USING LAYERS TO CONSTRUCT GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES

摘要

A technique for making a GUI in a digital data processing system using layers which may be defined in the digital data processing system's display. The layers include a target layer and an overlay layer which overlays the target layer and is translucent with regard to the target layer. Inputs to the overlay layer are handled by the overlay layer, which permits the overlay layer to augment a graphical user interface provided by the target layer. Augmentations include narrations about the target layer and widgets which point out areas of interest in the target layer. A widget may further define a "hole" in the overlay through which the user may interact with a location in the target layer. One use of the technique is in training users of the target layer's graphical user interface.