Method and system for dynamically manipulating values associated with graphical elements displayed within a graphical user interface

A method and system for dynamically manipulating values associated with graphical elements displayed within a graphic interface of a data-processing system. Initially a pointer element associated with a pointing device is displayed within the graphic interface, such that the pointer element is capable of movement in multiple directions in response to movement of the pointing device. A trackslide element and a moveable slider are displayed within the graphic interface. The moveable slider permits users to dynamically decrease or increase values associated with the trackslide element, such that the moveable slider is constrained to move only in a first direction along the trackslide element. The pointer element is then graphically attached to the moveable slider. Thereafter movement of the pointing device is translated into movement of the moveable slider in response to movement of the pointing device in the first direction while ignoring movement of the pointing device in the second direction, such that the moveable slider may be accurately and efficiently moved along the trackslide element without requiring the pointing device to be constrained to movement in a single direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Technical Field
 The present invention relates in general to graphical user interfaces and
 in particular, to graphical user interface elements such as scrollbars.
 The present invention also relates to graphical pointing devices. More
 particularly, the present invention relates to trackpoint-type pointing
 devices. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to methods
 and systems for managing graphical pointing devices utilized in
 association with scrollbars displayed within graphical user interfaces.
 2. Description of the Related Art
 A graphical user interface is a type of display format which enables a user
 to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files, objects and
 other options by pointing to pictorial representations and lists of menu
 items on a computer display screen. Choices can generally be activated by
 either a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. A mouse is a
 commonly utilized pointing device, containing one or more buttons, that
 allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment through
 an associated graphical user interface.
 Some conventional graphical user interfaces provide a cursor and scroll bar
 for scrolling through portions of a viewable object. A viewable object is
 an object that is the focus of a user's attention. A viewable object can
 contain multiple components such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks,
 pictures, sound, and video objects. However, a viewable object is not
 limited to these components. In many types of graphical user interfaces, a
 vertical or horizontal bar at the side or bottom of a graphical user
 interface window can be utilized in conjunction with a pointing device
 such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus to move about in a viewable object.
 Scrolling permits viewing of any desired portion of a viewable object and
 is so named because it is the electronic equivalent of reading through a
 rolled (i.e., scrolled) viewable object rather than flipping through pages
 of a book. A vertical scroll bar is usually utilized to control up and
 down movement (e.g., through lines and pages of a viewable object), while
 a horizontal scroll bar controls movement across a viewable object.
 Scrollbars are thus common graphical elements utilized in personal computer
 user interfaces (i.e., graphical user interfaces). A scrollbar adjusts a
 value along a range of possible values. Such scrollbars can be utilized to
 scroll a picture left or right on a display screen, or to adjust the color
 of an area on the screen, depending on the particular application to which
 the scrollbar is dedicated. Scrollbars are typically operated with a mouse
 or other pointing device. A user can utilize a pointing device to point a
 displayed cursor at the scrollbar, and then utilize a selection button
 displayed within the graphical user interface to manipulate the scrollbar
 via a so-called "click" of the pointing device. Many scrollbars include
 associated arrows for controlling the scrollbar. In some scrollbar
 applications, the user can click on a left arrow to decrease a value
 (i.e., numerical position or coordinates) by a small amount. If the user
 clicks on the arrow and holds down the pointing device button, then the
 value will continue decreasing until the button is released. Similarly, a
 right arrow can increase the value. The slider thus moves left and right
 as the value changes, in response to user input directed from the pointing
 device.
 Scrollbars have several advantages. Scrollbars allow small, discrete
 increments and decrements to a value by "clicking" on arrows associated
 with the scrollbar. Scrollbars can also direct manipulation of a value by
 dragging the slider back and forth (or up and down depending on whether a
 user is dealing with a horizontally or vertically displayed scrollbar).
 Another important advantage associated with scrollbars is that such
 graphical elements display the current level of a value based on the
 position of the slider. Thus, scrollbars provide a visual indication of
 the status as well the means by which to alter the position of the slider.
 An example of a pointing device which utilizes scrollbars to manipulate
 pictures or objects displayed within a graphical user interface is the IBM
 TrackPoint II.TM.. The IBM TrackPoint II.TM. is a product of International
 Business Machines Corporation, located in Armonk, N.Y. The IBM TrackPoint
 II.TM. pointing device is commonly available on IBM ThinkPad.TM. products,
 which are also products of International Business Machines Corporation.
 This pointing device is composed of a lever located within a keyboard sych
 that the lever drives a mouse pointer about a display screen. Selection
 buttons correspond to mouse buttons. The buttons and the lever may be
 utilized in combination by the user so that the user can manipulate
 objects displayed on the display screen.
 Several problems are associated with such pointing devices. One problem
 associated with such pointing devices is that it is more often difficult
 to "drag" an object utilizing such a pointing device than dragging an
 object with a mouse. If the selection button is separated from the lever,
 the user must hold the button and manipulate the lever simultaneously.
 This requires increased dexterity on the part of the user than simpler
 operations associated with a mouse, because the lever button and the
 selection button are two separate objects. Moreover, if the button is
 built into the TrackPoint lever, it may be mechanically impossible to
 perform a dragging operation. Even with a mouse, however, the technique of
 dragging is still difficult for many people to perform particularly
 beginning computer users.
 Another problem associated with such pointing devices is that if the user
 "clicks" a side arrow and moves too far in a single direction, it is often
 difficult to switch directions. The user must switch from the selection
 button to the lever, move the pointer to the other arrow, and then switch
 back to the selection button, a time-consuming and difficult task. In some
 situations, an extreme level can result in serious problems. For example,
 in graphical user interfaces that display "audio" button controls based on
 sliders, if a user accidentally raises the volume too high, damage to
 equipment and human ears can occur while the user fumbles to turn the
 volume down. Thus, in many contexts, dragging a scrollbar slider is more
 appropriate than utilizing arrows associated with the scrollbars. However,
 many pointing devices, such as those described herein are simply not
 suitable for dragging.
 Based on the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a need exists for a
 method and system in a graphical user interface which would allow a user
 to continue to use pointing devices while avoiding problems associated
 with scrollbars and such pointing devices.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved
 graphical user interface method and system.
 It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide an
 improved graphical user interface in which graphical elements such as
 scrollbars are displayed.
 It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved
 method and system for managing the use of graphical pointing devices
 utilized in association with graphical elements displayed within graphical
 user interfaces.
 It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved
 trackpoint-type pointing device.
 The above and other objects are achieved as is now described. A method and
 system for dynamically manipulating values associated with graphical
 elements displayed within a graphic interface of a data-processing system.
 Initially a pointer element associated with a pointing device is displayed
 within the graphic interface, such that the pointer element is capable of
 movement in multiple directions in response to movement of the pointing
 device. A trackslide element and a moveable slider are displayed within
 the graphic interface. The moveable slider permits users to dynamically
 decrease or increase values associated with the trackslide element, such
 that the moveable slider is constrained to move only in a first direction
 along the trackslide element. The pointer element is then graphically
 attached to the moveable slider. Thereafter movement of the pointing
 device is translated into movement of the moveable slider in response to
 movement of the pointing device in the first direction while ignoring
 movement of the pointing device in the second direction, such that the
 moveable slider may be accurately and efficiently moved along the
 trackslide element without requiring the pointing device to be constrained
 to movement in a single direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to FIG.
 1(a), there is depicted a pictorial representation of a computer system in
 accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A
 computer system 20 is depicted that includes a system unit 22, a video
 display 24, a keyboard 26, and a mouse 28. Computer system 20 can be
 implemented utilizing any suitable computer such as the AS/400 computer
 system, IBM SYSTEM RISC/6000, or a personal computer. The AS/400 computer
 system and the IBM SYSTEM RISC/6000 are products of International Business
 Machines Corporation, located in Armonk, N.Y. Although the depicted
 embodiment ID involves a personal computer, a preferred embodiment of the
 present invention can be implemented in other types of data-processing
 systems, such as, for example, intelligent workstations, mini-computers,.
 or "notebook" computers such as the configuration depicted in FIG. 1(b)
 herein. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate, of course, that
 computer system 20 may also be implemented as a "laptop" or "notebook"
 computer, well known in the computer arts. Computer system 20 includes a
 graphical user interface that resides within a machine-readable media to
 direct the operation of computer system 20. Those skilled in the art will
 appreciate that the method and system of the present invention apply
 equally to any computer system, regardless of whether the computer system
 is a complicated multi-user computing apparatus or a single-user
 workstation.
 Keyboard 26 is that part of computer system 20 that resembles a typewriter
 keyboard and which enables a user to control particular aspects of the
 computer. Because information flows in one direction, from keyboard 26 to
 system unit 22, keyboard 26 functions as an input-only device.
 Functionally, keyboard 26 represents half of a complete input/output
 device, the output half being video display 24. Keyboard 26 includes a
 standard set of printable characters presented in a QWERTY pattern typical
 of most typewriters. In addition, keyboard 26 may include a
 calculator-like numeric keypad at one side and additional specialized
 keys. Some of these keys, such as the "Control," "cut," and "Shift" keys
 may be utilized to change the meaning of another key. Other special keys
 and combinations of keys can be utilized to control program operations or
 to move either text or cursor on the display screen of video display 24.
 Mouse 28 is a commonly utilized pointing device. The basic features of a
 typical mouse include a casing with a flat bottom that is designed to be
 gripped by one human hand. A typical mouse also includes one or more
 buttons located atop the mouse, and a multidirectional detection device
 (e.g., usually a ball) located on the bottom of the mouse. A cable 29
 connects mouse 28 to a computer such as computer system 20. By moving
 mouse 28 on a surface (e.g, a desk surface or a mouse pad), the user
 typically controls an on-screen cursor. Such a mouse is a relative
 pointing device, because the mouse's movement is not defined by
 limitations, and also because its placement on a surface does not map
 directly to a specific location on a computer screen. Generally, to select
 items or choose commands on a screen displayed graphical user interface,
 the user presses one or more mouse buttons, producing a so-called mouse
 "click."
 The mouse can be utilized to manipulate a mouse pointer which is an
 on-screen element whose location changes as the user moves the mouse.
 Depending on the location of the mouse pointer and the operation of the
 program with which it is working, the area of the screen where the mouse
 pointer appears serves as the target for an action when the user presses
 one of the mouse buttons. Although mouse 28 is described as a pointing
 device which may be utilized in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
 the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other
 pointing devices can also be utilized in association with a preferred
 embodiment of the present invention. One type of pointing device that may
 be utilized in association with a preferred embodiment is the IBM
 TrackPoint II.TM.. Thus, mouse 28 is not a necessary feature of the
 present invention, but is presented for illustrative purposes only.
 FIG. 1(b), is a pictorial representation of a notebook-based computer
 system 21, in accordance with an alternative preferred embodiment of the
 present invention. Those skilled in the computer arts will appreciate that
 computer system 21 is a "notebook" or "laptop" version of computer system
 20 depicted in FIG. 1(a). An example of a notebook-based implementation of
 computer system 21 includes the IBM ThinkPad.TM. product described herein.
 Computer system 21 includes a keyboard 27 which is analogous to keyboard
 26 depicted in FIG. 1(a). Although not depicted in FIG. 1(b) a system unit
 analogous to system unit 22 is include internally within computer system
 21. FIG. 1(b) further includes a video display 23 and a pointing device
 25. Pointing device 25 is not a mouse. Instead, pointing device 25 may be
 implemented as an IBM TrackPoint II.TM. as described herein, or other
 notebook-based pointing devices well known in the computer arts.
 FIG. 2 depicts a representative hardware environment of a computer system
 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. System
 unit 22 depicted in FIG. 1(a) includes a Central Processing Unit ("CPU")
 31, such as a conventional microprocessor, and a number of other units
 interconnected via system bus 32. Computer system 20 includes
 random-access memory ("RAM") 34, read-only memory ("ROM") 36, display
 adapter 37 for connecting system bus 32 to video display 24, and I/O
 adapter 39 for connecting peripheral devices such as disk and tape drives
 33 to system bus 32.
 Disk and tape drives 33 are electromechanical devices that read from and
 write to disks. The main components of a disk drive include a spindle on
 which the disk is mounted, a drive motor that spins the disk when the
 drive is in operation, one or more read/write heads that perform the
 actual reading and writing, a second motor that positions the read/write
 heads over the disk, and controller circuitry that synchronizes read/write
 activities and transfers information to and from computer system 20. A
 disk itself is typically a round, flat piece of flexible plastic (e.g.,
 floppy disk) or inflexible metal (e.g. hard disk) coated with a magnetic
 material that can be electrically influenced to hold information recorded
 in digital (i.e., binary) form. A disk is, in most computers, the primary
 method for storing data on a permanent or semipermanent basis. Because the
 magnetic coating of the disk must be protected from damage and
 contamination, a floppy (e.g., 5.25 inch) disk or micro-floppy (e.g., 3.5
 inch) disk is encased in a protective plastic jacket. A hard disk, which
 is very finely machined, is typically enclosed in a rigid case and can be
 exposed only in a dust free environment.
 Video display 24 is the visual output of computer system 20. Video display
 24 can be, for example, a CRT-based video display well-known in the art of
 computer hardware. "CRT" is an acronym for cathode-ray tube. With a
 portable or notebook-based computer such as computer system 21 of FIG.
 1(b), video display 24 can be replaced with an LCD-based or a gas
 plasma-based flat-panel display. "LCD" is an acronym for liquid crystal
 display. Those skilled in the art can thus appreciate that computer system
 20 may be modified to be implemented as a notebook-based computer, such as
 computer system 21 depicted in FIG. 1(b). Computer system 20 further
 includes user interface adapter 40 for connecting keyboard 26, mouse 28,
 speaker 46, microphone 48, and/or other user interface devices, such as a
 touch screen device (not shown), to system bus 32. Communications adapter
 49 connects computer system 20 to a computer network. Although computer
 system 20 is shown to contain only a single CPU and a single system bus,
 it should be understood that the present invention applies equally to
 computer systems that posses multiple CPUs and to computer systems that
 include multiple buses that each perform different functions in different
 ways.
 Computer system 20 also includes a graphical user interface that resides
 within a machine-readable media to direct the operation of computer system
 20, or as those skilled in the art will appreciate, computer system 21
 depicted in FIG. 1(b). Any suitable machine-readable media may retain the
 graphical user interface, such as RAM 34, ROM 36, a magnetic diskette,
 magnetic tape, or optical disk (the last three being located in disk and
 tape drives 33). Any suitable operating system and associated graphical
 user interface (e.g., Microsoft Windows) may direct CPU 31. For example,
 the AIX operating system and AIXwindows windowing system (i.e., graphical
 user interface) can direct CPU 31. The AIX operating system is IBM's
 implementation of the UNIX operating system. UNIX is a trademark of UNIX
 Systems Laboratories, Inc. Other technologies can also be utilized in
 association with CPU 31, such as touch-screen technology or human voice
 control. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the hardware
 depicted in FIG. 2 may vary for specific applications. For example, other
 peripheral devices such as optical disk media, audio adapters, or
 chip-programming devices, such as or EPROM programming devices
 well-known in the art of computer hardware, and the like may be utilized
 in addition to or in place of the hardware already depicted.
 Main memory 50 is connected to system bus 32, and includes a control
 program 51 that resides within main memory 50 and contains instructions
 that when executed on CPU 31, carry out the operations depicted in the
 logic flow chart described herein. The computer program product can also
 be referred to as a program product. It is important that, while the
 present invention has been (and will continue to be) described in the
 context of a fully functional computer system, those skilled in the art
 will appreciate that the present invention is capable of being distributed
 as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the present invention
 applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing media
 utilized to actually carry out the distribution.
 Examples of signal-bearing media include: recordable-type media, such as
 floppy disks, hard disk drives and CD ROMs, and transmission-type media
 such as digital and analog communication links. Examples of
 transmission-type media include devices such as modems. A modem is a type
 of communications device that enables a computer to transmit information
 over a standard telephone line. Because a computer is digital (i.e., works
 with discrete electrical signals representative of binary 1 and binary 0)
 and a telephone line is analog (i.e., carries a signal that can have any
 of a large number of variations), modems can be utilized to convert
 digital to analog and vice-versa. The term "media" as utilized herein is a
 collective word for the physical material such as paper, disk, CD-ROM,
 tape and so forth, utilized for storing computer-based information.
 FIG. 3 illustrates a pictorial representation of a graphical user interface
 window 60 in accordance with the method and system of the present
 invention. Window 60 displays a portion of a viewable object, such as a
 compound document 61. Window 60 is an area on the display screen of a
 visual display device such as video display 24 of FIG. 1(a) that is
 utilized to present a view of an object or to conduct a dialog with a
 user. Such "windows" can be utilized to present objects, action options,
 messages, and so forth.
 Compound document 61 is a viewable object that can contain multiple
 components, such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sound, and
 video objects. Examples of objects capable of running within the compound
 document include graphical representations, spreadsheets or a collection
 of text. In conventional graphical user interface window environments, a
 typical window displays a portion (e.g. a page) of a compound document.
 The size and position of the elevator within a window scroll bar
 corresponds to the size and position of the current viewable object in
 relation to the compound document. Because a compound document can include
 too large or too many objects to view simultaneously, the user can
 position a mouse cursor over an arrow section of the window scroll bar and
 click a pointing device (e.g. a mouse) to scroll the document upward or
 downward, as appropriate.
 The size and position of slider 62 within scroll bar 64 corresponds to the
 size and position of the current viewable page in relation to compound
 document 61. The current viewable page is contained within a viewable
 window area within window 60. Window 60 also includes a menu bar 76. Menu
 bar 76 is a displayed rectangular bar from which menus can be selected by
 a user. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that compound document 61
 is a document having multiple objects capable of running within the
 document such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sounds, and video
 objects. Other examples of objects capable of running within a compound
 document such as computer document 61 include graphical representations,
 spreadsheets, or a collection of text. Names of available menus are
 displayed within menu bar 76. Choosing a particular menu in response to
 user input (e.g., mouse or keyboard user input) causes a list of options
 in the particular menu chosen to be displayed.
 Because compound document 61 may include too many pages to view
 simultaneously, the user can position a cursor pointer 63 over up-arrow 69
 or down-arrow 66 of scroll bar 64 and "click" a button on a pointing
 device such as a mouse to scroll the document upward or downward, as
 appropriate. Cursor pointer 63 is an on-screen element whose location
 changes as the user moves the pointing device. Depending on the location
 of cursor pointer 63 and the operation of the program with which its
 associated, the area of the screen where cursor pointer 63 appears serves
 as the target for an action when the user presses a button located on an
 appropriate pointing device, such as a mouse or a pointing device such as
 IBM TrackPoint II.TM. commonly available on IBM ThinkPad.TM. products.
 Scrolling in this manner permits viewing of any desired portion of
 compound document 61. Scrolling is essentially the electronic equivalent
 of reading through a rolled (i.e., "scrolled") document rather than
 flipping through pages of a book. Arrows 65, 67a and 67b can also be
 utilized by a graphical user interface user to scroll left or right
 through compound document 61. Scroll bar 64 is thus a graphical user
 interface window component, associated with a scrollable area, that
 indicates to a user that more information is available in a particular
 direction and can be scrolled into view.
 In FIG. 3, the graphical user interface window 60 sizes slider 62 within
 scroll bar 64 according to the number of pages in compound document 61.
 The length of slider 62 is small with respect to the length of scroll bar
 64 because it represents one of many pages of compound document 61.
 Similarly, the graphical user interface positions slider 62 within scroll
 bar 64 relative to the viewable position of compound document 61. For
 example, the graphical user interface positions slider 62 at the top of
 scroll bar 64 when the user is viewing the first page of compound document
 61, and at the bottom of scroll bar 64 when the user is viewing the last
 page of compound document 61. Slider 62 on scroll bar 64 is defined to
 have a minimum size. Scrollbar 70 thus includes a slider 68 and associated
 arrows 65 and 67(a). Scrollbar 70 is a horizontal scrollbar while
 scrollbar 64 acts as a vertical scrollbar.
 FIG. 4 is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a prior art horizontal
 scrollbar 88. Scrollbar 88 is analogous to scrollbar 70 depicted in FIG.
 3. A user operates scrollbar 88 by utilizing either left arrow 84 or right
 arrow 86 which are respectively analogous to left arrow 65 and right arrow
 67(a) in FIG. 3. The use utilizes a pointing device to "click" on the left
 arrow to decrease a value by a small amount. This value can be, for
 example, the coordinate value of a position on the display screen, or a
 value associated with a volume control. These are merely illustrative
 examples to which such a value can be applied. If the user clicks on left
 arrow 84 and holds down a pointing device button, the value will continue
 decreasing until the button is released. Similarly, right arrow 86
 increases the value. Slider 82 moves left and right according to how the
 value changes. The user can "click" on slider 82 and hold the pointing
 device button down while the slider moves back and forth across the
 scrollbar 88. Such an operation is referred to as a "dragging" operation.
 By dragging slider 82, the user can quickly move slider 82 to a desired
 position, easily moving it back and forth to "home in" on the desired
 value.
 FIG. 5(a) is a pictorial diagram illustrative of a horizontal trackslider
 94, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
 When the user utilizes a pointing device to click on any point on
 trackslider 94, the graphical pointer (i.e., cursor pointer) associated
 with the pointing device becomes attached to slider 92 and changes shape
 and/or color to indicate that trackslider 94 is active. FIG. 5(b) is a
 pictorial diagram illustrative of a horizontal trackslider 94 and a
 graphical pointer 93 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
 present invention. FIG. 5(c) is a pictorial diagram illustrative of an
 altered horizontal trackslider 94, in accordance with a preferred
 embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5(a), FIG. 5(b), and FIG.
 5(c) like parts are referenced by like reference numerals. Thus, those
 skilled in the art will appreciate that based on FIG. 5(a), FIG. 5(b), and
 FIG. 5(c), the user may move slider 92 back and forth by moving the
 pointer back forth with the pointing device.
 Unlike a dragging operation, it is not necessary for the user to hold the
 pointing device button (i.e., selection button) down while slider 92 is
 being moved back and forth across trackslider 94. When slider 92 is moved
 to its desired position, the user clicks again to deactivate the
 trackslider. The graphical pointer becomes detached from slider 92 and
 returns to its normal shape and color. The altered trackslider 94 depicted
 in FIG. 5(c) is altered in shape and color (i.e., a narrower trackslider
 implementation and striped lines on the trackslider) to indicate that the
 trackslider 94 is active. Those skilled in the art will appreciate, of
 course, that in other preferred embodiments of the present invention,
 alteration of the trackslider may be accomplished by other techniques,
 such as enlarging the shape of the trackslider vertically or horizontally,
 or altering the shading (as opposed to the color) of the trackslider.
 FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 100 that shows steps utilized to carry out the
 method and system of the present invention, according to a preferred
 embodiment of the present invention. It can be appreciated by those
 skilled in the art that FIG. 6 presents a self-consistent sequence of
 steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical
 manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily,
 these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable
 of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise
 manipulated. It has proven convenient at times by those skilled in the
 art, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols,
 characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be borne in mind,
 however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the
 appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied
 to these quantities.
 Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such
 as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental
 operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human
 operator is necessary or desirable in most cases in any of the operations
 described herein which form part of the present invention; the operations
 are machine operations. Useful machines for performing operations of a
 preferred embodiment of the present invention include data-processing
 systems such as general purpose digital computers or other similar
 devices. In all cases the distinction between the method operations in
 operating a computer and the method of computation itself should be borne
 in mind. The present invention relates to method steps for operating a
 computer, such as computer system 20 and/or computer system 21 depicted in
 FIG. 1(a), FIG. 1(b), and FIG. 2, in processing electrical or other (e.g.
 mechanical, chemical) physical signals to generate other desired physical
 signals.
 Thus, as indicated at block 102, the process is initiated. As described at
 block 104, the graphical user interface is displayed on-screen via a
 display such as video display 24 of FIG. 1(a) and/or video display 23 of
 FIG. 1(b). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in a "laptop" or
 "notebook" implementation, the graphical user interface may be displayed
 on-screen via an appropriate laptop or notebook display. As illustrated at
 block 106, a trackslider is displayed within the graphical user interface
 environment. The trackslider operates according to the trackslider
 described in the text related to FIG. 5 herein (i.e., trackslider 94). As
 depicted at block 108, in response to user input, a cursor pointer is
 moved to and positioned over the trackslider. User input can include user
 input derived from a pointing device such as mouse 28 depicted in FIG.
 1(a) and/or pointing device 25 depicted in FIG. 1(b) (e.g., the IBM
 TrackPoint II.TM. pointing device).
 As illustrated at block 110, in response to user input, the cursor pointer
 becomes attached to a slider associated with the trackslider. The cursor
 pointer is analogous to cursor pointer 63 of FIG. 3. Thus, when the user
 "clicks" anywhere on the trackslider, the pointer becomes attached to the
 slider and as indicated at block 112, changes shape and/or color to
 indicate that the trackslider is active. At this point, as described at
 block 114, the user can utilize the trackslider in its active mode for
 graphical user interface tasks. The user may move the slider back and
 forth by moving the cursor pointer back and forth with the pointing
 device, which is an operation similar to dragging the slider on a
 scrollbar, except that the user does not hold the selection button down.
 The user does not have to worry about accidentally moving the cursor
 pointer off the slider because the cursor pointer is attached to the
 slider. As described at block 116, when the slider is in its desired
 position, the user "clicks" again the pointing device to active deactivate
 the slider. As indicated at block 118, the pointer is no longer attached
 to the slider and the slider returns to its normal shape and color. Thus,
 as depicted at block 120, the process is ended.
 Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the
 present invention are also possible to implement. For example, an
 alternative embodiment of the present invention allows the user to
 deactivate the trackslider by moving the mouse directly up or down instead
 of sideways. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
 the trackslider can also be augmented with arrows on either side, similar
 to a scrollbar. The arrows are useful in situations where discrete changes
 are desired, such as scrolling through page numbers or television
 channels. However, in many situations the arrows are not appropriate and
 may even be dangerous (such as in the example of a volume control).
 When the user clicks on a trackslider (i.e., activates a trackslider), the
 slider may jump to the cursor pointer's position or the pointer may jump
 to the trackslider's position. Such an implementation is of course, a
 matter of individual preference, depending upon a desired implementation
 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. When a trackslider is
 activated, the screen may instruct the user to move the cursor pointer
 back and forth, and click again when finished to deactivate the
 trackslider. The function of a particular trackslider may be indicated by
 text located on-screen near the trackslider and/or a graphical picture
 inside the range of the slider. For example, a trackslider that adjusts
 brightness might contain a graphical picture that is dark on the left,
 bright on the right, and gray in the middle. Both scrollbars and
 tracksliders may be horizontal or vertical. This discussion is limited to
 horizontal tracksliders for illustrative purposes only. Keyboard support
 for tracksliders may be implemented by designating particular keys to
 activate the trackslider, move the slider back and forth, and so forth.
 Such keys may also be buttons located on a remote control device.
 The embodiments and examples set forth herein are presented in order to
 best explain the present invention and its practical application and to
 thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention.
 However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing
 description and examples have been presented for the purposes of
 illustration and example only, and may be utilized in association with
 other graphical user interface elements, objects and functions, not
 scrollbars. From the foregoing, those skilled in the art can appreciate
 that the description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to
 limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and
 variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing
 from the spirit and scope of the following claims.