Patent ID: 6961944

Claim:
A computer system including a microprocessor and a software program, the software program utilizing an application program interface to request services from a windowed operating system, the requested services relating to display, manipulation or arrangement of items in a window, which items may include text associated therewith, the application program interface including a separate means for requesting each of the following services: arranging the items in an icon view; creating a drag image list for a specified item; removing all items from the window; removing a column of items from the window; removing an item from the window; beginning in-place editing of text associated with a specified item; ensuring that an item is entirely or at least partially visible, scrolling a window control if necessary; searching for an item with specified characteristics; retrieving a background color of the window; retrieving a callback mask for the window; retrieving attributes of a window column; retrieving a width of a column in the window; calculating a number of items that can fit vertically in a visible area of the window; retrieving a handle of an edit control being used to edit an item's text; retrieving a handle of an image list used for drawing items; retrieving some or all of an item's attributes; retrieving a number of items in the window; retrieving a position of an item in the window; retrieving a bounding rectangle for all or part of an item in a current view of the window; retrieving a state of an item; retrieving text associated with an item; searching for an item that has specified properties and that bears a specified relationship to a given item; retrieving a current view origin for the window; determining a minimum column width necessary to display all of a given string; retrieving a text background color of a window; retrieving a text color of a window; retrieving an index to a topmost visible item in the window; retrieving a bounding rectangle of all items in the window; determining which item, if any, is at a specified position; inserting a new column in a window; inserting a new item in a window; forcing a window to repaint a range of items; scrolling contents of a window; setting a background color of the window; setting a callback mask for a window; setting attributes of a window column; changing a width of a window column; assigning an image list to a window; setting some or all of an item's attributes; preparing a window for adding items; moving an item to a specified position in the window; changing a state of an item in the window; changing text associated with an item; setting a background color of text in the window; setting a text color of a window; sorting items using an application-defined comparison function; and updating an item.