Simulation of multi top-level graphical containers in computing environments
Techniques for simulation of multi top-level graphical-containers (e.g., frames) in an object-oriented computing environment are disclosed. A Multi Top-level Graphical-Container Simulator (MTGS) can be provided to simulate multi top-level graphical container support for applications that expect to use a plurality of top-level graphical containers (e.g., frames, windows). A MTGS may be implemented as a layer between a GUI-based application and an operating system and/or hardware/device with limited or virtually no graphical support capability. The Multi Top-level Graphical Simulator (MTGS) can effectively isolate the operating systems and/or hardware/device from the GUI-based application, and yet hide this simulation from the operating system and/or hardware/device. MTGS may be implemented in a platform independent programming language (e.g., Java™ programming language using a set of Java™ classes which have been provided in the Java™ Swing development toolkit.
1. A computer-implemented data processing system including a processor and memory which executes an application program running in the memory that uses a plurality of top-level graphical-containers, said computer-implemented data processing system performing a method comprising the steps of:
receiving a request from said application program for a top-level graphical-container, wherein said application program is implemented in the Java programming language using the Swing GUI development tool-kit;
determining whether a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated;
if it is determined that a native top-level graphical-container has not already been generated, sending the request directly to the graphical component of an operating system or writing the top-level graphical-container directly to a hardware component;
if it is determined that a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated, generating an instance of an internal virtual frame object that simulates a native top-level graphical-container; and
returning an acknowledgment indicating that a top-level graphical-container exists to said requesting application program.
2. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said application program is implemented in a platform-independent programming language.
3. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 2 , wherein said application program is implemented in using a Java GUI development tool-kit.
4. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 2 , wherein said Java GUI development tool-kit is a Swing toolkit.
5. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 1 ,
wherein said application program is implemented in a platform-independent programming language; and
said computer-implemented data processing system performs the method further comprising the steps of:
determining whether a native top-level container has been generated;
generating an instance of an internal frame object that represents a native top-level container when said determining determines that said native top-level container has already been generated.
6. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 5 , wherein said computer-implemented data processing system performs the method further comprising the step of:
generating a JInternalFrame object that represents a native top-level container.
7. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 6 , wherein said computer-implemented data processing system performing the method further comprising the steps of:
generating an instance of a virtual frame object that can delegate to said instance of said internal frame object.
8. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 7 , wherein said computer-implemented data processing system performs the method further comprising the steps of:
generating an instance of a JFrame object that can delegate to said JInternalFrame object; and
returning said instance of said JFrame to said application program.
9. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 8 , wherein said computer-implemented data processing system performs the method further comprising the steps of:
generating an internal desktop that can be virtually represented inside said generated native top-level frame.
10. A computer-implemented data processing system performing the method as recited in claim 9 , wherein said generating an internal desktop comprises instantiating a JDesktopPane object.
11. A computer-implemented data processing system performing the method as recited in claim 9 , wherein said method further comprises:
initializing said internal desktop for one or more graphical container management activities.
12. A computer-implemented multi top-level graphical-container apparatus including a memory and a processor for a processing environment that limits generation of top-level graphical-containers to only one top-level graphical container at a given time, wherein said multi top-level graphical-container apparatus:
receives a request from an application program for a top-level graphical-container, wherein said application program is implemented in the Java programming language using the Swing GUI development tool-kit;
determines whether a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated;
sends the request directly to the graphical component of an operating system or writes the top-level graphical-container directly to a hardware unit if the apparatus determines that the native top-level graphical-container has not already been generated;
generates an instance of an internal virtual frame object that simulates a native top-level graphical-container if the apparatus determines that a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated; and
returns an acknowledgment indicating that a top-level graphical-container exists to the requesting program.
13. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 12 , wherein said request is send by an application program.
14. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 13 , wherein said application program is implemented in a platform-independent programming language.
15. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 13 , wherein said application program is implemented in using a Java GUI development tool-kit.
16. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein said Java GUI development tool-kit is a Swing toolkit.
17. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 12 , wherein said multi top-level graphical-container is implemented as a software module written in the Java programming language, and said software module isolates a GUI-based Java application program from a native platform.
18. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 13 ,
wherein multi top-level graphical-container apparatus is further capable of:
determining whether a native top-level container has been generated;
generating an instance of an internal frame object that represents a native top-level container when said determining determines that said native top-level container has already been generated.
19. A multi top-level graphical-container apparatus as recited in claim 18 ,
wherein multi top-level graphical-container apparatus is further capable of:
generate an instance of a JInternalFrame object:
generating an instance of a JFrame object that can delegate to said JInternalFrame object; and
returning said instance of said JFrame to said application program.
20. A computer readable storage medium including computer program code for executing an application program that use a plurality of top-level graphical-containers, said computer readable storage medium comprising:
computer program code for receiving a request from said application program for a top-level graphical-container, wherein said application program is implemented in the Java programming language using the Swing GUI development tool-kit;
computer program code for determining whether a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated;
computer program code for sending the request directly to the graphical component of an operating system or writing the top-level graphical-container directly to a hardware unit if the code determines that the native top-level graphical-container has not already been generated;
computer program code for generating an instance of an internal virtual frame object that simulates a native top-level container if the code determines that a native top-level graphical-container has already been generated; and
computer program code for returning an acknowledgment indicating that a top-level graphical-container exists to said requesting application program.
21. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20 , wherein said application program is implemented in a platform-independent programming language.
22. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20 , wherein said application program is implemented in using a Java GUI development tool-kit.
23. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 22 , wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:
computer program code for generating an instance of a JInternalFrame object; and
computer program code for generating an instance of a JFrame object that can delegate to said JInternalFrame object; and
computer program code for returning said instance of said JFrame to said application program.
24. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23 , wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:
computer program code for sending an acknowledgment to said application program, wherein said acknowledgment indicates to said application program that a top-level graphical-container has been generated even though only an internal frame has been generated, thereby allowing simulation of said multi top-level graphical-container to be hidden form said application program.
25. A computer-implemented data processing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said computer-implemented data processing system performs the method comprising:
sending a request for creation of a top-level graphical-container to an operating system when said determining determines that a top-level graphical-container has not been generated; and
not sending a request for creation of a top-level graphical-container to an operating system when said determining determines that a top-level graphical-container has already been generated.
26. A computer-implemented data processing system performing the method as recited in claim 25 , wherein said operating system is a Windows operating system and said request is forwarded to a windowing manager in said Windows operating system.
27. A computer-implemented data processing system performing the method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises:
writing directly to a frame buffer on a hardware component or a device to generate said top-level graphical-container.