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A method and apparatus for defining customizable pick, hit or find detection criteria for geometric types including curves and using the results of the search as a basis for determining whether to perform an action. According to the inventive method, a search protocol is defined for geometric types. The search criteria is compared with graphic objects to determine whether the object matches the criteria. Based on the results of the comparison, an output is produced. In addition to allowing customized hit criteria for primitive geometric types, the hit object framework allows hit criteria to be specified for geometric types created by the application developer.

A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic process for the incremental building of computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). The program is modeled as a collection of units called components. A component represents a single compilable language element such as a class or a function. The major functionalities are the database, the compiler, build and link mechanism. The database stores the components and properties. The compiler, along with compiling the source code of a property, and generating object code is responsible for calculating the dependencies associated with a component. The build mechanism uses properties of components along with the compiler generated dependencies to correctly and efficiently sequence the compilation of components during a build process. The link mechanism links all object code as the component stores it in the component database. Only updated components require linking operations.

A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events, including MIDI data events. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events, including a MIDI data object, are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects, including a MIDI data object, with the associated clock object or objects. Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks. The multimedia objects, including the MIDI data, may include external multimedia sources managed by the computer system.

A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects with the associated clock object or objects. Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks.

An object-oriented printing system includes objects that provide query, data transfer, and control methods. The inventive object-oriented printing system communicates with the remainder of the operating system by means of a standard interface such as a grafport and printer drivers are provided for each printer type within the operating system. Thus, an application not only need not worry about the particular printer/computer combination with which it is to operate, but also need not have a built in document formatting capability. The printing system includes objects that provide queries for device identification, optimized imaging, and printer status. Other objects are also provided for data transfer to bracket connections prior to sending and receiving information. Still other objects are provided for canceling a print job, pausing a job, and clearing out a job. Finally, an object is also provided for supporting multiple streams of communication to an imaging task.

A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic modeling system to assist in the incremental building of computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). A program is modeled as a collection of units called components. A component represents a single compilable language element such as a class or a function. The three major functionality are the database, the compiler and the build mechanism. The database stores the components and properties. The compiler, along with compiling the source code of a property, is responsible for calculating the dependencies associated with a component. The build mechanism uses properties of components along with the compiler generated dependencies to correctly and efficiently sequence the compilation of components during a build process.

A method and apparatus for an innovative object oriented framework system is disclosed. The system uses an innovative load architecture for a framework application and provides a system and method for dynamically linking load modules at runtime. The preferred embodiment employs a collection of load modules, each of which contains functions, static data, and classes to make the load modules appear as if they were statically linked together. However, code executing in one load module can perform operations on another load modules code, such as: calling a function, or obtaining a pointer to a function; accessing static data or obtaining a pointer to the static data; calling any public or protected member function of a class to obtain a pointer or access a public or protected data member of the class; or cast to any base of an object of a class.

A method and apparatus for an innovative, object-oriented hardware independent interface to the external world. The interrupt services are part of an overall IO model providing an object base IO system that supports dynamic configuration of the system. Object processing is architected into even the lowest lever routines in the preferred embodiment of the invention. This includes an object oriented design all the way down to interrupt processing abstractions. These interrupt abstractions provide an architecturally sound framework for the dynamic installation, configuration, and timely execution of interrupt handlers.

A method and apparatus is disclosed for locating and loading shared libraries linked with a given shared library that has been launched by a program. The present invention operates by initially determining the names of the shared library names that are necessary to a program that has been launched. Thereafter, search objects are employed to search for and attain the physical shared library locations that correspond to the determined names. A collection of search objects can be placed within a team and employed in a selected sequential order. Upon the attainment of an appropriate locations corresponding to each of the shared library names, each of the shared library names are mapped to its corresponding physical location. Thereafter, the contents of each physical shared library location can be loaded for purposes of a program.

A computer based system for rendering a plurality of graphical environments includes a plurality of painter maker objects, and a painter maker chain comprising at least one of the painter maker objects. A task, which is coupled to the painter maker chain, passes to the painter maker chain a request to render a particular graphical primitive in a particular graphical environment. In response to the request, the painter maker objects create a painter chain comprising a plurality of painter objects each optimized to perform, in the particular graphical environment, a predetermined graphical operation in order to render the particular graphical primitive. The task uses painter objects to perform rendering operations in the particular graphical environment.

A computer implemented system and method utilizing rules instantiated in objects of an object-oriented operating system to transliterate text as it is input into a computer is disclosed. A number of transliterator objects are created in the storage of the computer, each one of the transliterator objects include transliteration rules arranged in the storage in a preferred order. Each of the transliteration rules contain a first language character string, a second language character string, and logic for comparing the first language character string in each of the transliteration rules to a text string that is entered into a computer to determine a subset of transliteration rules which match the entered text string. The entered text is displayed on a computer display as it is input into a computer and a particular one of the plurality of transliterator objects' logic is utilized in response to the preferred order for selecting one of the subset of transliteration rules and applying it to the first text string to display the second language character string of the selected transliteration rule on the display.

A method and system for providing a language-sensitive text compare. An innovative system and method for performing the compare is presented that performs text comparison of any Unicode strings. For any language an ordering is defined based on features of the language. Then, an interactive compare function is performed to determine the relationship of a pair of strings. The string is examined and a compare is performed one character at a time based on a predefined character precedence.

A method and apparatus for defining customizable pick, hit or find detection criteria for geometric types and using the results of the search as a basis for determining whether to perform an action. According to the inventive method, a search protocol is defined for geometric types. The search criteria is compared with graphic objects to determine whether the object matches the criteria. Based on the results of the comparison, an output is produced. In addition to allowing customized hit criteria for primitive geometric types, the hit object framework allows hit criteria to be specified for geometric types created by the application developer.

A technique for navigating between a first and second object in an object-oriented computer system, including a processor with an attached storage and a display uses reference objects to insert references from one object into another. A first document is loaded into the storage and presented on the display. Then, a selection object is created and associated with a selected part of the first document on the display. A reference object is then created and associated with the first selection object in the storage. Then, a second document is loaded into the storage and presented on the display and the reference object is inserted into in the second document. Finally, navigation is enabled via the reference in the second document to the first selection in the first document. Commands can also be performed via a reference on a remote object as if the object resided locally.

A method and system for providing a language-sensitive text search that performs text comparison of any Unicode strings. For any language an ordering is defined based on features of the language. Then, an interactive compare function is performed to determine the relationship of a pair of strings. The string is examined and a compare is performed one or more characters at a time based on a predefined character precedence.

An object-oriented printing interface includes document grouping or folio objects which, once created, provide complete and flexible printing capability that is transparent to an application program. The printing interface objects include objects that are capable of automatically paginating printable information in several different formats, providing page composition including the addition of margins, footnotes, page numbers and registration marks, n-up printing and page imposition and combining text material with graphic material.