained by the subsequent context when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the subsequent context.
- 38. The user interface of claim 36, wherein the perspective to which the context of the window corresponds is a view of a set of objects and the subsequent perspective to which the subsequent context of the window corresponds is a subsequent view of the set of objects.
- 39. The user interface of claim 36, wherein the context of the window is a view of a first set of objects and the subsequent context of the window is a view of a second set of objects.
- 40. The user interface of claim 36, wherein the user interface further comprises:
a menu bar; and one or more static toolbars, wherein when the context control feature is manipulated to determine the subsequent context one or more menus of the menu bar and one or more toolbar buttons of the one or more static toolbars are defined by the subsequent context of the window.
- 41. The user interface of claim 27, further comprising:
the first perspective making available for viewing one or more object capabilities of the one or more objects corresponding to a second perspective.
- 42. The user interface of claim 41, wherein the at least one of the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the first perspective of the filtered view are more visible to a viewer of the user interface than are the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
- 43. The method of claim 41, wherein the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective are hidden from view in the user interface of the first perspective unless a manipulation of the user interface of the first perspective is performed to display the one or more object capabilities corresponding to the second perspective.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The instant application is a continuation-in-part application of copending patent application Ser. No. 09/087,066 filed on May 29, 1998.
[0002] The subject matter of the present application is related to copending U.S. application, Ser. No. 09/086,635, titled “A Method and System to Provide Functionality Access Based on User Approach to Network and System Management Tasks”, Docket No. 10980425-1, filed May 29, 1998 contemporaneously with the parent application (Ser. No. 09/087,066) of the instant CIP application and issued on Jan. 16, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,363, and copending U.S. application, Ser. No. 09/087,583, titled “A User Interface Mechanism for Maintaining Quick Access to Important Information in a Windows-Based Computer Environment”, Docket No. 10980426-1, filed May 29, 1998 contemporaneously with the parent application (Ser. No. 09/087,066) of the instant CIP application and issued on Mar. 28, 2000 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,043,816, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and are herein incorporated by reference.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09087066 |
May 1998 |
US |
Child |
09988969 |
Nov 2001 |
US |