Patent Publication Number: US-2023153133-A1

Title: System and Method of Providing Access to and Managing Virtual Desktops

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/120,636 filed on Dec. 14, 2020, entitled “System and Method of Providing Access to and Managing Virtual Desktops,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. To the extent appropriate a claim of priority is made to the above application. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to management of virtual desktops, and, more particularly, to a method of and system for providing efficient access to virtual desktops and for creating and managing virtual desktops. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the large number of applications available and used by users of computing devices on a single device, it is sometimes difficult for users to manage and keep track of all the different applications running simultaneously on their devices. To assist users better manage their applications, some computing systems offer virtual desktops. 
     A virtual desktop often expands the virtual space of a computer&#39;s desktop environment beyond the physical limits of the screen&#39;s display area through the use of software. This may be done by enabling the user to make virtual copies of their desktop viewport. Different open windows can exist on each of the desktop viewports and the user may be able to switch between the different viewports to access the different windows. This may help the users to visually and cognitively separate different tasks on their computing devices. As a result, instead of juggling multiple windows on the same viewport, users can switch between different virtual desktops to access the multiple windows. Although virtual desktops are helpful in separating different tasks into different desktops, they are often difficult to access and manage. 
     Hence, there is a need for systems and methods of providing access to and managing virtual desktops. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one general aspect, the instant disclosure describes a data processing system having a processor and a memory in communication with the processor wherein the memory stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the data processing system to perform multiple functions. The functions may include receiving an input indicating hovering of a pointer over an icon in a toolbar, identifying one or more existing virtual desktops, determining a state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops by identifying one or more instances of any applications that are currently running in each of the one or more existing virtual desktops and determining a running state for at least one of the one or more instances, and displaying a preview of each of the one or more existing virtual desktops in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon. Where the preview includes displaying the running state for one of the one or more instances for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops. 
     In yet another general aspect, the instant disclosure describes a method for creating a new virtual desktop in a client device. The method may include determining if the new virtual desktop would be beneficial to a user of the client device, upon determining that the new virtual desktop would be beneficial, displaying a notification about creating the new virtual desktop, receiving a user input via the notification, the user input indicating a user&#39;s approval of creating the new virtual desktop, and upon receiving the user input, displaying a user interface (UI) element for creating the new virtual desktop. 
     In a further general aspect, the instant disclosure describes a non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored instructions that when executed cause a programmable device to receive an input indicating hovering of a pointer over an icon in a toolbar, identify one or more existing virtual desktops, determine a state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops by identifying one or more instances of any applications that are currently running in each of the one or more existing virtual desktops and determining a running state for at least one of the one or more instances, and display a preview of each of the one or more existing virtual desktops in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon. Where the preview includes displaying the running state for one of the one or more instances for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present teachings, by way of example only, not by way of limitation. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. Furthermore, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. 
         FIG.  1    depicts an example of a system upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. 
         FIGS.  2 A- 2 B  are examples of graphical user interfaces (GUI) for providing efficient access to virtual desktops. 
         FIGS.  3 A- 3 D  are example GUIs for creating and managing virtual desktops. 
         FIG.  4 A  is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for providing access to virtual desktops. 
         FIG.  4 B  is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for suggesting creation of and creating a new virtual desktop. 
         FIG.  5    is a block diagram illustrating an example of software architecture, various portions of which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described. 
         FIG.  6    is a block diagram illustrating components of an example of a machine configured to read instructions from a machine-readable medium and perform any of the features described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. It will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill, upon reading this description, that various aspects can be practiced without such details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present teachings. 
     Virtual desktops can be used by computer users to visually and/or cognitively separate their open windows into different groups. This can help users access a desired window more quickly, when they have multiple windows open (e.g., running application instances). For example, when a user has 10 different windows of the same application open (e.g., ten different Word documents), it is often difficult and time consuming to look through the various windows and locate the desired window. By separating the different windows into distinct groups that are located on different virtual desktops, the users can locate a desired window more quickly. However, to achieve efficiency, each of the virtual desktops themselves should be easily accessible. Yet, current mechanism for providing access to different virtual desktops often require multiple user inputs (e.g., multiple clicks). As such, there exists a technical problem of providing efficient access to different virtual desktops. 
     Moreover, current mechanism of providing access to virtual desktops are unintuitive. As a result, many users are not unaware of the availability of virtual desktops and/or do not know how to create and use virtual desktops. Thus, even though use of virtual desktops may be very valuable to many users, it is current used by few users. Thus, there exists another technical problem of notifying users of the availability of virtual desktops and providing an easy to use mechanism for creation and management of virtual desktops. 
     To address these technical problems and more, in an example, this description provides a technical solution for offering efficient access to virtual desktops, providing notification when use of virtual desktops is beneficial to a user, walking the user through the process of creating a new virtual desktop and automatically creating and/or managing virtual desktops. To do so, techniques may be used to provide a virtual desktop extended UI. This may be done by displaying a preview of the available virtual desktops and enabling the user to switch between different virtual desktops and/or create a new virtual desktop when the user utilizes an input device to hover over a UI element. In one implementation, the UI element may be a task view taskbar icon. This provides quick and efficient access to the different virtual desktops. Furthermore, when certain conditions are met, a notification may be provided to the user to advise the user that use of a new virtual desktop may be beneficial to them. In some implementations, the user may also be presented with the steps required to create a virtual desktop. Additionally, in some implementations, virtual desktops may be created automatically, open widows may be organized and moved into different virtual desktops automatically, and/or appropriate names may be assigned to different virtual desktops automatically. This significantly enhances the process of accessing, creating and managing virtual desktops. 
     As will be understood by persons of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, benefits and advantages provided by such implementations can include, but are not limited to, a technical solution to the technical problem of inefficient access to and lack of management capabilities for virtual desktops in current computer systems. The technical solutions may enable users to quickly access a preview of available virtual desktops, select a desired virtual desktop, and create a new virtual desktop by performing minimal actions. Furthermore, the technical solutions provide a mechanism for notifying the user when it is beneficial to the user to create a new virtual desktop and/or guide the user through the steps required for creating a virtual desktop. Still further, the technical solutions provide for automatic creation, naming and management of virtual desktops. The benefits provided by these technology-based solutions yield more user-friendly mechanisms for providing access to and enabling creation and management of virtual desktops, thus making use of virtual desktops available to more users. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an example system  100 , upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. The system  100  may include a server  110  which may include and/or execute a virtual desktop service  112  and a client device  120 . The server  110  may operate as a shared resource server located at an enterprise accessible by various computer client devices such as client device  120 . The server may also operate as a cloud-based server for offering global virtual desktop services. Although shown as one server, the server  110  may represent multiple servers for performing various different operations. 
     The virtual desktop service  112  may operate as the backend engine for managing virtual desktops. The virtual desktop service  112  may access one or more data sets and utilize one or more machine-learning (ML) models to create name(s) for virtual desktops, determine when a new virtual desktop may be beneficial to a user and/or identify how to categorize different open windows into different virtual desktops for a user. Data relating to creation and/or management of virtual desktops may be provided by the virtual desktop service  112  to client devices such as client device  120  for processing and/or display. 
     The server  110  may be connected to (e.g., via a network  105 ) or include a storage server  130  containing a data store  132 . The data store  132  may function as a repository in which one or more data sets containing data about users (e.g., contextual information of the users), different applications, and/or different virtual desktops is stored. In one implementation, data store  132  may also include one or more data sets containing training data for training the ML models used in creating and/or managing virtual desktops. 
     The client device  120  may be connected to the server  110  via the network  105 . The network  105  may be a wired or wireless network(s) or a combination of wired and wireless networks that connect one or more elements of the system  100 . The client device  120  may be a personal or handheld computing device having or being connected to input/output elements that enable a user  140  to interact with content such as different applications, windows and/or virtual desktops. Examples of suitable client devices  120  include, but are not limited to, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile telephones; smart phones; tablets; phablets; smart watches; wearable computers; gaming devices/computers; televisions; head-mounted display devices and the like. The internal hardware structure of a client device is discussed in greater detail in regard to  FIGS.  5  and  6   . 
     The client device  120  may include a graphical operating system  122  and a virtual desktop engine  124 . The graphical operating system  122  may include one or more computer programs executed on the client device  120  that process, manage and display one or more GUIs on a display device associated with the client device  120  (e.g., a monitor, display screen, etc.). For example, the graphical operating system  122  may be a Microsoft Windows® operating system. Among other features, the graphical operating system  122  may configure the client device  120  to be responsive to user input. User input may include input received via an input element such as a keyboard or a pointing device (e.g., a mouse) that enables the user  140  to interactively access different applications, windows and/or virtual desktops. For example, the user may utilize a pointing device to move a pointer over an icon on the screen to enable display of available virtual desktops. The graphical operating system  122  may receive the user input, identify the currently available virtual desktops, determine the latest status of an active window on each currently available virtual desktop, and provide a preview of the available virtual desktops in response to the user input (e.g., in response to moving the pointer over the icon). 
     In some implementations, the client device  120  may include a virtual desktop engine  124  for managing various operations relating to virtual desktops. The virtual desktop engine  124  may operate similarly to and locally provide similar functions as that of the virtual desktop service  112 . For example, the virtual desktop engine  124  may examine open windows on the client device  120  and determine based on parameters such as the number of open windows, the types of applications associated with the open windows and/or contextual information of the user, whether creating one or more virtual desktops is beneficial to the user. In some implementations, this determination is based solely on the number of open windows. For example, if there are more than a predetermined number of windows open (e.g., more than 10 windows), the virtual desktop engine  124  determines that the user would benefit from creating a new virtual desktop and may provide a notification to the user accordingly. 
     In alternative implementations, the determination is based on the number of open windows and the types of applications with which they are associated. For example, when all the open windows are associated with one program (e.g., multiple browser windows), the virtual desktop engine  124  determines that there is no need for creating a new virtual desktop. However, if the open windows are associated with different applications that can be categorized into different groups, the virtual desktop engine  124  may determine that the user may benefit from organizing the open windows into multiple virtual desktops. In other implementations, contextual information of the user such as the user&#39;s history of virtual desktop usage, user&#39;s history of application and/or window usage, and the like are also taken into account. This information may be stored locally or in a data store such as the data store  132 . 
     The virtual desktop engine  124  may also automatically assign names for virtual desktops and/or automatically categorize the open windows into multiple virtual desktops. To perform these functions, the virtual desktop engine  124  may access one or more data sets and utilize one or more ML models. The data sets and/or ML models may be stored locally and/or stored remotely (e.g., in the cloud). It should be noted that although it is shown as a separate element, the virtual desktop engine  124  may be a part of the graphical operating system  122 . 
       FIGS.  2 A- 2 B  depict example GUI screens for providing efficient access to virtual desktops. In one implementation, the GUI screen  200 A of  FIG.  2 A  displays a toolbar UI element  210  for providing access to a plurality of UI elements. The UI elements  210  may include one or more icons for accessing various functions. For example, the toolbar UI elements  210  includes a start menu icon  220 , a search bar  230 , a task view icon  240  and a plurality of other icons (e.g., an Internet Explorer icon, a File Explorer icon, a store icon and a Mail icon) for offering various functions. In some implementations, the toolbar UI elements  210  is a taskbar element for displaying icons for most commonly used tasks and/or for applications that are currently running. Although displayed on the bar of the GUI screen  200 A, the toolbar UI element  210  may be displayed along any of the edges of the screen. 
     To provide easier access to virtual desktops, when a pointing device such as the pointer  245  is moved over and hovers over the task view icon  240 , a virtual desktop preview UI element  250  is displayed on the GUI screen  200 A. Alternatively, for touchscreens, the virtual desktop preview UI element  250  may be displayed, when a touch input on the task view icon  240  is received. 
     The virtual desktop preview UI element  250  may include a preview for each of the open virtual desktops. For example, when there are two virtual desktops open (e.g., Desktop 1 and Desktop 2), the virtual desktop preview UI element  250  may display a preview for the first virtual desktop and a preview for the second virtual desktop. The preview may include a state of each of the open virtual desktops. The state may refer to the state of the most recently active window in each virtual desktop. For example, if the last time the user was active in virtual Desktop 2, the active window as a browser window displaying a video, the preview may provide a thumbnail for the browser window which displays the latest location on the video. 
     Each of the virtual desktops may be selected from the virtual desktop preview UI element  250 . In some implementations, selection of a virtual desktop is made by moving the pointer  245  over and clicking on one of the available virtual desktops (or by receiving a touch input on one of the available virtual desktops). Once selected, a screen associated with the most recent active window of the selected virtual desktop may be displayed. In this manner, the user can view a preview of the available virtual desktops and switch between them with minimal input. 
     Because display of the virtual desktop preview UI element  250  occurs in response to a simple movement of the pointer  245  over the task view icon  240 , fewer user inputs are required for accessing different virtual desktops. Furthermore, because the toolbar UI element  210  is often displayed on an edge of the screen regardless of the type of active application (e.g., the toolbar UI element  210  is displayed on the bottom of the screen on for all open windows), quick and efficient access to virtual desktops is available from any window. As a result, a user can access different virtual desktops with minimal input (e.g., no clicks) from any window. Furthermore, because the toolbar UI element  210  is easily accessible and displayed prominently in most screen, it is more likely for user to become aware of the virtual desktop functionality and begin using them. 
     In addition to providing a preview of the currently open virtual desktops, the virtual desktop preview UI element  250  may also allow the user to change the name of each of the virtual desktops and/or create additional virtual desktops. The name of each of the virtual desktops may be changed by selecting the current name. This may be performed by moving the pointer  245  over the name and clicking on the name. In some implementations, this action may result in creation of an editable input box, where the user can enter text to generate a desired name. Thus, the user may be able to change the name of the virtual desktop directly from the toolbar UI element  210  and with minimal input. 
     Creation of an additional virtual desktops may also be done directly from the virtual desktop preview UI element  250 . This may be performed by selecting the New Desktop icon  255  (e.g., clicking on the plus sign or anywhere on the icon  255 ). Once the new virtual desktop is created, a preview thumbnail for the new virtual desktop may be added to the virtual desktop preview UI element  250 . For example, the virtual desktop preview UI element  250  may display an additional preview thumbnail named Desktop  3 . Thus, the user may be able to create a new virtual desktop with minimal user action and directly from the toolbar UI element  210 . 
     In some implementations, moving a pointing device, such as the pointer  245 , over one of the virtual desktop previews (e.g., hovering over one of the virtual desktop previews), may result in the display of an expanded UI element, as depicted in GUI screen  200 B of  FIG.  2 B . The expanded UI element  260  may display a preview of the windows that are open on the selected virtual desktop. Thus, when the pointer  245  hovers over the preview thumbnail for Desktop 1, the expanded UI element  260  may display a preview thumbnail for the two windows that are open in Desktop 1. In some implementations, the preview thumbnails for the open windows may accurately reflect the latest state of each window. In this manner, the user can not only quickly access the various virtual desktops from the toolbar UI element  210  but can also identify the windows that are open in each virtual desktop. This may enable the user to quickly determine which virtual desktop to switch to. 
       FIGS.  3 A- 3 D  depict example GUIs for creating and managing virtual desktops. In one implementation, the GUI screen  300 A of  FIG.  3 A  displays a UI element  310  for notifying the user of availability of virtual desktops. This may occur, when the graphical operating system and/or virtual desktop engine determine that the user may benefit from use of virtual desktops. For example, when the number of windows open on the current desktop exceeds a predetermined number, the categories of open windows or applications indicates they can be categorized into different groups and/or contextual user information indicates the user is likely to benefit from use of virtual desktops. When this determination is made, a notification UI element such as the UI element  310  may be provided in the display screen to notify the user. In some implementations, the notification UI element may be a pop-up UI element. In other implementations, the notification may be provided via other mechanisms. For example, the notification may be included in a notifications pane of the display screen. 
     The notification UI element may notify the user that they can benefit from using virtual desktops and may request that the user select whether or not they are interested in creating a virtual desktop via UI elements  320  or  330 . In some implementations, the notification UI element may include more information about virtual desktops, how they operate and/or how they can benefit the user. Alternatively, the notification UI may include a link for more information about virtual desktops. In this manner, the notification UI can also help more useful become familiar with virtual desktop functionalities. 
     When the user is not interested in creating a new virtual desktop, they may select the UI element  330 , upon selection of which, the notification UI element  310  may disappear. When, however, the user is interested in creating a new virtual desktop, they may choose the UI element  320 . Upon selection of the UI element  320 , a screen such as screen  300 B of  FIG.  3 B  may be displayed. As depicted, the screen  300 B removes the notification UI element  310  and instead displays an UI element  340  which includes a preview of the currently available virtual desktops as wells a UI element  345  for creating a new virtual desktop. In some implementations, the UI element  340  may display the UI element  345  as being selected (e.g., being highlighted) for guiding the user through the process of creating a new virtual desktop. The user may then be able to select the UI element  345  (e.g., click on or touch the UI element  345 ) to easily create a new virtual desktop. In some implementations, the UI element  340  does not the display the preview thumbnails for the currently available virtual desktops. Instead, the UI element displayed upon user&#39;s approval for creating a new virtual desktop may only include a UI element for creation of the new virtual desktop (e.g., the portion of UI element  340  displaying the UI element  345 ). 
     In alternative implementations, instead of guiding the user to create new virtual desktops, the system may automatically create one or more new virtual desktops. To achieve this, a notification UI element such as the notification UI element  350  of  FIG.  3 C  may first be displayed. As depicted in screen  300 C, the UI element  350  may notify the user that they can benefit from use of virtual desktops and may offer to automatically create one or more virtual desktops and manage the user&#39;s open windows, upon the user&#39;s approval. This is to ensure that the user is aware of the creation of new virtual desktops and may be particularly important when the action also involves managing the user&#39;s open windows. Choosing the type of notification to provide (e.g., notification UI element  310  or notification UI element  350 ) may depend on various parameters such as contextual user information. For example, one of the factors may be the user&#39;s previous use of virtual desktops. Other factors may include the user&#39;s previous responses to such notifications, the number of open windows, and the user&#39;s level of proficiency, among others. 
     In some implementations, the notification UI element  350  may include two questions. One question may ask the user if they are interested in the system automatically creating a new virtual desktop and the other question may relate to whether they are also interested in the system managing their open windows. In one implementation, the notification UI element may only ask the user if they are interested in the system automatically creating a new virtual desktop. If the user responds positively, they may then be presented with a second UI element which questions whether the user is interested in the system also managing their open windows. In this manner, the user may be able to choose automatic creation of new virtual desktops, while still retaining control over how their open windows are categorized and moved into the available virtual desktops. 
     Management of virtual desktops may involve determining how to categorize the user&#39;s open windows into one or more categories and moving the open windows to various virtual desktops in accordance with their categories. For example, different windows may be categorized based on the functionality of the applications with which they are associated. In an example, this may involve categorizing the windows into categories such as documents (e.g., for content creation windows such as word documents, spreadsheet documents, and the like), communications (e.g., for windows associated with email documents, instant messaging applications, and other communication applications), Entertainment (e.g., for windows associated with a multimedia player such as a music player, a video player, a browser displaying a video and the like). 
     In alternative implementations, the categories are based on different user profiles. For example, the categories may include work, personal, family, social interactions and the like. In such implementations, the categories may be determined based on user accounts used in each of the open windows (e.g., work account or personal account), the person with which the user communicates (e.g., emailing a coworker or emailing a friend), the type of application, the type of task they are performing in each application and the like. The categories may be identified, and the open windows may be categorized by one or more ML models, as discussed above. 
     When the user is not interested in automatic creation of a new virtual desktop and/or management of their open windows, they may select the UI element  370 , upon selection of which, the notification UI element  350  may disappear. When, however, the user is interested in automatic creation of a new virtual desktop, they may choose the UI element  360 . Upon selection of the UI element  360 , the system may automatically create one or more new virtual desktops and/or move windows that are currently open based on the determined categories. 
     In some implementations, the process of creating and/or managing virtual desktops may also involve naming the new virtual desktops and/or renaming previously available virtual desktops. The assigned names may be associated with the categories identified for the virtual desktops. For example, when virtual desktops are created based on identified categories for open windows, each virtual desktop may be assigned a name that relates to an identified category (e.g., communications, documents, and the like). The open windows may then be moved to the corresponding virtual desktop such that the user can easily identify how the virtual desktops and open windows were categorized. 
     Once the new virtual desktops are created and/or windows are moved around into the different virtual desktops, a screen such as screen  300 D of  FIG.  3 D  may be displayed to present the latest virtual desktops. As depicted, the screen  300 D removes the notification UI element  350  and instead displays an UI element  360  which includes a preview of the currently available virtual desktops. As depicted, the UI element  360  may present the virtual desktops with their assigned names and may display the state of each virtual desktop (e.g., state of the most recent active window in each virtual desktop). 
       FIG.  4 A  is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary method  400 A for providing access to virtual desktops. In an example, one or more steps of method  400 A may be performed by a graphical operating system (e.g., graphical operating system  122  of  FIG.  1   ), a virtual desktop engine (e.g., virtual desktop engine  124  of  FIG.  1   ) and/or a virtual desktop service (e.g., virtual desktop service  112  of  FIG.  1   ). 
     At  405 , method  400 A may begin by receiving an input indicating a movement over an icon. The movement may involve moving a pointing device on and hovering over a specific icon. The icon may be associated with virtual desktops and may be displayed on an easily accessible UI element such as a task toolbar. Upon receiving the user input, method  400 A may proceed to identify currently available virtual desktops on the client device associated with the screen, at  410 . This may involve determining if more than one virtual desktop is currently being used on the device and identifying parameters associated with each virtual desktop (e.g., names assigned to each virtual desktop). 
     Once the available virtual desktops are identified, method  400 A may proceed to determine the state of each virtual desktop, at  415 . This may involve identifying, for each virtual desktop, the most recently active window (e.g., the window that was last active on the virtual desktop). In some implementations, determining the state of each virtual desktop may also involve determining the latest state of the last active window. This latest state may refer to the most current status of the window (e.g., the latest page of the document, the most current position of a video, and the like). 
     After the virtual desktops are identified and their state is determined, method  400 A may proceed to display a preview for each of the identified virtual desktops, at  420 . The preview may be displayed adjacent to the icon for which user input was received and may include information about the state of each identified virtual desktop. This may involve displaying a thumbnail for the last active window, where the thumbnail displays an accurate current state of the window. As discussed above, one of the identified virtual desktops may be accessed from the preview by, for example, moving a pointing device on and clicking over any of the previews. 
     In this manner, upon receiving an indication of movement over a specific icon, an accurate preview of the available virtual desktops is provided. As such, access to virtual desktops is quickly and efficiently provided in a manner that requires minimal user effort. This increases efficiency and creates more awareness of the availability of virtual desktops. 
       FIG.  4 B  is a flow diagram showing an example of a method  400 B for suggesting creation of and creating a new virtual desktop. In an example, one or more steps of method  400 B may be performed by a graphical operating system (e.g., graphical operating system  122  of  FIG.  1   ), a virtual desktop engine (e.g., virtual desktop engine  124  of  FIG.  1   ) and/or a virtual desktop service (e.g., virtual desktop service  112  of  FIG.  1   ). 
     At  425 , method  400  may begin by accessing information. The information accessed may include contextual user information, information about currently open windows on the device, information about currently open virtual desktops, and others. The information may be stored locally or in a remote storage device. Once all required information is accessed and/or retrieved as needed, method  400 B may proceed to determine based on the accessed information, whether creation of new virtual desktop(s) will be beneficial to the user, at  430 . As discussed above, this step may involve the use of one or more ML models that analyze history data and other parameters to determine when the use is more likely to make use of and/or benefit from the use of additional virtual desktops. Once the analysis is complete, method  400 B may determine, at  435 , based on the results of the analysis, whether creation of new virtual desktops would be beneficial to the user. 
     When it is determined that the new virtual desktop(s) are not useful to the user at this point (no at  435 ), method  400 B may proceed to end, at  440 . When it is determined, however, that the new virtual desktop(s) are beneficial to the user (yes at  435 ), method  400 B may proceed to display a notification to the user, at  445 . The notification may be similar to the notification UI element  310  of  FIG.  3 A  and may require the user&#39;s input for proceeding with creation of additional virtual desktop(s). 
     After providing the notification, method  400 B may wait until it receives the user&#39;s input regarding the creation of additional virtual desktop(s), at  450 . The input may be received via a UI element and may include selection of an option to either proceed with creation of additional virtual desktop(s) or halt the creation of additional virtual desktop(s). Once the input is received, method  400 B may proceed to determine if the user indicated a desire to create an additional virtual desktop, at  455 . 
     When it is determined that the input indicates a desire to proceed with creation of an additional virtual desktop (yes at  455 ), method  400 B may proceed to display a UI element for creating a new virtual desktop, at  460 . The UI element may include UI control that enables the user to create a new virtual desktop upon selection. In one implementation, the displayed UI element guides the user through the steps required for creation of a new virtual desktop. This may require receiving one or more additional user inputs to proceed through the steps of creating a new virtual desktop. In some implementations, upon receiving a user input indicating the user&#39;s desire for creating additional virtual desktop(s), method  400 B may proceed to automatically create one or more additional virtual desktops, as discussed in more details above. 
     When it is determined, at  455  that the user input indicates the user is not interested in creating a new virtual desktop (no at  455 ), method  400 B may proceed, at  465 , to remove the notification displayed at step  445 , before moving forward to end the process, at  440 . In this manner, method  400 B may provide a method of notifying the user when it is likely that they can benefit from use of additional virtual desktops and/or to simplify the process of creating a new virtual desktop by guiding the user through the steps of creating a new virtual desktop. 
       FIG.  5    is a block diagram  500  illustrating an example software architecture  502 , various portions of which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described, which may implement any of the above-described features.  FIG.  5    is a non-limiting example of a software architecture and it will be appreciated that many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. The software architecture  502  may execute on hardware such as client devices, native application provider, web servers, server clusters, external services, and other servers. A representative hardware layer  504  includes a processing unit  506  and associated executable instructions  508 . The executable instructions  508  represent executable instructions of the software architecture  502 , including implementation of the methods, modules and so forth described herein. 
     The hardware layer  504  also includes a memory/storage  510 , which also includes the executable instructions  508  and accompanying data. The hardware layer  504  may also include other hardware modules  512 . Instructions  508  held by processing unit  506  may be portions of instructions  508  held by the memory/storage  510 . 
     The example software architecture  502  may be conceptualized as layers, each providing various functionality. For example, the software architecture  502  may include layers and components such as an operating system (OS)  514 , libraries  516 , frameworks  518 , applications  520 , and a presentation layer  544 . Operationally, the applications  520  and/or other components within the layers may invoke API calls  524  to other layers and receive corresponding results  526 . The layers illustrated are representative in nature and other software architectures may include additional or different layers. For example, some mobile or special purpose operating systems may not provide the frameworks/middleware  518 . 
     The OS  514  may manage hardware resources and provide common services. The OS  514  may include, for example, a kernel  528 , services  530 , and drivers  532 . The kernel  528  may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware layer  504  and other software layers. For example, the kernel  528  may be responsible for memory management, processor management (for example, scheduling), component management, networking, security settings, and so on. The services  530  may provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers  532  may be responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware layer  504 . For instance, the drivers  532  may include display drivers, camera drivers, memory/storage drivers, peripheral device drivers (for example, via Universal Serial Bus (USB)), network and/or wireless communication drivers, audio drivers, and so forth depending on the hardware and/or software configuration. 
     The libraries  516  may provide a common infrastructure that may be used by the applications  520  and/or other components and/or layers. The libraries  516  typically provide functionality for use by other software modules to perform tasks, rather than rather than interacting directly with the OS  514 . The libraries  516  may include system libraries  534  (for example, C standard library) that may provide functions such as memory allocation, string manipulation, file operations. In addition, the libraries  516  may include API libraries  536  such as media libraries (for example, supporting presentation and manipulation of image, sound, and/or video data formats), graphics libraries (for example, an OpenGL library for rendering 2D and 3D graphics on a display), database libraries (for example, SQLite or other relational database functions), and web libraries (for example, WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality). The libraries  516  may also include a wide variety of other libraries  538  to provide many functions for applications  520  and other software modules. 
     The frameworks  518  (also sometimes referred to as middleware) provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be used by the applications  520  and/or other software modules. For example, the frameworks  518  may provide various graphic user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, or high-level location services. The frameworks  518  may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs for applications  520  and/or other software modules. 
     The applications  520  include built-in applications  540  and/or third-party applications  542 . Examples of built-in applications  540  may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browser application, a location application, a media application, a messaging application, and/or a game application. Third-party applications  542  may include any applications developed by an entity other than the vendor of the particular system. The applications  520  may use functions available via OS  514 , libraries  516 , frameworks  518 , and presentation layer  544  to create user interfaces to interact with users. 
     Some software architectures use virtual machines, as illustrated by a virtual machine  548 . The virtual machine  548  provides an execution environment where applications/modules can execute as if they were executing on a hardware machine (such as the machine depicted in block diagram  600  of  FIG.  6   , for example). The virtual machine  548  may be hosted by a host OS (for example, OS  514 ) or hypervisor, and may have a virtual machine monitor  546  which manages operation of the virtual machine  548  and interoperation with the host operating system. A software architecture, which may be different from software architecture  502  outside of the virtual machine, executes within the virtual machine  548  such as an OS  550 , libraries  552 , frameworks  554 , applications  556 , and/or a presentation layer  558 . 
       FIG.  6    is a block diagram illustrating components of an example machine  600  configured to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (for example, a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any of the features described herein. The example machine  600  is in a form of a computer system, within which instructions  616  (for example, in the form of software components) for causing the machine  600  to perform any of the features described herein may be executed. As such, the instructions  616  may be used to implement methods or components described herein. The instructions  616  cause unprogrammed and/or unconfigured machine  600  to operate as a particular machine configured to carry out the described features. The machine  600  may be configured to operate as a standalone device or may be coupled (for example, networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine  600  may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a node in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. Machine  600  may be embodied as, for example, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a gaming and/or entertainment system, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (for example, a smart watch), and an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Further, although only a single machine  600  is illustrated, the term “machine” includes a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute the instructions  616 . 
     The machine  600  may include processors  610 , memory  630 , and I/O components  650 , which may be communicatively coupled via, for example, a bus  602 . The bus  602  may include multiple buses coupling various elements of machine  600  via various bus technologies and protocols. In an example, the processors  610  (including, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, or a suitable combination thereof) may include one or more processors  612   a  to  612   n  that may execute the instructions  616  and process data. In some examples, one or more processors  610  may execute instructions provided or identified by one or more other processors  610 . The term “processor” includes a multi-core processor including cores that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although  FIG.  6    shows multiple processors, the machine  600  may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (for example, a multi-core processor), multiple processors each with a single core, multiple processors each with multiple cores, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the machine  600  may include multiple processors distributed among multiple machines. 
     The memory/storage  630  may include a main memory  632 , a static memory  634 , or other memory, and a storage unit  636 , both accessible to the processors  610  such as via the bus  602 . The storage unit  636  and memory  632 ,  634  store instructions  616  embodying any one or more of the functions described herein. The memory/storage  630  may also store temporary, intermediate, and/or long-term data for processors  610 . The instructions  616  may also reside, completely or partially, within the memory  632 ,  634 , within the storage unit  636 , within at least one of the processors  610  (for example, within a command buffer or cache memory), within memory at least one of I/O components  650 , or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof. Accordingly, the memory  632 ,  634 , the storage unit  636 , memory in processors  610 , and memory in I/O components  650  are examples of machine-readable media. 
     As used herein, “machine-readable medium” refers to a device able to temporarily or permanently store instructions and data that cause machine  600  to operate in a specific fashion. The term “machine-readable medium,” as used herein, does not encompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals per se (such as on a carrier wave propagating through a medium); the term “machine-readable medium” may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible machine-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, nonvolatile memory (such as flash memory or read-only memory (ROM)), volatile memory (such as a static random-access memory (RAM) or a dynamic RAM), buffer memory, cache memory, optical storage media, magnetic storage media and devices, network-accessible or cloud storage, other types of storage, and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” applies to a single medium, or combination of multiple media, used to store instructions (for example, instructions  616 ) for execution by a machine  600  such that the instructions, when executed by one or more processors  610  of the machine  600 , cause the machine  600  to perform and one or more of the features described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” may refer to a single storage device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. 
     The I/O components  650  may include a wide variety of hardware components adapted to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components  650  included in a particular machine will depend on the type and/or function of the machine. For example, mobile devices such as mobile phones may include a touch input device, whereas a headless server or IoT device may not include such a touch input device. The particular examples of I/O components illustrated in  FIG.  6    are in no way limiting, and other types of components may be included in machine  600 . The grouping of I/O components  650  are merely for simplifying this discussion, and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various examples, the I/O components  650  may include user output components  652  and user input components  654 . User output components  652  may include, for example, display components for displaying information (for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a projector), acoustic components (for example, speakers), haptic components (for example, a vibratory motor or force-feedback device), and/or other signal generators. User input components  654  may include, for example, alphanumeric input components (for example, a keyboard or a touch screen), pointing components (for example, a mouse device, a touchpad, or another pointing instrument), and/or tactile input components (for example, a physical button or a touch screen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures) configured for receiving various user inputs, such as user commands and/or selections. 
     In some examples, the I/O components  650  may include biometric components  656 , motion components  658 , environmental components  660  and/or position components  662 , among a wide array of other environmental sensor components. The biometric components  656  may include, for example, components to detect body expressions (for example, facial expressions, vocal expressions, hand or body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (for example, heart rate or brain waves), and identify a person (for example, via voice-, retina-, and/or facial-based identification). The position components  662  may include, for example, location sensors (for example, a Global Position System (GPS) receiver), altitude sensors (for example, an air pressure sensor from which altitude may be derived), and/or orientation sensors (for example, magnetometers). The motion components  658  may include, for example, motion sensors such as acceleration and rotation sensors. The environmental components  660  may include, for example, illumination sensors, acoustic sensors and/or temperature sensors. 
     The I/O components  650  may include communication components  664 , implementing a wide variety of technologies operable to couple the machine  600  to network(s)  670  and/or device(s)  680  via respective communicative couplings  672  and  682 . The communication components  664  may include one or more network interface components or other suitable devices to interface with the network(s)  670 . The communication components  664  may include, for example, components adapted to provide wired communication, wireless communication, cellular communication, Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi, and/or communication via other modalities. The device(s)  680  may include other machines or various peripheral devices (for example, coupled via USB). 
     In some examples, the communication components  664  may detect identifiers or include components adapted to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components  864  may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag readers, NFC detectors, optical sensors (for example, one- or multi-dimensional bar codes, or other optical codes), and/or acoustic detectors (for example, microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In some examples, location information may be determined based on information from the communication components  662 , such as, but not limited to, geo-location via Internet Protocol (IP) address, location via Wi-Fi, cellular, NFC, Bluetooth, or other wireless station identification and/or signal triangulation. 
     While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it is understood that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the embodiments. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying figures and discussed in this detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or substituted for any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will be understood that any of the features shown and/or discussed in the present disclosure may be implemented together in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims. 
     Generally, functions described herein (for example, the features illustrated in  FIGS.  1 - 4   ) can be implemented using software, firmware, hardware (for example, fixed logic, finite state machines, and/or other circuits), or a combination of these implementations. In the case of a software implementation, program code performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (for example, a CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more machine-readable memory devices. The features of the techniques described herein are system-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of computing systems having a variety of processors. For example, implementations may include an entity (for example, software) that causes hardware to perform operations, e.g., processors functional blocks, and so on. For example, a hardware device may include a machine-readable medium that may be configured to maintain instructions that cause the hardware device, including an operating system executed thereon and associated hardware, to perform operations. Thus, the instructions may function to configure an operating system and associated hardware to perform the operations and thereby configure or otherwise adapt a hardware device to perform functions described above. The instructions may be provided by the machine-readable medium through a variety of different configurations to hardware elements that execute the instructions. 
     In the following, further features, characteristics and advantages of the invention will be described by means of items: 
     Item 1. data processing system comprising:
         a processor; and   a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the data processing system to perform functions of:
           receiving an input indicating hovering of a pointer over an icon in a toolbar;   identifying one or more existing virtual desktops;   determining a state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops by identifying one or more instances of any applications that are currently running in each of the one or more existing virtual desktops and determining a running state for at least one of the one or more instances; and   displaying a preview of each of the one or more existing virtual desktops in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon,   wherein the preview includes displaying the running state for one of the one or more instances for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops.   
               

     Item 2. The data processing system of item 1, wherein the icon is a task view icon. 
     Item 3. The data processing system of items 1 or 2, wherein the toolbar is a taskbar. 
     Item 4. The data processing system of any preceding item, wherein the preview is displayed adjacent to the icon. 
     Item 5. The data processing system of any preceding item, wherein the executable instructions when executed by the processor, further cause the data processing system to perform functions of:
         in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon, displaying a user interface (UI) element for creating a new virtual desktop.       

     Item 6. The data processing system of any preceding item, wherein the executable instructions when executed by the processor, further cause the data processing system to perform functions of:
         receiving a selection of the preview of one of the one or more existing virtual desktops; and   in response to the selection, displaying an existing virtual desktop corresponding to the selected preview.       

     Item 7. The data processing system of any preceding item, wherein determining the state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops includes:
         determining which of the one or more instances was last active on each of the one or more existing virtual desktops;   determining a latest running state for the last active instance; and   providing display data for the latest running state of the last active instance.       

     Item 8. A method for creating a new virtual desktop in a client device, comprising:
         determining if the new virtual desktop would be beneficial to a user of the client device;   upon determining that the new virtual desktop would be beneficial, displaying a notification about creating the new virtual desktop;   receiving a user input via the notification, the user input indicating a user&#39;s approval of creating the new virtual desktop; and   upon receiving the user input, displaying a user interface (UI) element for creating the new virtual desktop.       

     Item 9. The method of item 8, wherein determining if the new virtual desktop would be beneficial to the user is made based at least in part on a number of open windows in the client device, types of applications associated with the open windows in the client device or contextual user information. 
     Item 10. The method of item 9, wherein determining if the new virtual desktop would be beneficial to the user is made by a machine-learning (ML) model. 
     Item 11. The method of item 9, wherein determining if the new virtual desktop would be beneficial to the user is made by determining if the number of open windows exceeds a predetermined number. 
     Item 12. The method of any of items 8-11, wherein the notification includes a first UI control for approving creation of the new virtual desktop and a second UI control for disapproving the creation of the new virtual desktop. 
     Item 13. The method of any of items 8-12, wherein the UI element for creating the new virtual desktop includes a preview of a currently available virtual desktop. 
     Item 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored instructions that, when executed, cause a programmable device to:
         receive an input indicating hovering of a pointer over an icon in a toolbar;   identify one or more existing virtual desktops;   determine a state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops by identifying one or more instances of any applications that are currently running in each of the one or more existing virtual desktops and determining a running state for at least one of the one or more instances; and   display a preview of each of the one or more existing virtual desktops in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon,   wherein the preview includes displaying the running state for one of the one or more instances for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops       

     Item 15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of item 14, wherein the icon is a task view icon. 
     Item 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of items 14 or 15, wherein the toolbar is a taskbar. 
     Item 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of items 14-16, wherein the preview is displayed adjacent to the icon. 
     Item 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of items 14-17, wherein the instructions when executed, further cause the programmable device to:
         in response to the hovering of the pointer over the icon, displaying a user interface (UI) element for creating a new virtual desktop.       

     Item 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of items 14-18, wherein determining the state for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops includes:
         determining which of the one or more instances was last active on each of the one or more existing virtual desktops;   determining a latest running state for the last active instance; and   providing display data for the latest running state of the last active instance.       

     Item 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of items 14-19, wherein a name is displayed in the preview for each of the one or more existing virtual desktops. 
     While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that the teachings may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all applications, modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings. 
     Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain. 
     The scope of protection is limited solely by the claims that now follow. That scope is intended and should be interpreted to be as broad as is consistent with the ordinary meaning of the language that is used in the claims when interpreted in light of this specification and the prosecution history that follows, and to encompass all structural and functional equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement of Sections 101, 102, or 103 of the Patent Act, nor should they be interpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subj ect matter is hereby disclaimed. 
     Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated or illustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedication of any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, or equivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recited in the claims. 
     It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. 
     Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” and any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “a” or “an” does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. 
     The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly identify the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various examples for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claim requires more features than the claim expressly recites. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.