Patent ID: 7856596

Claim:
A method in a computing device for specifying alternate layouts of an element of a display description specified using a display description language, the method comprising: providing a display description file that specifies the display description using the display description language that includes: a definition of the element, the definition of the element occurring only once in the display description file; a first condition and a first layout for the definition of the element; and a second condition and a second layout for the definition of the element; and when processing the definition of the element of the provided display description file, parsing by the computing device the display description file to identify the definition of the element, the first condition and the first layout, and the second condition and the second layout; retrieving a parameter for controlling the layout of the element; determining whether the retrieved parameter indicates that the first condition is satisfied or the second condition is satisfied; displaying the element in accordance with the first layout when it is determined that the first condition is satisfied; and displaying the element in accordance with the second layout when it is determined that the second condition is satisfied; wherein layouts and conditions included in the same display description file only specify how to display elements defined in the display description file, wherein the element has child elements and the layouts specify the layout of the child elements, wherein a layout specifies a table in which the child elements are to be displayed, and wherein the layout that specifies the table further specifies that a cell within the table for a child element and another cell for another child element is to be automatically selected.