Radial menus with variable selectable item areas

摘要

A method and apparatus for facilitating selection of items from a radial menu. Radial menu items may be differentiated from one another based on a desired difficulty of selection from the radial menu. Where it is desirable to make a radial menu item easy to select, the radial menu item may be placed in a relatively larger pie slice of the radial menu. Conversely, where it is desirable to make a radial menu item difficult to select, the radial menu item may be placed in a relatively smaller pie slice of the radial menu.

主权项

1. A computer implemented method for displaying a radial menu, comprising configuring one or more processors to perform an operation comprising:
displaying, on a screen of an output device, the radial menu comprising a plurality of pie slices, each pie slice defining a selection zone for a respective radial menu item, wherein a first pie slice of the plurality of pie slices has a first predefined size; receiving a first gesture that moves a screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, thereby activating the first pie slice of the radial menu; and in response to the activation of the first pie slice, executing a menu manager on one or more of the processors to temporarily change a size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to a second predefined size while the first pie slice is activated, wherein the second predefined size is smaller than the first predefined size and is based on a selectability value for a destructive function associated with the first pie slice, wherein changing the size of the first pie slice comprises, while the first pie slice is activated by the first gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, decreasing an angle between lines bounding the first pie slice while maintaining a radial length of the first pie slice, and wherein, if the first pie slice is deactivated after being activated, the size of the first pie slice is returned to the first predefined size by increasing the angle between the lines bounding the first pie slice while the radial length of the first pie slice is maintained.