Navigation within a graphical user interface for a compound graphical object using pointing device input

摘要

A method, system and program for navigating within any compound graphical object in a graphical user interface presented on a display. The compound graphical object has an arbitrary number of hierarchically ranked levels. First, the system determines whether a command to move within the compound object was issued from a pointing device or from a keyboard device. If issued from a pointing device, a lowest level object in the compound object is found which encompasses a hot-spot of a pointer icon controlled by the pointing device. The level to which the lowest level object belongs is made active. If the selection command was issued from a keyboard device, a next object in the compound object is selected, the next object being established by the keyboard user command and other information such as the relative hierarchical and spatial positions of the current and next objects.