Author: Umakant Mishra
Abstract:
Both toolbar and dropdown menu are used popularly in a
graphical user interface with a similar objective of providing easy access to
the internal functions. Often the same functions are provided through both menu
and toolbar.
Both toolbar and dropdown menu have their own advantages and
disadvantages. A menu can provide more options occupying less real estate,
while toolbar can provide a single click access without navigating through
trees and branches.
As a menu and toolbar system shares many common objectives,
it is often useful maintain some relationship to coordinate between both the
elements of a GUI system. The relationships can be easy as both of them often
share the same internal function. For example, the print option in a menu will
(most likely) call the same function as the print button on the toolbar.
This article discusses the similarities and differences
between a dropdown menu and toolbar. Five inventions trying to focus on both
menu and toolbar are illustrated in the article.
Keywords: TRIZ, Software Inventions, Graphical User
Interface, Software inventions, Software Patents, Inventive Problem Solving,
Adaptable menu, Toolbar, expandable toolbar, collapsible toolbar, command
buttons
Umakant Mishra, Inventions
on Menu and Toolbar Coordination, (December 6, 2006 ) Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=949239
No comments:
Post a Comment