Composite UI Application Block

Abstract: A distributed user interface (UI) system includes a client device configured to render a UI for a server-based application. The client device communicates with a UI server over a network such as the Internet. The UI server performs formatting for the UI, which preferably utilizes a number of native UI controls that are available locally at the client device. In this manner, the client device need only be responsible for the actual rendering of the UI. The source data items are downloaded from the UI server to the client device when necessary, and the client device populates the UI with the downloaded source data items. The client device employs a cache to store the source data items locally for easy retrieval.

Abstract: A “UI producer” is used to automatically instantiate extensible user interface (UI) windows. The automatically instantiated UI windows are based on dynamic definitions of those UI's. These UI definitions, which include descriptions of controls or other elements used to populate one or more UI windows, are read and interpreted by the UI producer prior to rendering the UI windows. In addition, these UI definitions may also define or reference one or more event handlers or “listeners” that are to be associated with particular controls, groups of controls, or entire UI windows so that the controls or UI windows are capable of interacting with an associated application. After reading the UI definitions, the UI descriptions are acted upon to automatically instantiate each UI window using at least one database of predefined controls and custom elements, with automatic layout rules being used to organize controls and elements within each UI window.

Abstract: A user interface of an application is identified as designated for presentation to a particular end user of the application, the user interface rendered based at least in part on a user interface template, the user interface template including a plurality of placeholders, and the user interface adapted to receive user inputs. At least one attribute of the particular end user is identified. A first set of user interface (UI) building blocks is selected from a plurality UI building blocks, the first set of UI building blocks including at least one configurable UI building block dynamically selected based on the identified attribute of the particular end user. At least one placeholder of the user interface template is populated with the first set of UI building blocks to render the user interface for presentation to the particular end user. The user interface is presented to a user of the application.

Abstract: A user interface (UI) is presented in which a UI client engine is associated with an application, and a UI rendering engine is associated with the client engine. The UI client engine processes a client thread to manage a scene graph. The UI rendering engine receives the scene graph and data items associated with elements of the scene graph, and processes a rendering thread to render a UI in accordance with the scene graph and the data items, independently of further input from the client UI engine.