Graphics stack system and method

1. A mobile device for performing display-related operations on a display, comprising:

means for creating a graphics stack to store coordinate data for graphics objects to be displayed on the screen of the mobile device,

means for defining areas within which the graphics objects may perform display-related operations, said means being specified by the coordinate data,

means for modifying the coordinate data for at least one of the graphics objects on the graphics stack when a display-related operation would produce a drawing that is wider than coordinate data for one of its parent objects on the graphics stack, causing the drawing to extend past a coordinate data boundary of one of the regions related to the mobile device's display;

means for forming a hierarchy; and

means for pushing a graphics object onto the graphics stack based upon a position of the graphics object within the hierarchy,

wherein a graphics object's display-related operation is performed after it is pushed onto the graphics stack.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the display-related operations are based upon abstract windowing technology (awt).

3. The mobile device of claim 2 wherein the awt comprises a framework of user interface objects for use on the mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a handheld data communication device.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the graphics stack stores pre-computed coordinate data for the objects.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the display has a coordinate system, wherein the offset coordinate data indicates a point in the coordinate system of the display from which a drawing operation is to occur.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the coordinate data comprises clip rectangle coordinate data.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the coordinate data is based upon a mobile device's display coordinate system.

9. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein a child object's coordinate data stored on the graphics stack is modified based upon a parent object's coordinate data that is stored on the graphics stack.

10. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein objects are popped from the graphics stack based upon the position of the object within the graphics stack,

wherein the pushing onto and popping of the objects from the graphics stack result in drawing graphics in layers on the display of the mobile device.

11. A method for performing on a mobile device display-related operations on a display, comprising:

creating a graphics stack to store coordinate data for graphics objects to be displayed on the screen of the mobile device,

defining areas within which the graphics objects may perform display-related operations, said means being specified by the coordinate data,

modifying the coordinate data for at least one of the graphics objects on the graphics stack when a display-related operation would produce a drawing that is wider than coordinate data for one of its parent objects on the graphics stack, causing the drawing to extend past a coordinate data boundary of one of the regions related to the mobile device's display;

forming a hierarchy; and

pushing a graphics object onto the graphics stack based upon a position of the graphics object within the hierarchy,

wherein a graphics object's display-related operation is performed after it is pushed onto the graphics stack.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the display-related operations are based upon abstract windowing technology (awt).

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the awt comprises a framework of user interface objects for use on the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the mobile device is a handheld data communication device.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the graphics stack stores pre-computed coordinate data for the objects.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the display has a coordinate system, wherein the offset coordinate data indicates a point in the coordinate system of the display from which a drawing operation is to occur.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the coordinate data comprises clip rectangle coordinate data.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the coordinate data is based upon a mobile device's display coordinate system.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein a child object's coordinate data stored on the graphics stack is modified based upon a parent object's coordinate data that is stored on the graphics stack.

20. A system for performing on a mobile device display-related operations on a display, comprising:

instructions for execution on the mobile device for creating a graphics stack to store coordinate data for graphics objects to be displayed on the screen of the mobile device,

instructions for execution on the mobile device for defining areas within which the graphics objects may perform display-related operations and which are specified by the coordinate data,

instructions for execution on the mobile device for modifying the coordinate data for at least one of the graphics objects on the graphics stack when a display-related operation would produce a drawing that is wider than coordinate data for one of its parent objects on the graphics stack, causing the drawing to extend past a coordinate data boundary of one of the regions related to the mobile device's display;

instructions for execution on the mobile device for forming a hierarchy; and

instructions for execution on the mobile device for pushing a graphics object onto the graphics stack based upon a position of the graphics object within the hierarchy,

wherein a graphics object's display-related operation is performed after it is pushed onto the graphics stack.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein if the graphics stack is empty then a default graphics context is established for the graphics stack.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the display-related operations are based upon abstract windowing technology (awt).

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the awt comprises a framework of user interface objects for use on the mobile device.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the mobile device is a handheld data communication device.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein the graphics stack stores pre-computed coordinate data for the objects.

26. The system of claim 20 wherein the display has a coordinate system, wherein the offset coordinate data indicates a point in the coordinate system of the display from which a drawing operation is to occur.

27. The system of claim 20 wherein the coordinate data comprises clip rectangle coordinate data.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein the coordinate data is based upon a mobile device's display coordinate system.

29. The system of claim 20 wherein a child object's coordinate data stored on the graphics stack is modified based upon a parent object's coordinate data that is stored on the graphics stack.