Patent ID: 7143340

Claim:
Within a grid control for displaying a user interface comprising a table that is a visual representation of a database and that enables a user to read and interact with content of the database, wherein the grid control comprises a plurality of cell objects organized as a plurality of row objects and one or more column objects, wherein for each of the plurality of row objects, one or more user interface characteristics are stored in one or more row characteristic objects, a method of reducing memory requirements for the grid control by sharing a single row characteristic object between two or more row objects, the method comprising acts of: creating a first row object that comprises one or more first cell objects, the first row object for use in organizing the one or more first cell objects and data associated with the one or more first cell objects for presentation within the grid control; creating a second row object that comprises one or more second cell objects, the second row object for use in organizing the one or more second cell objects and data associated with the one or more second cell objects for presentation within the grid control; creating a row characteristic object for use in determining how the data associated with the one or more first and second cell objects should be presented within the grid control; creating an index to link the row characteristic object to the first and second row objects such that the row characteristic object is shared between the first and second row objects; storing the data associated with each of the one or more first and second cell objects separately from the first and second cell objects where characteristic information for each corresponding cell object is located; and maintaining a state list with state information that is redundant with state information maintained for each row.