Graduated visual and manipulative translucency for windows
Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. Overlaid, information-bearing windows whose contents remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time become translucent. The translucency can be graduated so that, over time, if the window's contents remain unchanged, the window becomes more translucent. In addition to visual translucency, windows also have a manipulative translucent quality. Upon reaching a certain level of visual translucency, user input in the region of the window is interpreted as an operation on the underlying objects rather than the contents of the overlaying window.
1. A method for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, comprising:
rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed toward the window was received; and
rendering, in response to detecting the predetermined length of time during which no user input, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
2. A method for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, comprising:
rendering the window at a first level of translucency, the window presenting information;
detecting a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event comprises a passage of a predetermined length of time during which the presented information did not change; and
rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first level of translucency comprises 0% translucency.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined event further comprises a passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input was received directed at the window.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined length of time is configurable.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined length of time is configurable.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined event comprises receipt of user input.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first level of translucency is configurable.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second level of translucency is configurable.
10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined event is configurable.
11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, perform a method that comprises:
rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received; and
rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
12. A computer system for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, the computer system comprising a processor configured to execute a method, the method comprising:
rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received; and
rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined length of time is configurable.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first level of translucency comprises 0% translucency.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first level of translucency is configurable.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second level of translucency is configurable.
17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the predetermined length of time is configurable.
18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first level of translucency comprises 0% translucency.
19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first level of translucency is configurable.
20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the second level of translucency is configurable.